Angry reactions about the eBay doc

My blog gets syndicated through several different channels, and one of them happens to be the Trusted.MD network. After I wrote about the CNN story about the physician Dr. Jennifer Lickteig who makes more money selling items on eBay than in seeing patients ("Doc makes more cash selling clothes on eBay"), I received an onslaught of comments from people who must not have been satisfied with their eBay transactions with her. These comments could have been generated by only a few (or even a single) user - I have no way of knowing that. Some of the comments claim that she uses several different eBay user IDs. I tried to look up a few of them and nothing came up. So, I'm inclined to think that those comments may have been generated by a single angry customer.

In any case, I was trying to focus on the principle behind the story, not the actual story. The principle is that many physicians are looking for supplemental income because their day job isn't enough. They may find non-clinical jobs in the world of medical writing, sales, consulting, teaching, etc. Some are obviously more successful than others, but it's always interesting to meet physicians who have an entrepreneurial spirit. You can leverage common resources like eBay to build a business if you're creative and if you have the right business sense.

As for Dr. Jennifer Lickteig, I know nothing about her eBay activity beyond what's described in the CNN story. I've never purchased anything from her. I don't even know her eBay userID.

"Doc makes more cash selling clothes on eBay"

This was the title of a recent CNN story: Doc makes more cash selling clothes on eBay

Sounds unbelievable, doesn't it? Well, the world of sales can be quite lucrative and some physicians find that their part-time non-clinical endeavors may be more profitable than the world of clinical medicine.

The CNN story is about Dr. Jennifer Lickteig who runs a clothing store on eBay. Here's a quote from the story:

The 35-year-old family practitioner says she earned $120,000 last year on eBay, more than she did practicing medicine.

I've sold a few things on eBay, but my profits have been nowhere near $120,000. I guess it's time to rummage through my closets again so that I can sell some junk. A few weeks ago, I sold some computer parts on eBay and made over $100 (you can probably imagine that my house is full of computer-related hardware and other types of gadgets).

Many full-time physicians make less than $100,000 each year, so it's not difficult to imagine how one could work part-time and earn much more "on the side." I know some medical bloggers (physicians) who make more money blogging part-time than seeing patients full-time. I also know many physicians who make more money consulting than seeing patients. The bottom line is that you can find those lucrative opportunities if you position yourself strategically and look for the right types of opportunities.

To read this interesting story on CNN, click here.