My energy levels and physical stamina and struggling online bookstore make full-time outside employment a challenge.
So I’ve been thinking and scheming about selling thrift store stuff on eBay
(Don’t confuse the question with “What do I try to sell on eBay?”)
Another way to phrase the question: What are people buying on eBay that I can buy for a song — or several notes thereof — at Goodwill?
I read somewhere (including at Menno Discuss) that Google is my friend. Though I’m less and less persuaded of the truth of that aphorism (OK, so maybe I’ve misused the term here), I went ahead and asked Google:
That’s right — no quotation marks (to search as a phrase), no other punctuation, no proper capitalization. Let Google figure it out.
I clicked most of the Page One links. As well as some additional links.
What did I learn?
I’m not sure.
One thing I read prior to this post is that anything sells on eBay. That’s a dum assertion. (Unstated important disclaimer goes here.)
I’ve tried (repeatedly) to sell some collector plates, some Christmas craft and quilt books, and some “vintage” player piano rolls.
Right now I’m trying to sell two Tupperware boxes. Again.
Maybe I should just make a Special for eBay Greenhorns listing that includes anything I’ve listed at least thrice. Sell them all together as a lot. Let somebody else try to sell them. Then stick to selling books on Amazon
Yeah. That just might be a great eBay strategy. (No, really. I’m not complaining. I’ve been having fun. And still am.)
But never mind me.
What are you selling on eBay?
Less importantly, what would you buy on eBay if I were to list it for sale?
I hope it will be more helpful to you greener-than-Mark eBay entrepreneurs
PS: This particular Mark Roth is an eBay powerless seller.
I like to sell computers and parts on ebay and Craigslist. I like to buy them in lots (working or not) from both of those places and (my favorite) local auctions.
I occasionally venture outside my areas of knowledge if I see something I think will sell, I’ll take a chance and buy it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t! The trick is to not risk too much on something you don’t know for sure will sell well.
I don’t buy or sell anything on e bay, but I had a thought. The reason I don’t buy is that I have too much stuff in my house, and the reason I don’t sell is that I think hardly anyone would want to buy what I have. I have a friend in a similar situation, who paid someone to come into her house, help sort through all the stuff she didn’t know what to with. This person was called a “professional organizer” and she charged quite a bit. I might pay you to come to my house and haul off stuff, but you live too far away. There may be some in your area who would pay for such a service. (I could give your name to my sister in Portland.) I’ve tried to get rid of stuff on Freecycle, but couldn’t jump through all their hoops to get the stuff posted. To answer one of your original questions, if I were savvy enough to buy on ebay, I might be tempted to buy kitchen gadgets, pots and pans, utensils, storage items (to store all my stuff) sewing supplies, small tools, craft supplies, books. I guess I need to apply Philippians 4:11-13.
Well, if you have an item that you are wondering about, search for it on eBay, and then check the box to see completed listings, to see if the item normally sells one listed on eBay, and for how much.
Also, you can check out eBay pulse to see what items are currently hot sellers.
I would say go for used stuff, you’re not going to have much competition from the big boys or the Chinese that way. They pretty much dominate most item categories.
You can try “eBay arbitrage”, where you buy something off of eBay and then resell it there for a profit. Some sellers do not include important keywords in the title, give a poor description, poor pictures (or none at all), etc. All this stuff can scare potential buyers away, decreasing the competition and probably the final price.
You could possibly buy the items and make a much better listing, and possibly profit.
Sellers may misspell the main keywords in the title as well, meaning most potential buyers will never find them. You could try a misspelling search using a site like Typojoe.com to hopefully find some of these items and possibly get some great deals.
You could also use a site like Ebuyersedge.com to set up saved eBay searches. You’d get an e-mail whenever a matching item is newly listed. Especially good for “Buy It Now”s that are priced right.
Or, if you find some listed an auction format, use a sniping service such as Bidball.com to place your bid for you. It’ll bid in the last few seconds, helping you to save money and avoid shill bidding.
Of course you could also try your local thrift stores, Goodwill(as you’ve already mentioned), auctions, yard sales, Craigslist, etc. to source your products.