Selling on Ebay

[gladtobeamommy]

I was wondering if any of you guys sell stuff on ebay and if you do does something sell better then others and is it stuff you have around the house or do you go shopping with the intention of selling and making a profit on ebay. I am looking for a way to supplement our health insurance premium. I would only need about $100.00 weekly. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[simple987]

I used to be very active seller on ebay about 4-5 years ago. You could put up any piece of junk from around the house and someone would buy it. I haven't been active lately because I ran out of stuff to sell and ebay's policies really suck now.

Some people have luck finding things at garage sales to put on ebay, but by this point in time, everyone checks ebay before getting rid of it. THE GLORY DAYS OF EBAY ARE OVER!!

[disneysteve]

Some people have luck finding things at garage sales to put on ebay, but by this point in time, everyone checks ebay before getting rid of it. THE GLORY DAYS OF EBAY ARE OVER!!

I've been selling on ebay since 1997, the very early days. I do still sell currently. I have to agree with simple987. Ebay used to be a goldmine for sellers. Now, it is still a perfectly reasonable place to sell things, but you won't get the prices and bidding wars that you once got. Ebay made it too easy for everyone to become a dealer. I used to buy things at yard sales, flea markets, thrift shops, auctions, outlet stores and even regular stores on clearance and resold them on ebay with a substantial profit margin. That is far more difficult today. Sale prices have fallen due to competition and fees have risen, shrinking that profit margin. Again, you can still make money, and I do, but keep your expectations on the low side.

[mbongwe]

Most people who sell on ebay for income are drop-shippers or buy wholesale. It's unlikely that you would make sustainable income there from stuff around the house.

[disneysteve]

Most people who sell on ebay for income are drop-shippers or buy wholesale. It's unlikely that you would make sustainable income there from stuff around the house.

Certainly, you need something besides stuff around the house, because at some point, you will have sold everything you have to sell. But you don't have to be drop-shipping and buying wholesale either. If you are a savvy shopper, you can shop clearance items at regular stores (after Christmas is a really good time for this), outlet stores, yard sales, Church bazaars, thrift shops, etc. and find enough things to generate a decent 2nd income. If you live in a populated area, don't rule out trash-picking either. It is amazing how much perfectly good stuff people throw away when they just decide they don't want it anymore. As they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure. An especially good time to go trash-picking is after folks have a yard sale. Some people will donate unsold items, but most will just load them up and put them out at the curb.

[moneybags]

If you live in a populated area, don't rule out trash-picking either.

Is that who I think it is, digging in my trash, hey doc! I hope you wear a disguise .


There are some well-off suburbs near me that have one week each year that they can dispose of big items. I hear the traffic can get pretty bad. I haven't gone yet, but I always have it on my list to go.

[disneysteve]

There are some well-off suburbs near me that have one week each year that they can dispose of big items. I hear the traffic can get pretty bad. I haven't gone yet, but I always have it on my list to go.

From an ebay standpoint, you can do better in the middle class neighborhoods because it isn't the big stuff you want for resale - too hard to ship. What you want is the discarded toys, books, games, magazines, household items, etc. A good thing to do is plan out a yard sale shopping route for Saturday and hit all the sales. Then follow the same route again that evening and check to see what got trashed when they closed up the sale.

[PrincessPerky]

You have to research what is worth enough though. No grabbing just any old thing and wasting the ebay listing fee on it.

I wouldn't have the memory nor personality for it, but my husband dabbles in the resale of items he wants...since he did all the research on the items before buying he knows a good price and how to resell the stuff. But the time invested in learning what goes for how much is enormous...and the things he works on run in cycles...list at the wrong time, and you lose your investment.

[disneysteve]

You have to research what is worth enough though. No grabbing just any old thing and wasting the ebay listing fee on it.

the time invested in learning what goes for how much is enormous

That's true to an extent, but nobody is really starting from scratch. Everyone has some area or areas that they know about and those would be the natural places to focus on. If you are into a certain type of craft, or you collect certain items yourself, start be selling those types of items. For example, I collect Disney memorabilia. For quite a while, pretty much all I sold was Disney items. When I would buy an item for my own collection, I would pick up an extra one to resell. Sometimes I would buy 3 or 4 extra, or 10, if I felt it was an item that was going to be in strong demand. If I found a Disney item of value at a yard sale, but I already had it in my own collection, I would buy it to resell.

Personally, I have it quite a bit easier because I've been doing yard sales, flea markets, antique stores and auctions since I was a toddler. My parents were collectors as well. I've been a dealer since 1986 and even though I focus on Disney in my own collection, I have built up a very broad knowledge base of antiques and collectibles. There is no way someone could start from scratch and acquire the broad range of info that I have in my head. It has come from decades of experience in the field. But I don't think that broad base is necessary to sell successfully. Just pick the areas you know about and run with that.

[PetMom]

On the note Steve just mentioned, I have often wondered about the antiques and have been intrigued as far as ebay.

There is a new phase in decorating now called 'vintage' or not as old as an antique. Magazines are showing vintage linens, flowery plates, rhinestone jewelery and just calling it vintage or shabby.

Things like antique photos, old sheet music even broken jewelry and old millinery flowers are being snapped up in big demand by crafters/artists.

I don't sell on ebay but have watched with fascination the antique market
take this turn. Many antiquers would have thought those items worthless.

Also, I read a book where an antique dealer bought the stuff left over from other dealers after an auction. This included broken mirrors with good frames, broken lights (he showed how to fix them) and even chairs that needed some work. Seems most dealers do not like these tedious chores.

I am sure the antique market will be affected by coming (or already here) recession, and the above tips might be of some use to actually try.

Again: I do not deal in antiques so cannot vouch for these tips.

Also, of worth to a lot of us curious people maybe an ebay book about selling in the new era of ebay would be a moneymaker! Most ebay books
I seem to find a yearts old and I wonder if those are even valid now for their tips.

[disneysteve]

Also, of worth to a lot of us curious people maybe an ebay book about selling in the new era of ebay would be a moneymaker! Most ebay books
I seem to find a yearts old and I wonder if those are even valid now for their tips.

I've found every ebay book I've ever looked at to be pretty worthless. All they do is reiterate info that is already online or is common sense: Use a clear, well-lit photo, write a detailed description, check your spelling, check for similar items for pricing guidance and category, etc. You don't need to spend $20 or more on a book to figure that stuff out.

[lazybum]

I think Ebay has become a better place to buy from that sell from. You can get a good deal, but if you sell...most of your profits are eaten away with fees, and people aren't willing to bid as much as they used to. They are flooded with things and someone else will have it cheaper.

[gladtobeamommy]

Thanks for all the great advice guys. I really was not expecting this much info. One other site that I frequent most of the times my post go flat after a day. Thanks again.

[simple987]

UGH!! I wanted to post a quick rant about selling on ebay. I sold an item two weeks ago and shipped it prompty, via Parcel Post which is very cheap yet slow. After a week goes by, the buyer is now sending me angry emails EVERYDAY reiterating that it has still not arrived. Umm...its out of my hands now? You will see the post mark when it arrives. Parcel post was specified in the listing and he could have paid extra for faster shipping! I HATE THE JERKS!

I had another buyer do this to me, and kept accusing me of not shipping the item!! I have 1300+ positive feedback (100%) and this jerk is biting my head off and threatening to report me!! After he received the item, I never heard from him, no apology or any feedback!

[TMoney]

I think Ebay has become a better place to buy from that sell from. You can get a good deal, but if you sell...most of your profits are eaten away with fees, and people aren't willing to bid as much as they used to. They are flooded with things and someone else will have it cheaper.

I would have to agree with lazybum...i thinks buyers definitely get the better deals. With the internet there are so many sources to get what you want...even those hard to find items. It's funny, with the internet, is there such a thing as a hard to find item?