Expert: Marvinator - 5/1/2004

Question
What Are The Best Kind Of Things To sell on Ebay?

Answer
You would expect this to be an easy question to answer.  You'd think that all you'd get is a list of items that sell for lots of money, or sell in large quantity and that would be that.  This is not, however, that easy of a question to answer due to the many variables that come into play on Ebay.  Two people can sell the same item and one will get many bids and the other will not.  What makes the difference are the variables.

First and foremost, you need to know that not everyone can sell the same thing on Ebay.  As above, one person may get bids and the other will not.  I've even seen two people use almost identical auction layouts and one will still not get any bids while the other does.  There really is no cut and dried answer.  

Many of the volume sellers on Ebay were selling these same items before Ebay came along.  These are the wholesale lot buyers and manufacturers that were just looking for a new venue to sell their goods. They knew their product and knew how to sell it.  Ebay was just another step in their sales process.  If you don't already have a product, the field can seem not only wide open, but daunting to say the least.  WHAT to sell is the question new sellers will always ask.

The one thing I can tell new sellers is that you have to sell what you know.  If you know a bit about depression glass, then I'd say that's your area to start.  If, however, you don't know the difference between Mayfair and Cabbage Rose, then you're going to have trouble with those items. Everyone knows a bit about something.  You need to assess your own abilities and your own knowledge areas to find those items with which you will do best.

By way of explanation, let me tell you a couple of stories.  A lady I know does her merchandise buying on Ebay.  That's right, on ebay. She peruses the categories where she knows the items in question and looks for those auctions where someone has listed an item and has no clue what they have.  She's found collector plates that she has resold for 5 times what she paid. She's found clothing that she retakes a picture, lays out a better auction and makes more money.  She never leaves her chair, and finds things to sell. Is she successful? Most of the time. Could anyone do it? Probably not.  I point out that she only buys those items with which she is familiar, and which she knows will do better if properly advertised.  

This is the one thing that many new sellers (and buyers) fail to grasp when starting on Ebay.  Ebay is a venue.  YOU are responsible for making your auction sell and sell well.   It is much like the local classified ads.  Which ad would you consider first:  "Plate, dog and woman $10.00" or "Collectible Gianni Designed 10 Inch Plate.  1940's era with Woman in Art Deco clothing walking her full sized Poodle.  Plate is in excellent shape and ....."  well, you get the idea.   HOW you sell is as important as WHAT you sell.

As for finding items, the best place to look is your own area.  Check out the wholesalers, lot end buyers, and outlet stores for good buys.  Keep in mind that Ebay is a buyer's market.  Once you find an item, take the time to research it's viability on Ebay.  You can search Ebay for the past 30 days worth of auctions to see if the item has already been up for auction, as well as if it sold, how much it sold for, how much it started at, how many bidders it got and how many other identical items were also up for auction at the same time which didn't sell.  Research can be your best friend in finding your niche.

I know many people who spend their time during the spring and summer going to yard sales and garage sales.  Many Ebay sellers beleive in them wholeheartedly.  Again, the problem here is that you need to know what you're looking at, and what will sell on ebay.  There are millions items on ebay at any given moment.  The probability that any item you are selling is already offered on ebay is quite high. The challenge is to make your item MORE appealing than the others, offer it cheaper, describe it better, etc.  This is how a good seller makes their mark.  

I can't stress enough that the new seller should do their homework.  Researching how much an item will go for will prevent you from ending up with a living room full of  cookie jars for which you paid $9.95 but won't sell for more than 8.95.  Taking the time to find the right supplier will keep you from ending up with an item that is only one of several hundred already being offered on Ebay - and for less than yours!.  Take the time to seek out good sellers and ask them for tips and hints in the selling process.  I can't begin to tell you the horror stories I've heard from people who deal with new sellers who have no idea how to pack a breakable item for shipping, don't have good customer service, take 30-45 days to ship an item, and a hundred other areas of selling that people forget to think about.  

I hope this helps you.   As you begin your selling, feel free to return with more questions!