How to Get Items to Sell on Ebay

For anyone wanting to be an eBay seller, a good place to start getting items is your own home. Most of us have items that we want to get rid of, but we don’t have enough for a yard sale, we don’t know anyone we can sell them to, and the items are too good to throw away. But what about after these items are sold? How do you get more items for your burgeoning eBay business? It is actually very easy to do.

Auctions are one of the best ways to get items quickly. Here’s one idea, you are selling on Ebay, why not also buy there? Many people selling on Ebay are sometimes selling large lots for little money. These lots are great for resale. Also, you can do the same thing with local auctions. Quite a few sellers at many auctions sell large lots of good items as well as single items, most of which, you can get cheap enough to make a profit. You can do this because the sellers are selling to a small population, but on eBay, you are selling to the world. You may not be able to sell everything in the lot you buy individually, but those items can be sold as another lot. Don’t buy lots with a lot of junk in them, though, as there is a low probability of being able to sell enough of it to make a profit.

Another favorite place to get items for resale is the flea market. You don’t find many lots here, but you can usually get a decent deal on items for resale-especially if you are lucky enough to find someone who doesn’t know what they have. Always get into the flea market early-early enough to catch people setting out items-and plan to stay there for a few hours at least, if not the whole day. This is to make sure that you see everything at least once. Always try to wheel and deal with the seller. You won’t get a better deal everytime, but you will be able to get better deals often enough to make it worth your while, and it never hurts to ask.

Yard sales are like flea markets, but there is only one seller at each location. As with flea markets, try to deal with the sellers. Also, ask the seller if they have certain items that you are looking for specifically. You never know what they may have held back because they thought that the item wouldn’t sell, or what that person hasn’t even given a thought to selling, but would be willing to sell if there were a buyer. Asking people if they have a certain item works in flea markets, auctions, yardsales, and most everywhere else. It doesn’t hurt, and helps often.

You, the eBay seller, can also sell items for other people on consignment. A good place to start getting those items is from family, friends, and neighbors. To sell consignment on eBay, check out the Trading Assistants program for all of the rules. Remember that the fees on Ebay are set on a sliding scale, so charge your fees accordingly. Your commission fee can be a set fee per item, a percentageof the item’s closing price, or both. The lower the value of the merchandise, the higher the percentage should be, as you have to be paid for your time, and listing a high dollar item takes about the same time as listing a low dollar item.

When selling items on eBay on consignment, it is your responsibility to photograph the item, listing the item (with a description), receive all payments, pay all eBay fees, answer all questions, carefully pack and ship the item, and take care of customer service issues. This is just like you were selling the item yourself. All the person who you are selling the item for has to do is give you the item and pick up their money when it is sold. You, the person actually doing the selling, should have the item on hand at all times from the time you agree to list it, so that you can sell effectively (plus, there have been stories of the owner of the item not giving up the item when it is time to part with it). Take care of these items, as you are responsible for them. Always personally check to make sure that there are no defects in the item, as a defective item can net you a negative rating.

Another way to get items to sell on eBay it to put out ads in the classidied section of your local newspaper. Just tell the public what you want, and give a way to contact you. Include a phone number that you are very likely to answer-a cell phone is perfect. Don’t miss a great deal because you didn’t answer your phone. Not all calls will pan out. Some people will want to know what you are about, some will be crank calling. Some people will want too much money for their stuff, others will check with you and several other people, then sell to someone else. And some people will simply want to know what they can get for their stuff, and never have any intention of selling to you.

Always make sure that you give a fair price for the item-word gets around, but at the same time make sure you get a good enough deal to be able to make a profit off of the item after your fees. This can be a delicate balance, but is not hard if you know what the item is selling for. One good way to know what you can sell the item(s) for before you even buy them is to carry a laptop computer with you that is capable of accessing the internet from anywhere. That way you can check out the going rate in real time on a product plus check out what the fees will be to sell it.