Your Guide to Making Money on eBay

Selling on eBay is more profitable when the items are affordable or convenient to find. Often, the best gifts that you can resell are from thrift shops where people make 10K a month from them.

In other areas, you have to go to Ross, hit up yard sales, or become regulars on Craigslist to find the best pieces for eBay.

Reselling on eBay – A Beginners Guide

Resellers buy secondhand items from varied sources like charities, boots sales and then sell them for profit online. It’s a legal way to make extra money or even a full-time income.

How do I find items to resell on eBay?

Sam’s Club and Costco made their marks by selling products in bulk to large families, clubs, and small businesses. Garage, tag move, or estate sale offer the best deals you ever could. Especially liquidations and estate auctions are excellent sources of merchandise for resale through newspaper auction listings. 

Don’t forget to check the expected price on eBay before you buy, check the payment terms, and see whether you have to bring cash or can pay via credit card. It is a great opportunity to take advantage of going-out-of-business sales, but don’t be misled.

How do I start reselling products on eBay?

The web provides numerous sites where you can sell any commodity. There are huge generalists — including eBay, Amazon, and wholesale marketplace B-Stock. Some niche sites can also sell a specific type of goods faster. Most sites have basic introductory guides and communities of vendors providing advice on how to sell items. These are the best online shopping platforms for books, vintage items, and more.

How to sell on eBay to make money?

Amazon has over 10 million customers with eBay. It also is an excellent opportunity to make money. So whether you work from home with very little investment or you’re a reseller who sells the most, you are on track.

Managing your product listings

You can use spreadsheets when you only list a couple of items like eBay Ellen. For hundreds of thousands of products, a spreadsheet may be too complex or inefficient. Feed managers can take existing product feeds from Google Shopping and Export them on eBay.

Depending on the feed management system you use, your products may be exported to eBay if they are listed on eCommerce platforms such as BigCommerce. Having a feed manager for managing thousands of products, like Google Shopping, will make your life easier. If your feed has been published on Google Shopping, you can export it to other sites.

Setting up your eBay profile, store and understanding fees.

After you set up an eBay profile, you can get a quick list of everything listed on the site from there. If you want to create an eBay merchant account for a small monthly fee, you can access free listings, marketing options, and dedicated customer service. Insertion fees are always free with guitars, and total worth fees are relatively small at 3.5%. Final value fees vary from as low as 2% to up to 12%, with maximum fees depending on the category. As for why we chose guitars as our main product, we have a good reason. There’s no insertion fee associated with guitars.

How to Make Money on eBay: One last thought

With the number of platforms available now, selling online is certainly not limited. eBay is the favored method because it is extremely easy to use, popular, and has a wide customer base. You can earn around $70-3,000 per month on eBay. So, you can just imagine what you can make if you have time to hustle. It is about what you are willing to put in. 

Communication and negotiation with eBay buyers

In some cases, there may be serious buyers, which is great, but more often, you will see people who try to jerk you around with no intention of purchasing your property. Don’t let them waste your time. Try to cooperate with them to find out whether they can agree and accept them when you don’t regret anything. Try to be as professional and good as you can and avoid falls of the way. Let’s say they’d like to buy the guitar for serious buyers, but they want a case or a trap for free.

COMPUTER PARTS

There is a clique of hardworking grubbers at most local thrift stores who wait for new electronics at each turn until they are picked up at a convenient time. Why should I discourage myself from being great at stuff? Our area seems to have a unique vulture since we follow them for vintage electronics to rotate that they have overlooked. The best things on eBay to get your money are stuff that you know of.

BLANK MEDIA

Blank media is probably the most profitable thing to sell on eBay. A blank media can provide high returns on your investment. Usually, one set of photos, one listing, and one shipment can be bought. Keep a specific watch for specialized cassettes and CD releases for that particular song or genre: the stranger, the better.

How can I improve my eBay seller rating?

Your sales or customer feedback scores summarize buyers about what was going on in the past. A high rating means more sales. This tells buyers how easy it is to work with. Think like this: If you see a product you’d like to buy on eBay but look at their profile and see only 40% of the comments, you doubt buying these items. The Same item you’re looking at is $5 more, and the seller of this item is 100% successful; you would definitely buy it from them.

Tell me the easiest way to sell clothes on eBay?

The most popular eBay items are those you usually find online. Most of the highly-priced purchases are non-clothes products. Normally, you can get 20-30 items in the basket, but you can only get ten or so if you’re thrifting. Many people buy clothing for $4 and sell it for $10. The high-hanging fruit has the sweetest results. Maximum profits in the shortest possible time! Big deals take as much time to source and list as small purchases. The trick to finding the best products for sale is to look for a balanced mix.

Who sells on eBay?

A seller can be a newbie or a power seller on eBay. For example, eBay Ellen, the amateur wholesaler, sells lots of clothing at a fixed price. Video Game Vince Searches the website for comics collecting materials & video game action figures to resell. In his business, he sells comic books that are hard to find and exclusive. You can succeed despite the growth of secondhand shops or new products by placing a company on eBay.

What should I sell on eBay?

While eBay sellers focus on products from a niche market, others follow trends to sell currently popular ones. Getting yourself to realize this can be pretty difficult.

Is this legal?

Several retailers require retailers to remove labels, bar codes, or QR codes. Some manufacturers have issued cease warnings, but these are rare. Selling counterfeit items or stolen goods is neither legal nor illegal – a violation can be severe. But be careful if you’re selling something to another person because of receipts you have. Some of the most popular products are faulty electronics and makeup, which have bacteria-contaminated them.

Developing product descriptions for eBay

Shoppers on eBay search for products with names that can vary based on the product. In order to have product attributes similar to those that consumers search for on eBay, detailed product descriptions must use these attributes. The seller must also become very transparent about any product defects and discuss any problems with the product. You also need to clarify what the item is called rather than the title.

DAYPACKS/BACKPACKS

Backpacks are in our categories – especially vintage ones. Unique selling. It’s surprisingly easy to see bags that are out of place in the multitude of worn-out school backpacks in thrift stores. Unique selling on eBay is much like all the others. 

Bulk buying and selling on eBay

Find goods for sale in large quantities by using terms such as “large volume,” “job site,” or “wholesale.” You can also access the prices of individual items to see if they’re affordable. You can also check what is currently trending on eBay – it opens in a new window or tab. Make a business account on eBay for reselling products.

Buying and selling seasonal items

If you are willing to hold on to things for a few days stocking up on summer clothing during winter or Christmas gift-giving following Christmas can be very profitable.

eBay Best Practices

The best practices discussed here are similar to those that you should follow in eCommerce and any marketplace. They will be particularly significant with eBay as you will have to distinguish yourself from competitors selling through this channel. Below are some general tips with more information about each one.

REMOTE CONTROLS

It takes a very tiny sum to purchase remotes on thrift stores. They also are very easy to sell on eBay. You can usually find remotes for under $1 and have sold them for over $50 apiece! Remote controls can be tested with a smartphone and shown in just 5 minutes. Watch this video to read about ways to sell remotes on eBay.

Listing items on eBay, so they sell fast

You might already know that the seller had priced this item under half the amount it was worth on eBay, but it wasn’t an accurate listing. After verifying all info with the current owner, you can begin preparing for the purchase. As soon as the document is received, all the details are confirmed and ready for listing.

eBay Selling Format

When eBay launched in 1995, it was an actual peer-to-peer marketplace built on auctions. In the context of this evolution, eBay introduced new options for e-bay. Each selling option contains pros and cons — the method that works best for you depends heavily on your particular business.

Listing and flipping items on eBay

No one wants to purchase what will flip without knowing it, as in other investments. In addition to knowledge and research about the items you want to flip, there are four different ideas you should think of before you buy.

Product identifiers.

In categories such as consumer electronics, health, and cosmetics, eBay requires product codes for all products listed in new or refurbished condition. When buyers look for items at searches in search engines like Google and Bing, these search engines look for specific data called product identification. Using product identifiers, eBay allows users to locate goods quickly in search terms. If you add product identification to your listings, you’ll get higher search visibility on eBay. It’s also grantable for special price alerts (such as when you list upcoming listings below the trending price) and more deals and promotional promotions. Adding item identifiers is highly recommended for optimizing your potential on eBay.

Find your niche and do your homework

Don’t try to sell anything if you don’t know what you are selling. Don’t make yourself look unprofessional, and be careful because some buyers can be more elegant than others, or they’ll even look for a refund. It’s an excellent way to invest if you’re able to fix someone’s broken electronics. A pair of Birkenstocks was returned ‘not as described’ because the seller didn’t do the homework in this area or was inaccurately described. 

Start small and don’t take risks

Get some cheap items to start and see how you’re doing with these. Don’t pay $120 a month for a huge bundle of garments that you need to put on sale just so the clothes can be purchased at surprisingly low prices. Start small and increase gradually. Waste your money wisely.

Sell your belongings first

Selling your stuff lets you understand something without having to commit. You can experiment with auctions or buy it now listings, develop your descriptive abilities, and find what works for you. To know if something will provide a sustainable income, you have to look at the process a few times. It’s a good experience and will allow you to decide if making it for profit is ok for you. You probably get the return requests and sometimes deal with a complicated buyer. But maybe you’re supposed to find out how much money you have to pay.

Create attractive listings that rank

For keywords, it is advisable to look at the same or similar already listed products on eBay with rankings of 1st to 2nd. Use eBay Keyword Planner to find the right keywords for your business listings. As you can see from the screenshot below, the Ibanez AF155 recent listing ranks first on search (after the sponsored listing). The guitar was purchased with a case holder with guitar when the seller first bought it. The guitar will be sold with its case on the listing. 

Don’t get screwed on the dimensions

Always know what you intend to deliver and how to pack it up. You have to consult your shipping service for the price for the measurements. Suppose the density weight of the package is higher than the physical weight of the package the freight carrier charges for its maximum cost. Don’t be surprised if you had an exact size incorrect at last time and that you had an additional half of your budget due at the expense. Always pack and ship your guitar cases to reduce the chances they’re too large on them to fit in the box.

Playlist suggested: Flipping Profits

Flight provides a way of interacting with a distributor who carries clothes and shoes from the big-brand brands that you wish to sell. Flyp typically charges a commission rate of 40-60%, but keep in mind you will have to subtract eBay or other market fees from those earnings. One guest has mentioned making up to $3000 daily re-sellers. Rob “The Flea Market Flipper” Stephenson searches for a deal at local flea markets, swap meets, and apps like OfferUp. Jessica Larrew resells items on Amazon for an eBay profit, although she sources her vast collection by selling items at local retailers.

Market Price

You can search for guitars with a “Sold Items” filter for what the guitar recently sold for on eBay. With certain brands, the product they sold the week before will be very different from the one they sold the week prior. The only listing completed show will show you how much of it has been unsold. You can also play with the price as the market price move up and down on eBay. A brand new Ibanez AF155 is currently listed for $760 on eBay, but you can list it for $750 (with freebies like guitar picks).

Product attribute guidelines and best practices.

Product attributes define important and relevant facts about a product, such as brand, style size, and color. Specifying items and categories on eBay give specific details. A product attribute is created when a product is mapped to a specific item in a specific category on eBay. This improves the relevance of the search result to what users type on the search engine. This applies to what they would like the product search engine to show or filter. In order to filter products, the search engine uses the attributes about the product to create a complete set of structured data.

Things are harder and more expensive to ship.

Hard goods purchases are more lucrative than clothing if you look around Craigslist Yardsales Antique Malls, etc. One of the biggest differences between selling clothing and hard objects is that clothes buyers often expect, or even demand, Free Shipping. The ink you sell is cheaper at Walmart from a yard sale or direct from Best Buy is more valuable than the brand you’re sourcing. It’s harder to purchase hard goods though some thrift sites mostly have clothes. For people selling t-shirt on eBay, it’s more important that they just buy the best, not from Walmart.

Item quality

To flip anything for a profit, we must purchase stock to sell well below market price. However, people on eBay tend to lower the value of products they like on Amazon. When we see a listing that looks like it might have some flipping profit margin, we would check the detailed information of the listing and photographs and begin talking to the seller. If we look at another platform in a similar fashion (or in nearby guitar shops) for that guitar for a smaller price, we make similar (if not the same) motions to examine the instrument.

Join the reselling community

Instagram’s reselling community is an incredible resource. Resellers discuss their hit and misses. There are also Facebook groups you might be interested in joining. A lot of people don’t sell on eBay because of the fees and the effort required for listing, but honestly, it is a great way to make some extra money and even develop into an effective income. Be a part of one that shares time hacks, daily goal sharing for motivation and is open to all newbies and oldies.

Where can I get the packaging?

If you purchase your items at an outdoor charity or yard sale, the boxes and packages in your box won’t be suitable for recycling. 

You can begin by looking on Craigslist for people giving away large boxes or boxes from House Depot. UPS FedEx and USPS sell their special size packages though the larger they get, the better pricing. Always reuse when possible! 

Auction-style selling.

You will auction a traditional auction every few days. At the start of the auction, you set an opening bid the buyer then takes the opening bid down. The highest bid is awarded when the auction ends. Vince specializes in selling individual, collectible items so it is a popular method of selling video games to fans.

Tip: Choose an ideal deposit — or the minimum payment that you accept for the item. This gives you control to make sure you don’t sell the item until you receive the amount you believe is worth for you to sell this item on eBay for $1,000.

Find out what’s trending.

One of the best ways to see what’s hot on the market is to look at what’s trending on eBay. Another useful source for studying seasonal trends and historical data is Google Trends. You can use the data to monitor the demand and determine the better time for marketing/sales. You could sell snowboard parts and accessories to a website. You would see a spike in web search volumes from late December through early November. Type in “snowboard” to Google Trends, and you should see a spike in December searches later in November and in early December.

Maximize your returns

The way you present your item will determine whether you sell the dress at auction for a tiny sum or get a reasonable amount on buying it now. You can buy mannequins for your outfits, but mostly, don’t. Modern styles in flat-lying are also growing a lot. Assure that you get pictures in daylight in a clean room and iron your clothes. There was another post about the sale of clothing on eBay. 

Profit Margin

When looking for pieces to flip, you need a profit margin. A profit margin measures the amount of income a customer produces, which overpowers the same products. Don’t forget to add the anticipated charges to your expenses. Look for items that offer a 50% or a lesser valuation. Guitars often cost several hundred. There’s a big margin to be played with that makes all of the efforts worthwhile. 

Don’t rely on one place to source

Think of getting job sites on Facebook, Schpock, or even eBay. Depending on how much you want to invest, you may find interesting things that you already work on. Ask your family member or friend for things and sell them for commission. Think outside the box and be on the lookout for potential new opportunities. Sourcing from various places implies that if a charity shop closes or that boot sale season is behind, you have another option.

Develop a routine

Don’t feel silly thinking you’ll be successful by willy nilly – it is your own fault. Get more organized and set clear timings for when you’re going to take your work seriously for the sake of it.

Two thoughts on “Reselling on eBay – A Beginners Guide”

How can someone make an easy sale of something on eBay that requires more work? Will they post an item with different weights that they want for other customers? 

If you are shipping a larger package, use myHermes as it is less expensive than regular mail and allows larger packages. Charge it what it costs to post, even if it is more than the amount. People will buy it if they want it and it will cost less.

It is difficult to keep track of all the brands and items.

You can quickly become overwhelmed by all the non-clothing items on the shelves in secondhand stores. Previous clothing specializing sellers are used to remembering brands, so they frequently find the same piece again. Instead, identifying items with varying profit margins is very efficient. 

Be organized from the start

Take care of packaging and storage. Create a spreadsheet to track spending. Start an eBay Business account, keeping your resell separately from your personal account. If you’re doing it for profit, you will need to declare your income to HMRC, so be sure you have everything you need from the start. 

What determines your eBay Feedback Score?

Your feedback score is based on four items over the last twelve months. It is not automatically figured for you by eBay once the item is shipped home. This is from the purchaser themselves. Send a friendly note a couple of days after the product arrives to give their feedback for the sales. 

Which carrier to use for shipping

Printing and shipment options on PayPal usually cost about 30% less than shipping directly through USPS. For USPS, customers forget to send flat rate boxes. Local boxes are always cheaper. When using regional containers, it is usually cheaper to send eBay products through USPS. 

Fixed-price listings.

The ‘Buy It Now’ way of selling allows the seller to specify a fixed price for their goods. eBay customers know the exact price upfront and can purchase it immediately – no bidding required. The auction-style is efficient and convenient because one needs to buy and sell without haggling or waiting until the auction ends.

Packaging and shipping

Please keep in mind that packaging and shipping might take some time. Guitars are estimated to cost $50 in shipping. It will be costly for your business and will likely degrade your margin for profit. 

High-quality photography.

Set high-definition images on a plain white background for the product. Set the illumination sufficiently for the object and its specific attributes. Try shooting the product from different angles and take close-ups to highlight specific things. Use a hat, and you’ll just stop people from visiting.

Price your products.

You can use the eBay appraisal tool to determine the value or trending price for a given item in a specific category. You can also use an eBay appraiser to determine the value of a particular item from this type of category.

Product variants.

eBay is gradually bringing together GTIN product groups, which will become more important with your setup. Another tip is to show the variety of products on one page rather than on many.

So, this is all you need to know about selling products on eBay.