What should I buyto sell?
Something you can make a worthwhile profit on. (I know that sounds pretty basic, but I never fail to be surprised when people offer stuff on herethat's dirt cheap to buy in the shops these days.) Something that you know something about. (Don't offer carspare parts if you don't know one end of a 'big end' from anotherandyou're real love is collecting egg cups, for example). Something you think there's a demand for. (Take you're pick of categories!)Something you know is genuine. (Notfake Vuittonbags, or Gucci belts, or Dior sunglasses, or you'll get booted off e bay and sentto face the wallon the naughty step!)
Where should I buy it from?
Somewhere that charges less than you can sell it for on e bay, naturally, remembering postal and admincharges will 'up' the cost of your item, especially if it's heavy or bulky. Try getting your stock from markets, jumble sales, warehouses,ebay(try 'lots', for example), friends and relations, car boot sales, antique markets,garage sales,clearance sales, charity shops, skips, or (best of all) think about making something beautiful and unusualto sell, if you are creative.
What's notallowed?
Do an ebaysearch on prohibited items.Basically it'sanything illegal, drugs, stolen goods, fake stuff,rare animals and their pelts, body parts/ fluids(!), soiled clothing (oh pleeeease!), pets, husbands, slavesand children (see intro)and otherdistasteful things.If you have any quieries whether what you are about to sell is within e bay rules, just ask 'em!
What are the pitfalls?
Listing stuff is TIME CONSUMING! If others in the family need the computer it may lead to riots in the house, as e bay listing can take hours .Turbo Lister is designed to help but it's still not brilliant if, like me, you have lots of different items to sell in different categories. Keeping up with the mailing out takes hours too.You also reallyneed a digital camera for great photos. You can be disappointed if your stuff doesn't sell, ifthe adgets booted off ebay for some littleerror you have made, like keyword spamming, or if you get neutral or negative feedback.You'll be out of pocket if the item doesn't sell, if you don't get paidor if you underestimated the profit margin / postal packing admintransportation charges / e bay fees.You'll also become an absolute bore to your friends 'cos all you'll be able to talk about is what you have done on e bay lately!
What about the fees?
Ebay is in a win win situation. They make money whether you sell your item or not. But they make more if you do, with their final valuation fee (fvf). So, you have the cost of your ads, the fvf's, and then Pay Pal fees (if you accept that method of payment.) So make sure whatever you are selling you take into account these three variables when you state your start price.. Then of course there is the cost of your administration, packaging, the cost of sourcing your goodsand getting the items to the post office if you're posting them.
So is it worth all the bother?
That depends. If you've got lots of spare time,great!If you look on it as a hobby then yes, if you enjoy it. If you can get a supply of items at a good price thatyou enjoy selling and can make a littleprofit (at least enough to pay for your next computer!) then I would say you are doing well. If you look on it as a possibleway of making a living then you will need far more indepth advice than I am able to give. But many people are finding a 'niche' market for their products here on e bay and doing very nicely in this global market.
By dressing-2-kill
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