Opportunities on eBay

What To Sell On eBay And Where To Find It

Two issues confronts anyone looking to make money on eBay. WHAT TO SELL and WHERE TO FIND IT. It is also here that potential sellers end their dream and quit. Why is it the case with a good number of people, throwing in the towel and abandoning their dream? What is the problem behind these irrational exit?

Simple.

They get intimidated by the poor perception of massive competition on eBay, wrongly assuming that this online marketplace is saturated and that they cannot really compete with eBay powersellers in their chosen  niche.

What they do next is typical and often could leads them off the path to success to other unsuccessful businesses.

They start by looking for what is hot on eBay, thinking that only if they can unmask what people are searching for, they would have secured a niche. This is a very good start but not the end of it. It’s good to know what people are looking for and build your business around it. However, don’t forget that hundreds if not thousands of people are doing the same thing, searching for what people are looking for on eBay and hoping to build their business around that results as well.

So when everyone is doing the same thing, the general outcome is very predictable. It leads to inaccurate demand, product glut and a false start, which turns to disappointments, a sick realization for most marketers not ready for the brutal competition in the market place. So, in addition to doing your home work on what sells on eBay, your most important action should be to locate a good source of products.

Why is that important to your business?

If you do all the research but can’t find products to sell at a cheaper price, you’ve  just wasted your time for nothing.

So what sells on eBay?

Everything!

The most important factor in your eBay success is cheap supply not just demand as most people have been made to believe over the years. There is demand for almost anything you want sell on eBay. Almost anything is in demand. Some are more in demand than others but generally there is a market for any product you want to sell on eBay, provided it is legal on eBay.

Let’s assume, you just discovered that a battery-operated transistor radio is in huge demand on eBay and sells for $25.00 on average, would you make money as a new seller competing with dealers by offering your products at a higher or lower price as these seasoned hands? Chances are you’ll make a decent amount of money if you are cheaper. So your primary goal should be to locate cheaper sources of supply at a very good discount.

So my point is simple, look for bargains, not only what is hot. People come to eBay for bargains and nothing more. They don’t come looking for what is hot. They come to save money on good products.

Stop looking for only what is hot, you will fail miserably if that is how you want to operate. I don’t care about what is hot on eBay!

One example.

About six months ago, I bought a collection of 400 cookbooks from a woman who was moving out town. For these clean books, I paid only $20.00 and resold them on Half.com for much more. The first 3 books I sold, paid for the inventory. Do you think I cared to know whether the books were hot?  Hell No!

You should always be on the look out for good deals. That will help you a lot especially as a new seller on eBay. When you get very comfortable, then start other high stake ventures within eBay. Don’t waste precious time in stuff that won’t matter so much in the end.

Here, is a perfect example in the state of Arizona, United States of America, about Lanny and Deena Morton, a couple who started selling baseball bats on eBay with $800.00 of borrowed money and turned it into a $3.3 million empire and still growing. Baseball bats bought from a closeouts sales, turned into SportsCloseouts.com , a very impressive business empire.

I hope their success story as seen on TV inspires you to do all that is necessary, to make your eBay dream a success.

Everything sells on eBay, but where do you find the kind of deals I’m talking about?

Here are few places to cast your fishing nets.  Trade Shows, Storage Units, Craigslist, Local Wholesalers, Imports, 99 cents stores if you live in the United States, Odd Job Stores also in the United States, Classified Ads, Flea markets, Church fairs and so many other sources.

What the heck? Make your own product if none of these work for you. Be creative my friend. The list is endless!

Now, let’s examine a few of these sources.

Do you know that at the end of every year most manufacturers of consumer products look for ways to get rid of excess inventory, they even discount these products substantially to create room for new products? It will cost you little to get  in on the action. Get a business card here and start attending trade shows in the major metropolitan cities around you.

Craigslist and classified ads in your local newspapers are good areas to look for products as well, sometimes for free. You’ll these free deals especially on Craigslist. They just want you to take them out for them, just to create space for other stuff. Not too long ago, I saw an advertisement on Craigslist about a Storage Unit in New York City with more than 5,000 books being offered for free. I did not get that deal because the day it was being offered, I was busy taking a very good friend to the airport. So I missed on the action. But stuff like that is too common with Storage Units in various towns and cities. If they are not free, usually they go for nothing and what you’ll find in some of those units might surprise you.

I’ve written about Church fairs before. The Flea markets are not different, they operate essentially the same way. But, the often neglected sources of products are the 99 cents, Odd Jobs and Wholesalers you find in China Towns if you happen to leave near a major city like New York City, Vancouver or Montreal in Canada. I’m sure other cities have those China Towns. They are major sources of supplies for eBay products. Some products you find in these places may not have a good mark-up, but they sale very well and based on a good volume of sales, you’ll find yourself making a decent income. Enough to pay the utility bills and other money matters.

Finally, don’t worry too much about sells on eBay. Don’t put too much stock on it, rather looks for cheaper ways to satisfy a hungry market on eBay. With millions buyers avery day on eBay, there is enough to go around for everyone no matter how small your niche appears to be at the moment. Hopefully, you might end up someday like Lanny and Deena Morton of SportsCloseouts.com.