Selling on ebay

[oilcanbland]

I was thinking of trying to start selling items on ebay and maybe trying to make a little business out of it to try to help me pay for flight training. I saw on the post "Whats your side job?" that someone was doing this. I have looked into it and it sounds like it could be a good way to make a little extra cash.

Have any of you ever tried this? I am only 20 years old and I am in college. Could I do this?

 

[Twotter76]

I looked into it very seriously a few weeks ago, sounds like something I would enjoy, however the problem is finding appropriate merchandise to resell. I was going to try computer components but the competition is very fierce in that market. Setting up the business side is really quite easy, it took me longer to think up a decent name for my business than it did to fill uot the paperwork for it. I am still searching for the right products to market and if I find them I will go with it but until that happens I am kind of in limbo.

It really isnt that hard to establish a relationship with the wholesalers but unless you buy in a very large quantities it will still be hard to price competitively since there are some very big sellers on eBay. As to starting a business at your age you might want to check with your local chamber or commerce , I am not sure that all states allow minors to run businesses. Also they can help you out with the require licenses. Good luck!

 

[oilcanbland]

Yeah, I was wondering if I might not be able to do it since I'm not 21 yet. So you already filled out the necessarty papers? What exactly did you have to do?

How do you find wholesale distributors to buy from? I was thinking of doing something with musical instruments or something. How exactly do you find the places to buy at wholesale prices?

 

[Twotter76]

I did download the forms but stopped short of actually fililng them out since I had to product or service to provide. They are not complicated. I got them from my states chamber of commerce website, there was a link there for starting or renewing a business. As to where I found resellers stuff there is a good list at www.rs-kit.com but it costs about $40. Very comprehensive. Realize that most of the places will not sell to you without either a resale license or a business license and company checks, some may require some other forms of proof, etc etc. I am sure there are other resources than the one I listed here but I have stopped looking for now, I might check into it again in a month or two.

 

[dsaviation]

I've sold and bought a couple of things on ebay. Just remember that if whatever is being sold is something a lot of people want, the competition will be full of people selling. If you have something to sell that not too many people want, you'll get less response and a lower selling price. Something like supply and demand.

I sold a couple of old car parts I had been hanging on to for an old Chevy I rebuilt. Some parts went fast (like fenders in good shape) and brought a good price, others (like the inner fenders) were not as popular.

Good luck.

 

[navigator72]

My .02

I have bought and sold on Ebay. I have had alot of success with selling. I would try to stay away from the stuff that wholesalers supply (search the wholesale items listed on Ebay, everybody's selling wholesale stuff). With the economy the way it is, it's a good idea to find a department store that is closing down and search out a good bargain Also search out some bargain basement liquidation stores that buy insurance claim goods. I read an article a few weeks ago about a dude that bought $30,000 worth of high end clothing for $1000.00 and then sold it on Ebay for big $$$$$.

Goodluck

 

[jaybird]

I was just talking to one of my old friends and he sells baseball cards on ebay. I know, it sounds kinda childish, but he says it makes money.

 

[jsoceanlord]

i just bought a book at BORDERS about EBAY for fifteen dollars.

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

I've bought several things on EBay and been very happy. I know a guy who made about $4000 selling an old wooden boat there.

To make money selling, you have to know your stuff. The wooden boat guy knew a lot about antique/classic boats. He bought it for a couple of hundred dollars and knew it was worth a lot.

I read about a woman who was making six figures selling on EBay, and then started working as a consultant telling others how to make money selling on EBay, and she made even more that way. She went to auctions and estate sales and bought/sold those items. I would assume if you know all about collectables, you could make a lot of money that way.

My mom bought a lot of stuff in the '80s in Southern MI at auctions. Dealers would come from DTW and ORD and buy furniture at these same auctions and sell it for 10x in the city.

You have to take SHIPPING costs into account. If you sell stuff for $5, and then YOU pay $4 shipping, it doesn't work well. Usually, the sellers require the buyer to pay a fixed amount towards shipping. They post the shipping charges depending on what state you live in.

Good Luck!

Cliff

PS-If I had free time, I'd probably do this myself.

Furlough sucks!

 

[oilcanbland]

Thanks

Thanks guys for the responses. A couple days ago, I purchased the book "Starting an eBay business for dummies" at amazon.com. I'm waiting for it to arrive in the mail. This summer, I sould have quite a bit of free time, so that will give me a chance to try this out. I can't wait. It sounds like fun. I still haven't quite figured out what I could sell though. I'm sure I'll figure something out.