Expert: Marvinator - 3/15/2004

Question
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Followup To... Thank You for your detailed answer.  In follow-up, is there a way for some one who has pro photo skills, and a commercial studio to make photography work for him.  I excell in that department.  Close up, glass, metal, jewelry, and anything else.  My idea is to advertize for customers that want to sell and use the photo part of the selling process to get the interested ones to call me up or email.  Would a "Nickel Ads" small advertizing newpaper do any good/  Other ways to generate volume you know of?
Thanks in advance,
Bill Duff Photo
Portland OR.
Question -
Hi,
Doing great with ebay when it is cameras or photo supplies.  However I'm looking for a product to sell full time.  The photo gear just comes along once in a while.  I can maximize thoes deals and the people I sell for, other pro photographers, are very pleased with the prices I get for them.  Now I'm looking for a product to sell over and over.  Tried estate sales, to time consuming, tried pocket knives, to cheep, tried houshold stuff, not enough interest, any ideas.  Need something good to sell.
Bill
Answer -
People come to me all the time with that one question - looking for a clue to the one item that will make them rich on Ebay.  The problem is that there is no cut and dried answer.  What sells well for one may be a total disaster for another.  In addition, consider this: If there is one item that sells well, and could make someone rich, do you really expect to be handed this information on a silver platter? Seriously, everyone sees those reports on the TV about the people that have "made it rich" on Ebay and they think that all they have to do is find that one magical item that will allow them to retire.  The age of making it rich on ebay may be quickly fading as the number of new sellers wanting the same thing grows.  

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 sell.  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.

As a way of explanation, I know of one woman who is good at tatting. It's a very old form of knitting which uses a "shuttle" and creates the most incredible lace.  She is very good at it and decided to write up a booklet on tatting and sell it. She does very good with her book, though she's not getting rich.  My point is that she worked with her own knowledge base.  If she had tried to sell photo equipment, she probably woudn't have made a dime.  

Ebay is filled with stories of people taking a hobby or interest and finding a way to make money at it.  Are they rich? No, but they are making money.  AND that is the key to Ebay. Make money.  

It is obvious from your note that you've already tried a few things.  But the ITEM is not totally the be all end all for making money on Ebay. It's what you do WITH that item that will make it sell.  You have to make an auction look right, attract enough bidders who will actually click the BID button.  Now THIS is the key.  Not just to find something that you can put up on auction, but that you also know enough about the item to describe it well, AND also lay out a good looking auction that will make people want to bid.  You'd be surprised how many times I've come across auctions for valuable items that are just horribly laid out.  (I once found a collector's plate entitled just 'plate'.  Of course it had no bids, so I bought it for $5.  I knew about it, listed it better, put more in the title and sold it for $150.)  But this again is the reason that you should only sell what you know.  You can't properly sell an item if you know nothing about it.  

I hope this helps you.  If you need more help, I'll be happy to answer more questions.  

Answer
Considering the inexpensive cameras that are on the market, I can't see Ebay Sellers wanting someone to take pictures for them, and then have to pay for the service.  It would be cheaper to pick up even a webcam for $20 to do the job.  This doesn't mean that you need to give up on taking pictures for sale.

If you have a professional studio and are already to do such work, I'd consider making up a portfolio of your work and begin visiting local advertising agencies.  I also know of several photographers on the internet who take "stock" photos and offer them for sale.  Pictures of household items, office products and even combinations of items can be provided to give people photos to use on their websites.  I recommend you take a look at Corbis.com to see what I mean.  I'm not advocating you copy his website or his ideas, but to see how one photographer is using his skills to sell on the internet.  In addition, Corbis.com uses a visible bold watermark in every photo to protect his work, which is also an important fact in professional photography.