Anyone Make Money Selling Things On Ebay?

[Guest cassidy]

I am experiencing some serious nesting tendencies and last week I cleaned out every room and closet in our house. I threw tons of stuff away and I'm selling the rest on ebay. I'm pretty sure I will make $300 this week in profit just from selling stuff that we never use. I am having a lot of fun with it and I want more stuff to sell - and to make a bit of extra money.

Has anyone done this? I know there are all sorts of infomercials and things but I don't want to buy something that tells you how to sell on ebay if it really doesn't give any good ideas. I don't know how people get stuff below cost and are able to sell it at a profit. I'll be staying home when the baby comes so some extra money would be good as well.

[Guhlia]

I love selling on eBay. I don't do it often, but when I do I generally make over $500. Baby clothes sell really well, especially brand name clothes. I love Gymboree clothing and they sell phenomenally well on eBay. Make sure you take lots of pictures. If you can, find a free hosting service for your pictures so that you don't have to pay the fee per picture that eBay charges. Also, list all your items at once and offer a shipping discount or flat rate shipping. People will bid on lots of your auctions if they think they won't have to pay much extra for shipping. If you do clothing, do small lots of clothing, 2 or 3 outfits of brand names. Always list brand names in the title like Gymboree, Old Navy, Little Tikes, Fisher Price, etc...

[JenKuz]

I love selling on eBay. I don't do it often, but when I do I generally make over $500. Baby clothes sell really well, especially brand name clothes. I love Gymboree clothing and they sell phenomenally well on eBay. Make sure you take lots of pictures. If you can, find a free hosting service for your pictures so that you don't have to pay the fee per picture that eBay charges. Also, list all your items at once and offer a shipping discount or flat rate shipping. People will bid on lots of your auctions if they think they won't have to pay much extra for shipping. If you do clothing, do small lots of clothing, 2 or 3 outfits of brand names. Always list brand names in the title like Gymboree, Old Navy, Little Tikes, Fisher Price, etc...

Yes, trawl your local outlets or discount retailers for close-out bargains for things like that...but make sure to price similar items on eBay before you shop, so that you know how much you should spend.

Clothes are especially good, because they're relatively cheap to ship. Thrift stores can be good places to come up with stuff; people go to eBay for kitschy vintage stuff. But beware of glass; shipping costs will eat into your profit a lot because of the packing, so unless it's a real gem (like a McCoy planter they owner didn't know was McCoy, or some of the more popular Pyrex), it's not going to make you much money, even if it's cheap where you buy it.

That said, vintage paper ephemera is dirt cheap to ship and you can make a good profit off of it. Think of trawling thrift stores or auctions for old magazines. If the magazine is in good shape you can sell it whole. If not, buy some plastic sleeves and put whole-page vintage ads in them. If you buy a magazine for $1, you can sell 10 ads for $1 to $2 each--do a search on eBay to see what I mean.

[angst2amity]

Hi,

I had my own ebay store for awhile - I was bored. Made enought to by a 38 foot camper and then quit - didn't feel like being a customer service rep forever. My ID is surplusmomma. Here is a great place to but things in bulk and resell. Lots of times they have free shipping and you can always just buy one case at a time. Things that sold very well were things like Lipsmackers in bulk or Tommy Hilfiger jewelry. Also I figured out how to ship overseas and I think it is pretty easy - made lots of money because other sellers were scared to ship. I wouldn't buy into any wholesale lists or anything - just start small and do trial and error. If you end up with things you can't sell, donate them and write them off.

www.dollardays.com

Here is another favorite of mine:

www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com

www.4sgm.com

www.gowholesale.com can help you find sources to other things.

Hope this helps!

[Guest cassidy]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'll invest some of my profits into buying some stuff and see how it sells. I've been going to consignment shops to look for baby clothes for my baby and I was shocked at how little things cost when they look like new! I love finding deals, so maybe now I'll buy two of things that are good deals.

Did anyone try selling stuff for other people? My family now wants to clean out their closets and give me stuff to sell. I haven't figured out what I would charge to do that since there are ebay and paypal fees which I haven't quite figured out, and the fact that the item might not sell even if I invested time in listing it. I would hate for a family member to get mad at me if something didn't sell for a high enough price or if there was some sort of complication.

[BRUMI1968]

My grandma gave me a box of stuff to sell. The drama here is that some of it is collectable stuff that I don't know anything about. So I've had to look up what the stuff is...for example...some metal military ship toys. Some of it has value, some not. But they are little tiny bits and pieces, so I'd have to run 30 auctions to get a pittance.

I've sold things successfully online. I've sold DVD's and clothing. Clothing can be a pain if the person wants massive measurements of everything. Be sure to post the measurements of the clothing, especially if adult clothing. I sold a motorcycle helmet for five hundred bucks to Italy -- no problem with shipping.

My biggest problem was underestimating shipping. i always add a dollar or two to what i think it is, to pad it, and to pay me back for the gas to the post office.

anyway, mostly, it's fun. good luck.

Sherri

[Lisa]

I am always looking for nautical antiques. If Ya'll come across any, please let me know. Thank

Lisa

[Pink-Bunny]

I've been selling on ebay since I was 18 (23 now). I've sold mostly DVDs and CDs. Along with some books. I learned early that the best shipping is through USPS. I ship everything (unless asked to ship otherwise) through Priority mail $4.30 for everything up to a pound along with DC which comes to 4.55

Also I basically sell to get rid of the stuff so I start all my auctions at 99 cents. Which they usually go up to between 5 and 10 bucks. If you do start auctions that low start them at 99 cents and not a dollar because the listing price goes up 10 cents for that extra penny.

Take lots of pics and make sure that you have the delivery confirmation or it might come back to bite ya.

[tiredofdoctors]

Hey Angie, would you happen to know off-hand the names of the free hosting sites? Was considering "ink-frog" for that exact reason, but their minimum charge is $9.99 per month. I think it would still be cheaper than what ebay socks to you at the end. (no pun intended, I'm serious.) See, I manage to say things that would potentially get me in trouble when I'm TRYING to be serious! UNBELIVABLE. It is the story of my life . . . .

Love & Hugs,

Lynne

[Ricado]

I am experiencing some serious nesting tendencies and last week I cleaned out every room and closet in our house. I threw tons of stuff away and I'm selling the rest on ebay. I'm pretty sure I will make $300 this week in profit just from selling stuff that we never use. I am having a lot of fun with it and I want more stuff to sell - and to make a bit of extra money.

Has anyone done this? I know there are all sorts of infomercials and things but I don't want to buy something that tells you how to sell on ebay if it really doesn't give any good ideas. I don't know how people get stuff below cost and are able to sell it at a profit. I'll be staying home when the baby comes so some extra money would be good as well.

Cassidy As you know I just joined this site yesterday and you were kind enough to offer advice to my post. Thank You. Today I will try to stay 100% gluten free and see if my jaw problem stays dormant, and I can therfore be a nice husband and Daddy to my 9 year old girl.

I make 1/4 of my income on eBay and have been selling there for over 10 years. But I have a great eye for things I can purchase and sell at a profit. I will try to help you out. It has become 10 times more difficult out there since the early days at eBay. There are so many sellers and its become a buyer's market, so I have to work harder at it and reinvent myself constantly lately.

However it is not easy to create a listing, and I applaud you at your ability to create the photos and text and go through the ritual. I guess you are good on computers. I am only competant. Well good luck. Tell me if I eat anything wrong today. I so far had black coffee and water and will make 2 gluten-free waffles with 2 medium eggs lightly fried in margarine. I will use Grade a Maple syrup and then I will figure out something for lunch. Dinner is the hard part.