What to Buy and Some Ideas on Selling

Greetings!

When I first started selling stuff on EBay I went through my personal collections and starting listing a few things. I forget what my first item was that sold but after a while I could see trends. Sometimes the exact item I was selling was something others were selling but more often than not the items that were selling were items SIMILAR TO something I was selling. Sometimes they were items that were needed to compliment the item I was selling etc. When I started researching to build a description for my item I would run across other items that were selling. Pottery, dishes, silverware, collectibles and other non-essential items, though very valuable "in the BOOK" they are in fact quite common on E-BAY. I frequent a lot of antique malls and consignment shops where people price their items based on what they see someone TRYING to sell for on EBAY or some other INTERNET place. They seldom realize that those items are not selling at all, or if they are selling it is a long time coming and it is to someone who is simply ignorant to the law of supply and demand and just how plentiful most "collectibles" and "rare" items are now thanks to EBAY. "I saw this selling on EBAY for $200" I have been told on more than one occasion at a yard sale. My question is simple: "Did you search under completed listings?" the blank stare I receive 99% of the time gives me the answer.

Sometimes you might find out that your item is worth way more than you thought, but generally, if you are using an OFFICIAL price guide you will be very displeased when you find out that your item is SELLING and has been SOLD in the real world for far less than the book price. SO WHAT TO SELL?: SELL what is actually SELLING not what SOMEONE ELSE IS TRYING TO SELL YOU TO SELL.

DO NOT GET CONNED: If someone has the magic item that you can make a million dollars with selling on EBAY. Why would they sell it to you when they could sell it on EBAY themselves and make a million dollars?

Look and see what you already have to sell without buying anything and see what others are selling those items for under COMPLETED LISTINGS, then go to their profile and see their feedback and look through the items they have sold and for how much. TAKE NOTES because your WILL NOT REMEMBER.

SELLING SOMETHING YOU LOVE will not always make you money if no one else loves it. You need to find out what other people Love and sell that. Learn it, research it, etc. Become an Expert at researching items that other people like. Personally I do not know very much about fishing lures other than the fact that they sell. When I came across a fishing tackle box full of lures and bait I decided to take a chance and bring it home and research each and every lure. I gathered as much information as I could on the companies that made them; the years, the composition, etc. Then I went and searched each one under completed listings on EBAY (THE REAL WORLD OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND). Now when I go to a yard sale or a thrift store or look through the internet (even on EBAY) I can spot what will sell. Sure I get stuck with stuff once in a while ( I AM NOT AN EXPERT) but way more often than not I will make money.

Holidays: BUY December items in January through July and August when folks just want them out. Yard Sales are full of them.

DO NOT BUY JUNK.

TAKE TIME TO TAKE GREAT PICTURES: An Item that has a poor picture will take a lot longer to sell than one with a set of great pics. Sunny Day, outdoor pictures are best. Take them from every side possible.

Do your best to honestly describe any flaws. Offer the 14 day return unless you are selling precious metals. (That would be just foolish as folks would buy them and then if the price dropped drastically would want their money back).

On a side note: If you are selling precious metals make sure you insist on immediate payment as the price can fluctuate a great deal and someone who wins an auction on a Friday at 40 dollars an ounce may decide that when the market opens on Monday and the price of silver dropped to 28 he may not want your silver anymore and not pay. They will use you like an Options broker and you do not want that.

Watch your shipping and size on some items, for example a GOLF BAG may only weigh 8-11 pounds but it generally will need to be shipped as an extra-large package which will cost you extra.

Remember it is not easy to ship items with GLASS.. INSURE everything!

There are so many items and markets out there, if you are going to make money and not get stuck with a lot of junk you will need to be a student of your market and related markets. This is not a lazy person’s game and you need to study. Do not get upset with EBAY for changing the rules or the fees or anything like that. Remember there is no way for you to open a store in the retail world for anywhere near the small comparative cost of operating an Ebay store.