Can Making Money on Ebay Be a Reality If You Don't Have Much To Sell?

A major issue facing even the most savvy ebay hopefuls is the ability have endless supplies of goods to push on this site. Ebay is the second most recognized commerce site in the world. It may have started as a place for people to sell trinkets and used vinyl records but it has evolved into so much more.

17 years ago the auction site was much different then it is today. People were still making money on ebay but it was more like a flea market atmosphere. Kind of like an online thrift store.

Jump ahead to present day and you will find this site full of new, refurbished and yes of course used personal items. There are sellers with tens of thousands of items sold and many more listed. I'm going to assume that these top sellers aren't stockpiling space heaters, iPhone covers and Tickle-Me-Elmo's in their garages. Actually I know they aren't but we will talk more about that later.

You Won't Be Making Money on Ebay selling Items That People Can't Find

They say If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? . What if you have the best items for sale and nobody sees them will they ever sell? Even at the best price? NO…NO…NO.

Plain and simple, ebay is a crowded place with lots of different items, sellers, pricing and other variables. Unlike traditional business where you pay for advertising, take out ads in classifieds or have some cool dude hanging on the corner wearing a sandwich board…ebay runs a little different.

They have a system that grades sellers by rating….pretty easy, if you sell items with good customer service and keep the buyer happy, they give you a check mark. It's a vote telling other buyers that you are a good seller and builds a trust factor. This is a pretty basic way of getting some more buyers to check you out.

This doesn't help a new seller get any more exposure but overtime it will give you some ebay love. There are some specific things that will help your listings rank and let you make money selling on ebay. If you didn't know there are specific things that you can do to make your items get more exposure regardless of how great of an ebay seller you are.

If you want to learn how you can be making money on ebay click here

How about getting the goods to the people?

I can teach you how to list items for sale on ebay without actually owning them (yes its legal), I can show you a tried and true method of making money on ebay by getting your listings in front of buyers. The final piece of the puzzle is to complete the sale and get the buyer their items quickly and with as little expense to you as possible. Lets face it, shipping costs will eat away your profits.

Like any good business if you can control expenses you stand a great chance to succeed.

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Making money on ebay

The process of making money on ebay requires a couple of things.

Products people want Ability for people the find the products you are selling A reliable way to get the products to the people

This may sound simple enough but there are many people who making money on ebay eludes them no matter how hard they try. If you want a quick overview of a what it takes then keep reading.

Creating Your Listing

Choose how you want to sell. eBay originally functioned as an auction site only, but now you have other options when it comes to putting your items up for sale. Consider how quickly you want to sell your item, whether or not you'd be willing to let it go at lower price than you'd hoped for and how much effort you want to put into the whole selling process.

Traditional auction. If you list your item auction-style, you establish an opening bid and then allow a set number of days for buyers to submit their own bids for your item. Whatever the highest bid is at the end of the auction period, that is the final selling price of your item. The hope, of course, is that interest will be high and the price will rise over the auction period so that you come out a winner.
You can set an auction to last 3, 5, 7 or 10 days. Sellers with a feedback rating of 10, will also be given the option of a 1-day auction. Many buyers watch items for a while and think about them before placing a bid, so a longer auction could be to your advantage. This choice may not be a good one if you're faint of heart as you have to contend with the stress of watching and waiting to see if the selling price will go up and if you'll break even or ideally make a profit on your item. While it may bring a bit of unwanted drama to your life, using the traditional auction method could pay off. eBay says buyers are twice as likely to buy an item when it's listed auction-style.

Reserve. If you want to ensure that an item you list for auction doesn't go for a price you can't live with, you can set a Reserve on the item. A Reserve is the minimum bid you must receive in order to sell your item. If you set a Reserve, be aware that interested buyers may be in touch to find out your Reserve amount, so you may be spending some additional time answering questions. eBay also charges a fee for adding a Reserve. Buy It Now (BIN). The BIN feature lets you set the price you want for an item right from the get-go. Buyers who look at your listing will immediately know the price, and they can purchase straight out. BIN gives you the opportunity to perhaps sell your item quickly for the price you want and be done with it or move on to your next listing. You can list for 3, 5, 7, 10 or 30 days or choose the "Good 'Til Cancelled" option for your Buy It Now listing. You can add a BIN option to an item you have listed for auction.

Best Offer. You can add a Best Offer feature to a BIN listing. That way, interested buyers can submit to you a price they'd be willing to pay for your item. You do not have to accept any Best Offer bids that come in unless you want to. You can hold out to see if anyone will purchase your item at the BIN price.

Decide on your price. The best way to price an item is to see what similar items have sold for on eBay. Log in to your eBay account and choose "Advanced Search" and check the box marked "Completed Listings" to see what items have sold for across multiple categories. Look at how the items were sold (auction, BIN, Best Offer or Reserve)and pay particular attention to those that used the selling method you've decided to use for your own item.

It's important to look for items that are similar to yours in as many ways as possible. That means condition, age, color and a variety of variables should be taken into account when comparing your item to those that have recently sold. You can see information about items that have sold within the last 90 days and for items that didn't sell within the last 30 days.

Take photos. It won't be enough to simply talk about your item, you have to show buyers what you're offering. In fact, as of July 31, 2016 eBay requires at least one photo for each listing. Photos must be border-less, without seller-added text or artwork and be at least 500 pixels on the longest side.

When taking photos of your items, keep your background as simple and clean as possible. Set them up against a white or neutral background. Try clipping a piece of white poster board to a stand and bending it onto a table to serve as a backdrop. If your item sparkles (it's a piece of jewelry, for example) place it on a black background instead. Don't use lighting that creates shadows, hot spots, reflections or gray areas. Avoid using the flash on your camera. Opt instead for soft, natural light or diffused light created by a lightbox or by putting a sheet, gauze or frosted glass in front of your light source. Put your camera on a tripod. No matter how steady you think you can hold your camera, you're better off setting it up on a tripod for taking photos; that's especially true for close-up shots. Blurred images won't show buyers what they want to see, and they'll quickly move on from your listing. Take multiple shots. Take not only a straight-on shot of your item, but photos from multiple angles as well. Be sure to include close-up photos of important details on your item. With the exception of cars, you can post 12 photos per listing for free.

Determine how you'll ship. Once you've photographed your item, pack and weigh it so that you can arrive at an accurate shipping price. You can have shipping costs automatically calculated for you, double check the costs yourself or offer free shipping.

You can choose "calculated shipping" when you list your item. When you do so, shipping costs will be automatically calculated for your buyer based on the buyer's ZIP code, the weight and the dimensions that you enter for the package. You can preview what shipping costs will be using eBay's Shipping Calculator. You'll enter detailed information about your package (weight, dimensions) your zip code and what shipping services (USPS, FedEx, UPS) you want to use. Offer free shipping. Free shipping allows you to attract more buyers and get higher placement in search results. Also, once a free-shipping transaction is confirmed, it'll earn you a 5-star rating on your "Shipping and Handling Charges Detailed Seller Rating."

Write a description of your item. Writing a great description is really key to making money on eBay. You have to tell potential buyers as much as you can about your item and do it in a way that's clear and appealing.

Create a clear title. Say what you're selling using appropriate keywords and adding any useful information that might catch a reader's attention (brand name, designer, color). Don't try to be cute or clever; instead, be clear as to exactly what the item is that's up for sale. Write all the pertinent information. Include the item's color, size, model names or numbers, if it comes with accessories, whether it’s new or used and if used, how old it is and what kind of condition it's in. Refer to the photos you've taken to write an accurate and complete description. Talk about benefits. It's not enough for potential buyers to know all the features of your item, they need to understand how those features can benefit them. For example, if the the boots you're selling are waterproof, be sure and say "your feet will stay warm and dry."

Tips for Making Money on eBay

If you have items lying around your house that you no longer need and/or use, then these tips for making money on eBay are for you. Just because you no longer find value in an item, doesn't mean someone else wouldn't. Alternatively, you might … [Read More. ]