Once you've made up your mind that you want to start selling for profit on eBay, the first steps are to decide what you will focus on selling and from where you will source the product.
Initially, I only sold my own designer items, which allowed me to purge and purchase new items, as well as make a bit of extra income, but I've now branched into thrifting and consigning for others.
There are several questions to think about before you start: *What am I passionate about? For myself, I love women's clothes and handbags, making it quite enjoyable to scavenge through piles upon piles of clothes, whereas, I think I would kill myself if I had to search for antique electronics all day.
A friend of mine always says, there are riches in niches, so if you are able to think of an uncommon, very specialized product to sell, it's more likely the margin will be greater than with a common item.
*Where can I get the product from? Some ideas would be selling your own excess belongings, selling for others (consigning) and keeping a portion of the selling price, or teaming up with a wholesaler to resell their inventory.
*What will I charge? To learn the eBay market value of a product, it's beneficial to search through completed listings on eBay, which will display recent selling prices of specific items.
It is also beneficial to Google, search Craigslist, or search iSell to determine a fair, but profitable, price.
It's important to factor in eBay Final Value Fees (typically around 10%), as well as accurate shipping costs when determining a price.
*How will I ship the product/ Where will I ship? I prefer to use PayPal's Shipping Manager service, which allows you to make USPS labels through eBay, and I buy my shipping materials from, you guessed it, eBay - I find that I can purchase envelopes and tape for about 50% less than the prices in Wal-Mart or Target.
I, except for in special instances, only ship to the US and Canada, because frankly, I don't like filling out the customs forms - a bit too much extra work for me.
Initially, all one needs to get an effective start on eBay is knowledge of their product, a computer, and a camera.
There are lots of other things to consider as you get more engaged in eBay selling, but with the above questions answered and the materials listed, you're well on your way.
Happy Selling!
Initially, I only sold my own designer items, which allowed me to purge and purchase new items, as well as make a bit of extra income, but I've now branched into thrifting and consigning for others.
There are several questions to think about before you start: *What am I passionate about? For myself, I love women's clothes and handbags, making it quite enjoyable to scavenge through piles upon piles of clothes, whereas, I think I would kill myself if I had to search for antique electronics all day.
A friend of mine always says, there are riches in niches, so if you are able to think of an uncommon, very specialized product to sell, it's more likely the margin will be greater than with a common item.
*Where can I get the product from? Some ideas would be selling your own excess belongings, selling for others (consigning) and keeping a portion of the selling price, or teaming up with a wholesaler to resell their inventory.
*What will I charge? To learn the eBay market value of a product, it's beneficial to search through completed listings on eBay, which will display recent selling prices of specific items.
It is also beneficial to Google, search Craigslist, or search iSell to determine a fair, but profitable, price.
It's important to factor in eBay Final Value Fees (typically around 10%), as well as accurate shipping costs when determining a price.
*How will I ship the product/ Where will I ship? I prefer to use PayPal's Shipping Manager service, which allows you to make USPS labels through eBay, and I buy my shipping materials from, you guessed it, eBay - I find that I can purchase envelopes and tape for about 50% less than the prices in Wal-Mart or Target.
I, except for in special instances, only ship to the US and Canada, because frankly, I don't like filling out the customs forms - a bit too much extra work for me.
Initially, all one needs to get an effective start on eBay is knowledge of their product, a computer, and a camera.
There are lots of other things to consider as you get more engaged in eBay selling, but with the above questions answered and the materials listed, you're well on your way.
Happy Selling!