How to find things to sell on ebay

A quick search on ebay will reveal millions of listings at prices that may be cheaper then home, leaving you wonder how some sellers can do it! Although ebay does not have the overheads of a regular shop, selling on ebay still involves some listing, selling and receiving fees so how do you manage to put a winning product on the market? There are many ways to find things to sell on ebay and I will explore a few of them here.

• Make it! - Many of the things sold on ebay and etsy are handmade. You can turn your crafts into cash. Ideas range from clothing to bookmarks to stockings, wreaths etc. If you can make it, you can sell it!
• Get rid of it!- All of us have unwanted gifts, clothes we outgrew or discarded, toys we don't need, ornaments we are bored of etc. Why not take the chance selling them. With 50 free listings per month on ebay you won't be out of cash if your items do not sell.
• Hunt it! - Bargain hunt. Find deals at yard sales, car boot sales, thrift stores, charity shops or wherever you may come across something of significant value at a cheap price. It is surprising how very often you can buy stuff and resell at 500 percent profit on ebay! How is happen? Well for one thing, people are ready to pay for quality and rare items so keep an eye for those when bargain hunting.
• Vintage it is! - Vintage items sell to collectors. Look around your (or your parent's) attic and basement and you may come up with loads of out of production vintage or collectible items. Many vintage items are collectibles especially if they are hard to find. Examples may include, old postcards, old coins, old toy figurines etc etc.
• Bulk it!- I have noticed many resellers on ebay. They buy in bulk off ebay or other sources and resell each piece separately for a profit. Many people are unwilling to wait for an item to arrive from China and would prefer paying a bit extra to purchase it from their own country. So if you stock up, you could still resell for a profit. Eg: purchase 1k toothbrushes and resell them in groups of 5.
• Dropship it!- Many ebay sellers do not even have an actual sample of the item they are selling. They are simply middlemen. Find a dropship company that sells for example mobile phones. Place an auction on ebay for the mobile phones the dropship company sells. When the mobile sells and the client pays you, place the order with the dropshipper and they send the mobile to your client. As an ebay seller you never even touch or own the product and the auction is at no risk to you!
• Weird works! - Weird shaped items sell on ebay for lots of money. Perhaps a weird coloured stone or an abnormal shaped shell. Look around nature and see if you can find something unique and particular and it will get snapped up by collectors worldwide.
• Buy it! - I have seen items that are sold locally very inexpensively selling very expensively on ebay. Why? Simply because that item is unavailable in that country. Take food. Certain brands of food are not available in your country. You may want to purchase these products but simply cannot find at your local stores. As a result, you may be ready to pay twice or three times the amount you would buy them for in their country of origin. This holds especially true with chocolate. I have seen some particular brands of Italian chocolates going for very high prices on ebay! Who knows how many other food products could be explored!

Everything sells on ebay. Even the items you would least expect to! Over the years I have sold many "useless" items, from toy figurines found in chocolate surprises to used clothing to craft materials. Even if you do not make much profit on ebay (although a good profit is entirely possible), you will have the satisfaction of knowing that unneeded items have found a good new home and are being reused!

If you are interested in starting to sell on ebay, you may wish to check out my other hub on How to Become a Top Rated Ebay Seller.