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What to buy and sell for profit on eBay

What to buy and sell for profit on eBay in 2013?

There are many things you can buy and sell for profit and here I will divulge some information about sourcing products to sell. You can sell just about anything in almost any condition on eBay as long as it is legal and that is the best part about eBay. So what does this mean for an eBay seller? Well you can profit from just about anything and make it a full time job or just a little hustle on the side. I hope that what you learn here can help you in your journey to becoming an eBayer and for that matter whatever selling platform you choose.

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Are you a newbie?

Here are some buying and selling for profit tips

The chances are if you have landed on this page, then you are newbie looking for a way to make some extra cash and with a bit of work you can but beware; If you plan on selling the latest gadgets or any of the current hot products – STOP! Think about it, everyone is trying to sell those items because they are fast selling but they’re difficult to source as distributors may require large quantity orders that only big firms can fulfill and profit margins may be very tight as there is a lot competition. When sourcing products, think outside the box – try and look for second hand items, antiques, hard to find products etc – and sell those. The chances are that they have a higher profit margin and make buying and selling for profit more viable. You can of course sell brand new things if you can source them cheap enough and have the money, I don’t want to discourage anyone!

If you do choose the route I am suggesting (and bear in mind it is not the only way) then I have some tips to help you start your search. The key here is experience and you don’t get that overnight. It takes time to develop an eye for bargains and even then you can get it wrong. With buying and selling there is always financial risk so tread with caution as whilst you can see high return in short periods of times you can also take long time to sell something or worse, lose out! As they say nothing is certain!

Buy from eBay and…

…sell on eBay for profit.

This is quite popular, buy and sell on eBay for profit and many in the know do this, in-fact you can buy from any platform and sell on any platform (if they allow you to sell). So here are my tips, search eBay for wholesale lots, if you find a good deal buy it, break it down into smaller lots and sell on eBay for profit. Be weary that just because it says wholesale on title does not necessarily mean dollars in the bank, many sellers advertising wholesale lots are actually trying to get rid of things they cannot sell – ask questions, be nosy, if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is!

Another tip to is to search eBay for products (it can be anything) with the following or combination of items ending at odd times, with poor description or misspelled titles as the chances are these items will not attract many bids and could be bought for under market value. This means you can buy it and sell it again for profit. I learned this the hard way, one of first items I sold on eBay was a cell phone and I listed it to end at 3am in the morning, it was my mistake and guess what? It sold for way under market value. I’ve also bought a few items which I knew to be worth much more just because the title was misspelled. Bear in mind you have to know the market value of the item you are buying so do your research, check retail outlets, Amazon, eBay etc for prices!

My last tip here would be to buy out of season items on eBay, hold on to them until the in-season and sell them back on eBay for more. Obviously fashions, technology etc change so don’t buy something that can be outdated quickly! Look for solid contenders like umbrellas for example, buy them in the dry seasons and sell them in the wet seasons… well I am sure you get the idea.

Garage sales, Yard sales, Swap meets and thrift stores…

Are a good place to find profitable stuff to sell on eBay.

Vintage items make a lot of money but some people just regard them as garbage and will either throw them away or sell them for ‘peanuts’ at places such as the ones mentioned in the title and so if you want find stuff to sell on eBay, Amazon or wherever then you need to frequent these gold mines. If you are starting out, i.e. a total noob then I would suggest getting some experience first; look at what people are selling on eBay and look for what you can buy at your local swap meet, thrift store or yard sale without committing any cash, simply put do your research. Eventually you will develop an eye for a bargain and when get the confidence take the plunge!

Auctions

The traditional kinds

Another great gold mine is the traditional style auction. Look out for auctions that are taking place in your local area. Off-line auctions are a little different to eBay in that that they can range in items available and the bidding styles. If you have never been to an auction before then you should pay a visit to some. Ask questions about their rules, try and speak to bidders and definitely try and sit through an auction to see how things pan out. Eventually if do decide to bid on something remember the golden rule – stick to your limits – do not overbid! Auction houses also provide an inventory of what they are selling before the auction, check out their websites for catalogs or if the auction is local try and go for a viewing. Like I mentioned before, you need an eye for finding a bargain that can be sold for profit and this will only come through experience. So the more you take part the more experienced you become!

If you buy something with the intention of selling ask yourself…

Can I add value to this?

Really this is where the items you buy can make the difference between profit and BIG profit! Even cleaning something that was otherwise dirty or looked unloved can add value! If you are handy enough try and buy broken items and fix them up! I am sure logic would dictate that if something seems too expensive to repair then don’t bother. In my opinion this a big undervalued market – look at it this way, there are an unlimited amount of items than can be bought for cheap, that need attention and can be sold for profit!

The disclaimer

Please be aware that I am not instructing you to do anything but simply offering suggestions and as such I cannot be held responsible for any results occurring from your use of the information you have read here!