Things You'll Need:
- Ambition
- A Goal
- Search Engine
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Step 1
Find things in your house to sell
This is actually the best way to start. People actually buy used clothing so long as it is in good shape, name brand or never worn. My first 100 transactions on Ebay were selling off the kids clothes that just took up space in my shed. They were all used but I washed them and sorted through so that any ones with stains or holes I threw away. I had some old Disney records that sold for a decent amount, I sold a broken playstation 2, clothes from Christmas that were given to us that didn't fit or we didn't have time to return or we just didn't wear, We gathered kids toys that were not played with any more, unused furniture. I hope you get the idea. I started looking into garage sales after that and picked up used telephones for a couple of bucks that sold for a profit. The idea is to remember everyone on Ebay is looking for a bargain, so you should be looking for them too. Look in your local paper as to when people hold yard sales, garage sales, flea markets, ect. Some one else's junk could be your profit. Go to the local thrift shop and look for name brand clothing on the rack....go to the Gap pay $50, go the thrift store for a Gap product pay $5...do the math...same name brand $45 less, sell on ebay for 15 bucks make about $8 after all fees incurred. But do you get the idea, if you are willing to try you can make some money. -
Step 2
Be Wary of "Dropship Warehouses"
Go to Doba.com and they are always out of stock, discontinued stock or above list price of even the actual company themselves. I found an Ipod on Doba and thought let me market this right on Ebay and see if I can sell some for Christmas. I go to Doba, pay the $60 monthly fee to have 2 orders same day, go to Doba to place sale and gee they are DISCONTINUED, and it's 10 days before Christmas, paypal won't issue refund for 3 business days and I have 2 people extremely upset with me. They don't want to hear that supplier is out and they have to wait for their money when I didn't have to wait for their payment ...understandable. So now I am out 2 sales, $100 (including listing fees and monthly subscription to Doba), and 2 customers that could have been repeats. Alot of these so called "suppliers" charge you a monthly fee, sell same products as everyone else so for you to tap into a market of product for a great price or profit is highly unlikely, tend to be actually higher in price than if you go to actual website of just say Apple Ipod. There are alot of scams out there that will just take your money and claim they sell 152,000 distinct products for WAY BELOw cost or wholesale and the truth of the matter is they jack up the regular retail on their site to make it look like you are getting an 80% discount when you are paying more than if you go to any regular store. Everyone's trying to tap into the wholesale business even your local retailers so stick with what you know and go from there. Try looking on the internet for actual one deal suppliers like a clothing store that just sells clothes at a good price, no membership fee, no hidden costs, or an electronic store that specializes in refurbishing products and sells to the public but again no membership fees or hidden fees. Etronics.com is a good website for this as Apparelshowroom.com. -
Step 3
If you are creative find something to sell that you can make
If you are crafty look into searching on ebay for things that you can make. If you know it is a great item and you can make it, why not sell it? Try to sell something others are not. -
Step 4
Learn How to sell on Ebay
You can incur unnecessary fees on Ebay in the way you list things. They charge fees for regular auctions, buy it now, reserve, store, and final value. Be careful because you can lose more than you make. Regular auctions are good for rare items to get the most out of selling a particular item. Like say a flet screen TV you have keeps needing a light bulb replaced and you want a new tv, auction it off and watch people bid. They tend to bid on higher valued items than say a shirt. You can put a reserve on it so it won't sell unless someone has bid what you want for it and people can go beyond the reserve if they keep getting outbid, but you at least make the money you want to on it. Keep in mind the final value fee, the price you paid to list it, the paypal fee and shipping costs, so when you reserve something you want to make sure you calculate that into that price. The best way to sell lower priced items on Ebay is to get a store. You pay a base monthly fee and your auctions are buy it now styles. Your listing fees are next to nothing but you still pay a final value fee and remeber your shipping costs and the cost of the tape you use and the boxes you ship them in too. Research the fees on Ebay before you begin your adventure. -
Step 5
Be Creative
Learn how to attract buyers in the way you list. Be creative with your writing, add pictures of what you are selling, and stand out. There are a couple of free programs out there that can help you listing items in a stylish, eye-catching way. -
Step 6
Be honest
When listing items be totally honest about their color, condition, size, ect. More people will tend to buy from you again if you do not lie about your items. -
Step 7
Have a return policy.
More people are apt to buy from you if you have a return policy. Encourage people to insure their items in shipping so if damaged in shipping both buyer and seller are protected. Be specific though tell your buyers that you will only accept returns if...
