eBay Mistakes and Other Things Not to Do

“What should I sell on eBay? What’s the most profitable item to sell on eBay that I can buy cheaply? Which wholesalers should I go through?”

These are some of the most asked question in the short history on online auctions. Here are some “real deal” answers to some of those questions.

What should I sell on eBay? If you don’t know, then chances are you shouldn’t be selling anything until you figure it out. A lot of people scour garage sales for items to “flip” while others make their own crafts and use eBay as their selling platform. Others, like myself, tried to find something that they enjoy and had extensive knowledge about. For me, it was movies. I love movies! So it seemed obvious that I would SELL movies. About a couple months into being an eBay Powerseller, I learned that it didn’t matter what I sold because it’s just moving merchandise. Anything you sell that is a high turnover for small profits item, expect that the allure of that product will be lost forever. I could have been selling rubber vomit and baby crap and it would have felt the same.

Look at your line of work. Is there anything that you can create that would benefit your job and your co-workers? Anything that can improve your entire industry? Look for a niche and exploit the heck out of it. Perhaps your company sells off old equipment that you can buy at a low, low price? Maybe you could fit that copier into your Mini-Cooper…not that I advocate it.

Look around your house. Do you have a bunch of stuff laying around that you don’t want? Random objects you purchased that were never used? Or even better, some stuff from the ‘80s like Thundercats toys, Voltron or even an old NES with games!??! (Maybe that was just me) Retro stuff is big on eBay. Kitchen equipment, car manuals, and old cell phones sell big time. Like me and most Americans, you probably have a house full of odds and ends that you could sell for months and make a nice chunk of change. View this as an opportunity to de-clutter your life.

Look at your neighborhood or region. Do you live in an area with a popular sports team? Put their schedule, game giveaway, pennant, whatever, on eBay! This only usually works when your local team is popular. Sorry Arizona.

If sports doesn’t work, then look and see what you can sell from local stores that are going out of business or Goodwill, Arc, and random thrift stores.

Do you have any tips you want to share? Heard any great stories of how people sold <random item> on eBay and  it sold for <insane dolla’, dolla’ bills>?

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