Expert: Rob James - 6/22/2007

Question
My wife is a stay home mother.  We would like to have a business that can give us at least 1,000 extra every month.  But there are so many scams that is scary to even ask!  What business do you recomend?  Do you think it is possible to make money from the house in a part time basis?
How complicated could be?  Where can I learn more? It is possible to do this on EBAY?

Answer
Hector,

Since my business is based on eBay I can tell you that it is possible to do. However, it does take effort and research.

You are correct is saying that there are a lot of scams out there. The thing to remember when looking at any business opportunity is if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Any offer that promises thousands of dollars in a short period of time, or for doing next to nothing, is most likely a scam. The only one making the money is the person selling you the information. What you will end up learning is that it takes a lot of effort and usually quite a bit of money to make whatever it is they are selling work. I would steer clear of any of those offers and save your money to invest in your own ideas.

Now, with eBay, there is a huge potential to make a nice living, or a good supplement to your income. The key is knowing what to sell. Most people start out selling the stuff from around their house. Old toys, clothes, gadgets. And that's a great place to start in order to learn how the whole auction process works. Once you have that down you can look into obtaining items from outside sources, such as wholesalers or liquidators etc., for a continuous stream of income. This is where the research comes in. You need to spend time on eBay and look at the items that are selling. There is a feature on the site now that shows you the top selling items. However, just because something is a hot item doesn't mean you will make a lot of money on it. There will be many others selling the same items so making a nice profit may not be possible. Also, just because you may be able to get some merchandise at a great price, it doesn't mean people are buying it. If you have a niche' item, something that is unusual yet popular, you could go with that. I have a friend who makes handmade clothes for dolls. She doesn't do too bad with it. I've also seen the stories of folks who start off small by selling specific things and end up being multi-million dollar sellers with a staff. It's all possible. It's just how much effort you are willing to put into it. And by all means, do the research!

If I were you, or your wife, try some selling on eBay. There is a complete tutorial on how to sell on the site. You can also find dozens of books on the subject at your library or book store. Then gather up some things that you no longer need or want. Take some good photos of them and list them. See what happens. You may be surprised to find that something you thought was worthless can fetch a nice sum of money. If you like doing the auction thing then expand as I said earlier. The sky's the limit. But stay away from the schemes. They will only cost you money.

Hope this helps you out!