I started using eBay 7 years ago now which is hard to believe.
In those years I have gone through periods where I'd done quite well out of ideas I've had to make money.
They were mainly during my time as a university student or when I'd just started my first professional job so obviously they will not be appropriate for everyone.
Buy limited edition items to re-sell With the rise of celebrity/designer collaborations with retailers this is an easy area to target.
I first tried this in Australia when the first Designer collaboration went on sale as department store Target.
I knew from the amount of PR that the collection was receiving that the items would be popular and I also knew that they were limited edition and there would be most likely more supply than demand.
On the morning of the launch I went to a suburban store which I knew wouldn't have the fashion crowds and purchased a few items.
They were roughly a third of the price of the main designer collection so they were deemed to be good value by fans.
Sure enough, by the end of the first day I knew from internet fashion forums that the collection had sold out.
I then proceeded to list the items on eBay for double the price I paid which was still a lot cheaper than the mainline collection.
I will be honest that I received quite a few abusive emails from angry girls who had missed out and thought what I was doing was wrong, however they sold and I made a profit.
As more and more sellers got greedy with this tactic, a lot of retailers have now placed a 'one item per person' policy on their limited edition collections.
This stops shoppers from going in with their trolley and literally piling high any size and style they can get their hands on.
I have to say I've never been one of those sellers, I've always just sold a few more items than I wanted for myself to help pay for the items I keep! While I've targeted fashion as it's an area I'm interested in, I believe this tactic could be used across all different types of products.
In those years I have gone through periods where I'd done quite well out of ideas I've had to make money.
They were mainly during my time as a university student or when I'd just started my first professional job so obviously they will not be appropriate for everyone.
Buy limited edition items to re-sell With the rise of celebrity/designer collaborations with retailers this is an easy area to target.
I first tried this in Australia when the first Designer collaboration went on sale as department store Target.
I knew from the amount of PR that the collection was receiving that the items would be popular and I also knew that they were limited edition and there would be most likely more supply than demand.
On the morning of the launch I went to a suburban store which I knew wouldn't have the fashion crowds and purchased a few items.
They were roughly a third of the price of the main designer collection so they were deemed to be good value by fans.
Sure enough, by the end of the first day I knew from internet fashion forums that the collection had sold out.
I then proceeded to list the items on eBay for double the price I paid which was still a lot cheaper than the mainline collection.
I will be honest that I received quite a few abusive emails from angry girls who had missed out and thought what I was doing was wrong, however they sold and I made a profit.
As more and more sellers got greedy with this tactic, a lot of retailers have now placed a 'one item per person' policy on their limited edition collections.
This stops shoppers from going in with their trolley and literally piling high any size and style they can get their hands on.
I have to say I've never been one of those sellers, I've always just sold a few more items than I wanted for myself to help pay for the items I keep! While I've targeted fashion as it's an area I'm interested in, I believe this tactic could be used across all different types of products.