How to Make Money on eBay Selling Items from Big Lots

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By A. Suzanne Wells
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Make Money on eBay Selling Items from Big Lots

Big Lots is a closeout store with discontinued or overstock items that have been removed from store shelves because of packaging changes or for other reasons. Small stores like CVS and Walgreens have limited shelf space and products are constantly being pulled as items must be rearranged to make room for newly released items. The pulled items are often sold to Big Lots and sold to consumers at clearance prices.

You can find all sorts of products to sell on eBay including small electronics, health and beauty items, cosmetics, toys, office supplies, home decor, clothing, accessories, and medicines.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

eBay Account
Computer
Internet Connection
Big Lots Stores
Time

Step 1

Sign up for the Big Lots weekly ad at Biglots.com. The deals will vary by zip code so you can stay informed of new items without going to the store.
Step 2

Do your homework and research what is selling on eBay before you buy anything. Visit the store and pay attention to the products and prices.
Step 3

Make a list of the hot deals and new arrivals.
Step 4

Check eBay’s completed listings for the Big Lots items that interest you, and determine if you can make a profit on the items.
Step 5

Decide if it will be more profitable to sell the item as an individual item or in a lot. You want to be able to sell the item fairly quickly before eBay becomes oversaturated with the item. Items such as cosmetics, shampoo, soap, vitamins, diet products, DVDs, CDs, and health and beauty products sell well in lots.
Step 6

Return to the store often to keep tabs on new stock and further price reductions. Stock turns over fast at Big Lots. To get the best products, you must act fast and find the deals before anyone else.
Step 7

Don’t list an item on eBay without purchasing it first. Many eBay sellers list the products in their stores, then return to buy the product after a customer buys it. Bad idea with Big Lots. Since the stock turns over quickly, you may return to the store to fill an order, and the product will be sold out. Then you are in an embarrassing situation with your customer since you can't fill his order. Your customer could leave you negative feedback for selling an item you can't deliver.
Step 8

Check the expiration dates on every product before you buy it. You don't want an angry customer to contact you because the product he paid for has expired.
Step 9

Don't announce to the other shoppers or employees that you are reselling the items on eBay. You could be creating competition for yourself so don't give anyone any ideas. If your cart is full and someone makes a comment about the amount of items you are buying, either say nothing or reply with comments like,

I just can't pass up these prices!
I have a big family.
I like to stock up on these.
We love this product and it is hard to find.
Step 10

Check the resources section below for more tips and tools for eBay selling.

Comments

Coach4U said

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on 5/8/2009 Good information about selling items from BigLots on E-bay. "5"

530shasta said

on 1/6/2009 Great idea! As far as drop shipping goes I really like wmsclothing.com (if you sell clothing and accessories), there is no fee to use the service. Many drop shipping companies charge an upfront 'membership' fee.