How to Make Money Selling Toys on eBay

Member

By A. Suzanne Wells
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating:

(13 Ratings)

Make Money Selling Toys on eBay

Toy sellers can make a killing on eBay, especially during the holiday season, and if offered on eBay international websites. Learn how to determine what toys to sell, where to get them, and how to make money selling toys on eBay.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Step 1

To be a successful toy seller on eBay, you must stay informed of current trends. Visit the eBay Discussion Board for Toys, located at this url: http://forums.ebay.com/db1/forum.jspa?forumID=88. Sellers openly discuss what is hot, what is selling, and their predictions based on previous years. Tip: If you know of a hot toy, do not post it on any eBay board. Keep that information to yourself. Let people do their own research. As soon as you post a hot item on the board, everyone who reads it will become your competition overnight. People often post on the eBay boards with an alternative ID so that you can’t see their store and their items for sale, and become their competition. If you plan to post on the eBay boards, do so with an ID other than your main selling ID.
Step 2

Watch, listen, or read the news, both local and national. You will often hear stories of customers standing in line for hours to buy the latest and most popular toy or electronic device. If people are waiting in line for it, and camping out to wait for the store to open to buy it, the item will be hot on eBay. You may have a product in your area that is plentiful, but not available in another part of the world.
Step 3

If you have preschool or grade school aged kids, casually chat with other parents about toys their kids enjoy. (They don’t need to know that you sell on eBay.) You may pick up on something like, “Justin wants one of those XYZ toys that all of the neighbors are getting, and we can’t find it anywhere! Red flag – a toy is sought after but hard to find. It will probably be a good seller on eBay.
Step 4

Disney items are always popular, all over the world. Check completed listings for the newly popular characters, such as Hannah Montana. Dolls, bedroom décor, bedding, and backpacks are very popular items with Disney character themes. See what items are selling on eBay and for how much. Check local retailers such as WalMart, Target, and Toys R Us to determine the retail price. Be sure to visit sites like eBay UK, eBay Canada, and eBay Australia and check completed listings. You may get a higher profit for these items on an international site.
Step 5

Pay attention to the current kids’ movies in the theatres. Action figures, Legos, super heroes, and other toys based on these characters are big sellers. For example, Transformers, Batman, and Harry Potter items historically are good sellers. Also look for TV character related items such as SpongeBob, Dora the Explorer, Teletubbies, Thomas the Tank Engine, Winnie the Pooh, etc.
Step 6

Electronic learning toys are great sellers. Watch for newly released toys by Fisher Price, Leap Frog, V-Tech / V-Smile, and Sesame Street. Also watch for newly released games or cartridges that fit into the electronic devices. These can also be profitable.
Step 7

Barbies, Barbies, and Barbies. Again, the newly released, collectible, or special edition Barbies are the best sellers. Get them early as soon as they are released. These are popular all over the world, so be sure to offer international shipping.
Step 8

Check other eCommerce sites for the kinds of toys being sold. Look on Amazon, OnLineAuction.com, and eCrater. Search completed listings to learn what is selling and for how much.
Step 9

Selling toys is like selling anything else on eBay, trends will constantly change and there is not one magic product that sells all the time for years on end. What is popular and a good seller today, may not be next month. It is really an impossible task to write an article describing exactly what toys to sell for profit on eBay – tomorrow could bring a new toy or invention that we don’t even know about yet. The best strategy is to learn how to stay informed, understand that research is involved, and then take action as soon as you learn a new tip. Nothing stays a secret on eBay very long – so timing is everything. Keep your eyes and ears open!