There is a lot of money to be made as a seller on eBay. Thousands and thousands of sales are made each day, resulting in a lot of income for a lot of sellers. And there is still room for you if you want to get involved – whether you want to earn some part time cash or set up a whole new full time business on the side.
But where do you get your stock from? How do you get started? And how can you build a business that gives you PowerSeller status? Relax – you’re about to find out.
It’s easy work to get started earning money on eBay. Once you’ve signed up for your free account the best way to get a feel for what selling is like is to auction off some of your personal items that you no longer want. If you are going to start buying stock to resell, you’ll do better by getting some basic selling experience first.
While we are on the subject of stock, you’ll need to decide what kind of business you are going to set up. Of course you can sell anything you like, but if you want to make a name for yourself it helps to become known for selling a specific type of product.
Now that doesn’t necessarily mean your product area needs to be a small one; on the contrary it could be quite large. You could sell toys for example – there’s plenty there to keep any seller going for months on end without selling the same thing twice. You do need to pick a popular product though, and it’s worth doing some research using eBay’s advanced search feature to find out what is selling and how much it’s selling for.
So let’s say you want to sell computer games, for example. There are hundreds of games you could buy to sell here, but if you don’t know which ones will sell you could lose a lot of money buying the wrong stock. By searching the ended listings you can see which titles consistently sell well, and which ones will produce the best profit for you.
Okay – so you know how to figure out what to buy. Now you need to know where to get it from. It stands to reason that no seller is going to tell you where they get their stock; that would be like giving away the keys to their business. In order to find the best sources for stock you need to do a bit of legwork.
We should mention here that there are two main sources for stock – wholesalers and dropshippers. Both have their pros and cons; it just depends on which method you personally prefer.
Dropshippers hold all the stock for you, so you only actually pay for an item once you’ve received payment from the customer. You may have to pay a fee to join the scheme in the first place though. If you choose to go with one or more wholesalers you will need to have the room to buy the stock, and the money to buy it in advance. This comes with more risk since you could buy stock that doesn’t sell, but with the tactic we’ve already covered for checking completed listings before you order anything, the risk here should be kept to a minimum.
So – back to where to find these sources. If you have a particular product in mind that you want to sell, the simple act of looking at the packaging can often reveal the name of the supplier. You can then check out their website to see what else they do.
Another method is to search for what you want on Google. This sounds deceptively simple and in fact many people don’t think of doing this. It can be a bit hit or miss, but it’s possible to find some excellent wholesalers through this method. Over time you will go from having one wholesaler to a handful of sources to get your stock from, and you can build up your product range as you start to grow.
Building your feedback is an important part of being a good seller and the higher you can get your score the better. It sets you apart as being a dedicated seller. And the faster your score climbs, the closer you get to attaining PowerSeller status.
The PowerSeller symbol is highly prized among serious eBay sellers, and there are five levels to strive for. The first is Bronze, and it’s a lot easier to reach than you might think. While you might set a goal for yourself to reach PowerSeller, you will find that if you build up your product range and gradually increase your sales, you will reach it in no time. And if you get off to a great start you might just do it in three months – the minimum time you can actually do it in.
Many sellers have their own shop on eBay, but it’s not necessary when you first get started. In fact you are often better off waiting until you have a good range of stock before opening a shop, since it can look rather empty if you only have a handful of items.
The final thing to think about is the price of the items you are selling. It stands to reason that if you sell a hundred different products in the $5 to $10 price range, you won’t make as much cash as you would selling a hundred in the $50 to $100 price range.
But you need to work out what you enjoy selling and what you can sell lots of to experience real success on eBay. Don’t go for expensive products just because they might bring a bigger profit. Go for your calling – that’s where you will experience the biggest success.
Above all, remember that it can take time to build a successful business – but if you’re determined to achieve real success on eBay you should be enjoying the journey.
If you have any questions or comments about making money on eBay, please leave your comments below.
The money i make on ebay, is it considered income I would have to pay on my Federal Income tax?
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Mika Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 4:49 am
you would need to ask your tax adviser. It will vary depending on how much you sell, how much you make, and where you live in the world.
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I agree with hounding the garage sale circuit. I know someone who makes up to $2000 per week in the summer.
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Is there an eBay for antiques? I would hate to use eBay for things that won’t reach a more niche audience for antiques for instance. Also, what about collectibles – is eBay the best way to go? Finally, what differentiates eBay use/purpose from Craigslist? Did Craigslist make eBay Obsolete? Thanks for your time!
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A testimonial- I have sold 2 items for a total of $70+ dollars. The key is to look at garage sales and cash converters.
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hello.
i live in lebanon, in city of Beirut. i was wondering if i have to be living in the usa to sell products on ebay?
thanks alot..
sereen
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Great article, I’ve sold on ebay.Thanks,this useful for me a lot.
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Making money on youtube is a great way to get some good money my promoting a product or just being a leader and doing something different. There is so many people out there in marketing that do not no what they are doing. To make money online you have to have something that is going to sell.
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Nice blog but no one buys anything nowadays if yes they want it underprized so you would not make much if anything at all!!!!!!!!!!!So then you would spend much more on ads then get in as ebay is not for free!!!!!!!!Credit cruch!!!
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i have heard a lot about ebay, but i was not making money using ebay. after reading this post i think i can make money on ebay. let me try and thank you very much for the valuable information you have provided on this post.
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Gonna give it a try.
Thanks.
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This is all generic info! Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s that easy.
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Mika Reply:
December 19th, 2009 at 4:19 am
lol, I really don’t understand comments like this. No offense, but why do people expect to do 5 mins work and make a full time income. And then when they don’t, they say it doesn’t work. Or its a scam. Don’t be fooled. etc
It really annoys me. People will happily spend 40 hours a week in a job, for 40 years to earn an average of 40 to 50k per year. (thats usually after they spent 4 years at college and up to $120k on their education).
But then spend maybe a few hours here and there posting a few ebay items, or building an online income, and whinge that it doesn’t work.
I would almost guarantee that if you spent even a quarter of the time you do at work. lets say 10 hours a week, consistently working on your ebay store, or any other online business. Within a year, you would probably be making more than your job is paying you.
And what makes anyone think it should be “Easy” if it was easy, everyone would do it, and then it would not work. Its the fact that it does take some effort and some work, that makes it worthwhile doing.
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This is a good start for me
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I think i like this,i will give it a trial.I pray it works out gud.
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Thanks for sharing this useful information and I hope this might be useful for me a lot.
Thanks
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Great tips! I will try making money on ebay. There are lots of ways to make money online. This is a good start.
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thanks for the idea but i want to know if it require owning a blog or website as an alternative to shop in ebay
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If you combine marketing efforts via Craigslist you can do even better.
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This site has a lot of useful tips. Just what I’m looking for. I link to these kind of sites on my site Creative Wealth. Thanks for the great article.
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I thinks it really important to plan your strategy before selling on eBay, most importantly be aware of what’s in demand or what’s in short supply. Nichey products can frequently be very popular so it would be worth while not selling something too broad.
Thanks for the post!
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It’s very interesting
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I thought of ebay a long time ago I just didn’t know how to get products that sell for cheap. Not anyone can sell on ebay I believe only those who have educated themselves of what to do to make money will be successful for everyone else it will be just a few extra dollars here and there.
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Your website is very informative. I have heard a lot of rumors about earning incomes using these ideas. I am somewhat a believer of whether the rumors are true or not. However, I love Ebay and I truly believe Ebay can be a very profitable business if sellers are knowledgeable in what they are doing. Before selling anything, one has to know what items are popular, what items are in demand and what items are the necessities. Not to mention, one has to know the profitable price range of the items. There is so much to learn about home at home opportunities.
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HI,
I found your article very helpful. I am a beginner when it comes to money making on the internet and your info about getting started with ebay will surely help me. I have already started to think about what I can dispose on ebay for some cash. I think your site is particularly helpful to students like me who want to earn some extra cash.
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Yeah! This is really a good article. People who skim through this article will come to know that how to make money on eBay.
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very useful information..I give some $$miles..
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i am new to the internet business
therefore your article is very usefull for someone like me
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Hello. Your ideas are really interesting. Definitely made me get more info on ebay sells
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i am intersting to do make money in net…. this is very useful to me…
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very interesting ideas to make overseas business in ebay most helpful site it is simply superb
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your article on earn through eBay is very helpful to me, because i need extra income. Your ideas are very helpful and it is also useful other persons like me. Thank you for Article.
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Hey
Very very helpful thanks for sharing,I didnt try it yet but I’ll try it
Irfan
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Nice article! A picture is a must on listings.. Ebay is a great solution for making some money on the side from your old used stuff. Def. worth trying out!
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This is very helpful post, and I will try to get my hands to start getting into Ebay world and start making money with it.
Thanks,
Julius
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is a good idea to make money on internet.
good job
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This is a great article, i think making money via eBay is becoming an alternative income source to many and i thing anyone can do this
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You have provided a valuable information regarding ebay. Once again great post from you. Thanks.
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Man, you are the best, thanks for all your advices… this article is very helpful for me and I think that I’m not the only one that thinks this… tomorrow I’ll try it.
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Great article, very helpful. From experience selling on ebay, you have the buyers feel like they are getting the deal of a lifetime. Great pictures and low shipping are vital. Thanks.
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hi,
sellining on ebay is a great opportunity. did any one try salehoo or anyone ca give idea about wholseller or dropshipper.
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OMG THANK YOU
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I like the idea of ebay for small businesses. You dont have to pay much overhead like rent, business licences, etc. to worry about.
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it has been a fantastic post once again. with the great information provided now i would like to sell some products on click bank.
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This article is very nice and i got an clear idea about ebay.Really it is very informative.good job.
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Hi Thank You for the article.I got one or two points more than what I already knew.Thank You once again.
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Yes! Anyone have some knowledge about the internet can begin these real opportunities. You are always sharing your ideas with us! Thanks…
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Yes! Anyone have some knowledge about the internet can begin these real opportunities. You are always sharing your ideas with us! Thanks…
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This very usefull information for me. Many times im seeking like this article about ebay. Bu now i got it.Thanks for this help.
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This article is a good introduction to anyone new to eBay and interested in getting involved in the selling side of eBay.
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Great article, I’ve sold a little on Ebay, I’ve found the most effective thing to do is charge a reasonable price for your shipping (or mark it free shipping). People will bid higher when they don’t pay too much for shipping.
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Hai. I felt great when I saw how to make money on ebay. Thanks for this article which was superb.
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Very interesting, i was curious and wanted to start trying to make money on ebay this is a good bit of information on how to begin and be succesful
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I would love to make money off of ebay because I do not have any time for a real job since I have 3 kids. I thought this information was very helpful and useful thanks a lot.
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I thought ebay selling is a good idea I could just never think of where to buy stock so I could actually make a profit. I think I will start searching for wholesalers and look up what items sell the best so I can have a good business going.
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Mika Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 1:15 am
Check out SaleHoo for wholesale ideas and suppliers.
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Hello, I found your blog via Google while searching for make money growing and your post regarding looks very interesting for me
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Online Money Making Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 4:03 am
You have found a great blog full of information for making money online. eBay is a terrific resource for getting started making money and if you are a good writer you can also earn a lot of money through Google Adsense with a niche blog. Good luck!
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