Where to Find Stuff to Sell on eBay

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Thinking about starting an eBay business? Already a seasoned seller? Need to find something hot to sell?

Have you been thinking about starting an eBay business?  "Yes," you say, "but what will I sell and where will I get it?  Wholesale, drop ship, garage sale finds.  How do I find them and where do I start?"

Or are you already an experienced eBay seller, looking for new, better, and hot merchandise to sell? Either way, you've come to the right place. While we can't say what the perfect eBay selling niche is for you, we are here to point you to some great resources and information that you can use to help make the decisions that will be important as you develop or grow your eBay or other e-commerce business.

Learn about purchasing wholesale items for resale, consignment selling, and more.  Besides our own comments, the materials that we present here for you include websites, e-books, print books, and more.  Many of the resources are free, some are not.  We believe every resource and provider to be legitimate and trustworthy and have used many ourselves.  Some will answer "how" while others answer "where" and even "why." 

If you're an experienced eBay seller already, you may find a few fresh ideas for inventory, too, and we would be privileged to have you add a link to your listings or your eBay store in the section provided further down on the page. 

Very best of success with your eBay business, and thanks for visiting this page!

ATTENTION Holiday Sellers: Learn Which Toys to Sell on eBay - Now! 

Learn where and how to find and sell the hottest-selling toys on eBay.

Toys are the hottest items on eBay during the holiday-shopping season, and this year will be no different. Of course the secret is knowing which are 2009's hottest-selling toys.

The best way I know to learn which toys are selling this holiday - the biggest selling season of the year - is with the Holiday Toy Guide, which is available now.

The number of memberships is being limited this year, so I'd suggest you check it out right away. Choose the Gold Level, Silver Level, or get the free Holiday Toy Guide reports here.

Consignment Selling on eBay 

How to Make Money Selling Other People's Stuff

One idea when looking for stuff to sell on eBay is to sell other people's stuff for them. In fact, consignment selling on eBay can be very financially lucrative. Experienced sellers who sell items for other people on eBay are called Trading Assistants. EBay supports the idea and provides resources and a directory where you can list yourself as a Trading Assistant (TA) as well as provides training documents and a toolkit with research which you can study and use in order to build your TA business.

The first question most sellers ask when considering selling for other people is, "How much do I charge?" There is no set answer to that question as TA commission and fee structures vary widely. One suggestion is to research other TA's in your area, find out what they charge their clients and set your fees competitively. Another good piece of advice is to be careful and not under-charge your clients. Consider all the steps involved in selling an item, including taking possession of the item, researching the item (especially if it's in a category you are not familiar with), taking photographs, writing an excellent listing with a great title, packing and shipping the item, handling feedback or any problems, then paying the client his share of the profit. That's a lot of work and you deserve to be paid accordingly! A fee of 40 to 50 percent of the selling price with you paying the fees is not uncommon, with perhaps a sliding scale based on the value of the item.

Another question is, "Where will I find clients?" First, list yourself in the eBay TA directory. Then, begin to spread the word locally. Tell your friends and family members and ask them to spread the word, purchase business cards and distribute those to people that you meet, or place a notice on your local grocery store bulletin board with tear-off tags with your phone number. That should get you started. Provide excellent service for your clients and word will spread to the point that you may have more business than you can handle.

I recommend starting with this book, How to Start and Run an eBay Consignment Business, to answer all of your questions about how to get started selling on consignment, how to decide what kinds of items will be the most profitable, and how to set up your own eBay consignment business. You can find out from eBay about their Trading Assistant program here.

Make Money Selling Books Online 

Everyone needs books. Have extras? No where you can find some? Learn how to sell books on eBay, amazon, and elsewhere online.

Books are among the easiest items to locate (think used book sales and yard sales), store, pack, and ship, and everyone buys books at one time or another. Now's a great time to get started selling books. Here's where you can learn exactly how to sell books online.
The Home-Based Bookstore: Start Your Own Business Selling Used Books on Amazon, eBay or Your Own Web Site

The Home-Based Bookstore: Start Your Own Business Selling Used Books on Amazon, eBay or Your Own Web Site

by: Steve Weber

Books are a great product for a new seller to start with on eBay; most of us have too many and, if not, books are very easy to find at yard sales, church sales, and library sales. They're easy to handle, pack, and ship, and they're great sellers.

This book will teach you all you need to know about selling books on eBay or elsewhere online. The used book business is booming, so why not find out how to get started selling books on eBay today!

Especially for Stay-At-Home Moms 

Stay-At-Home Mom's Guide to Successful eBay Selling

Suzanne Wells is an impressive eBay Power Seller who truly does practice what she preaches. In this book she tells you how she fits her business into her busy stay-at-home schedule, and how you can, too.

If Suzanne can make a good living on eBay, and she does, then so can you by following the steps listed in this book. Highly recommended.

Want it today? Click here for the e-book.

Order the paperback copy from amazon.com below.
Stay-At-Home Mom's Guide to Successful eBay<sup>®</sup> Selling

Stay-At-Home Mom's Guide to Successful eBay® Selling

by: Suzanne Wells

Amazon Price: $9.94 (as of 01/02/2010) Buy Now

 

How and Where to Locate the Merchandise to Sell on eBay 

Insider Information You Need to Know from the Experts Who Do It Every Day

How and Where to Locate the Merchandise to Sell on eBay: Insider Information You Need to Know from the Experts Who Do It Every Day

How and Where to Locate the Merchandise to Sell on eBay: Insider Information You Need to Know from the Experts Who Do It Every Day

by: Dan W. Blacharski

The title says it all. This book ranks #1 in the e-commerce category on amazon.com and has a solid 5-star customer review rating.

The authors tell you what to do before you start selling, what you can't sell, and give specific information on where to look and what to look for when searchiing for merchandise to sell or re-sell on eBay. They even discuss the elusive topic of finding your niche.

With 17+ chapters and 288 meaty pages, this book would be a great investment for anyone wanting to get started selling on eBay, as well as for established eBayers who want to broaden their selling horizons.

How to Sell Vintage Postcards on eBay 

This power seller does, and now she's telling everyone how to do it.

Avril Harper is an eBay power seller who has decided to share her secrets. Listen to this:

"When people ask what I think is the best thing to sell on eBay, I can only speak from experience, almost forty years of experience, and I can categorically say THE best thing in my book is vintage postcards. But not just any old postcard, there is just ONE postcard type that virtually anyone can sell, without experience, without prior knowledge, without risk. This one postcard type regularly breaks auction prices, rarely goes unsold, can be picked up for pennies and uploaded to eBay in three minutes flat."


Click to read more and learn how to sell vintage topographical postcards on eBay.

Vintage Postcards for Sale on eBay Right Now 

Vintage postcards really do sell well. Look at the prices these are going for.

Look around your house, your mom's attic, your neighbor's garage sale. Old postcards are actually pretty easy to find. Nostalgia sells well. Take a look at some of these current eBay auctions for vintage postcards and see the prices some of them are commanding. You can sell vintage postcards on eBay, too. It's easy. Give it a try!

(Click on any picture to see more details without any obligation to bid or buy.)

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eBay

Got Old Books and Magazines? Tear them up and make money on eBay. 

Anyone can do this. Even the kids can help!

How about selling old books and magazines on eBay, in pieces? In this book, descriptively titled Make Money Tearing Up Old Books and Magazines and Selling Them on eBay, you will discover, in precise detail, exactly how to operate one or a string of eBay businesses, all selling individual items removed from old books, newspapers and magazines, and how to turn every single page of those publications into a profitable earnings source for you.

Here's an extra hint. Consider advertising in the "Wanted" section of the classifieds for the type of old books, magazines, or newspapers that you'll need. Some people would love to get rid of boxloads and would be more than happy for you to take them off their hands. Make Money Tearing Up Old Books and Magazines and Selling Them on eBay explains exactly which books and magazines you should be looking for.

Additionally, look in the next section below to see auctions for vintage magazine ads that are currently running on eBay (this is current feed from the eBay site). I think you'll find that many of them are going for more than the cost of the book, so you're likely to make up your investment in no time! This is certainly a hot category that shows no signs of cooling down.

Vintage Advertisements On Sale Now on eBay 

Check out your potential competition. Many of these current listings will sell. So will yours!

This is just one of the business ideas explained in great detail in the book discussed above. How many ads do you think are in the old, back issues of magazines you - or maybe your neighbor - have lying around the house?

Check out these prices, then check out the book that tells you exactly
how to find and sell vintage magazine ads like these.

(Click on any picture to see more details without any obligation to bid or buy.)

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eBay

Looking for Wholesale Suppliers? Try SaleHoo!

SaleHoo is a wholesale directory which is the absolute best in its field of wholesale product sourcing. Their MASSIVE wholesale suppliers directory has some absolutely amazing bargains, and they are offering you a limited time, lifetime membership!
They are so confident that their product is the best that they offer a 56 day money back guarantee if you aren't happy for any reason!

Click here to learn more!

Buying Wholesale Lots on eBay 

Buy it wholesale on eBay, re-sell it on eBay. What a great place to get started!

If you're already a buyer on eBay, you may have noticed the category called "wholesale lots" when you are searching for an item. While there is a "wholesale lots" sub-category included within most of the main categories, you can access all of them on this page.

A word of caution about lots advertised as "wholesale" on eBay. More often than not these items are not listed by true wholesalers but are repackaged lots from ebay sellers who are cleaning out their own inventories. Sometimes they will be items that the particular seller could not sell individually. Often, though, they are smaller lots that the seller has acquired in bulk and broken down into smaller, more affordable lots for other sellers on a budget or without a place to store a large inventory.

You'll also find that some people don't take seriously the definition of a "lot" and use this category to offer single items at what they consider to be wholesale prices.

So, as should always be the case, buyer beware. Make sure you understand exactly what it is you are bidding on. I have found real treasures from the "wholesale lots" page and you will, too, if you spend some time being a wise shopper.

Wholesale Lots for Sale on eBay 

Buy Wholesale from eBay, Sell Retail on eBay or Elsewhere

Here's a selection of eBay items advertised as wholesale lots from the Pet Supplies category (pets are hot!). Interested in a different category? Use eBay's advanced search page.

(Click on any item for details with no obligation to bid or buy.)

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eBay

Still Haven't Decided on a Product Source? Look in your Own Backyard! 

How to find unique items to sell without leaving the comfort of your own community.

If you're still looking for the perfect place to find the perfect product to sell on eBay, why not start looking in your own backyard?

I'd recommend you seek some advice first from a man who calls himself "The Indiana Jones of local product resourcing." Dennis Hester can tell you exactly where to look, what to do, what to look for, and what to expect. His new e-book contains 27 chapters, plus bonus chapters, of brilliant ideas you would never have thought of on your own.

Dennis' advice is gold for both new and experienced eBay sellers. So, if you're serious about looking for unique items to sell on eBay, take a look first at his e-book, The Product Hunter's Guide for eBay Treasure Hunters, an inexpensive resource that could be the wisest investment you'll make in your eBay or other e-commerce business.

STOP: Have you developed a marketing plan for your eBay business?  

If you want your eBay business to be a business and not a hobby - and you should - then you need this book.

While The eBay Marketing Bible discusses building a successful marketing strategy, perhaps the most important lesson to be learned is in its introduction. As the authors so wisely state, "One of the dumbest things you can do in any business is build it first and then start looking for the people who will buy your merchandise."

So-called casual or hobby sellers, and many on eBay started out as hobby sellers, tend to put the cart before the horse, listing items on eBay for fun or just to get rid of a few things around the house. They might get buyers (read that as "customers") without having given much thought about who those customers would be or how they would build relationships with their customers. As hobby sellers begin to see some success and a few extra dollars rolling in, it's then that they begin taking their eBay business - for at this point the hobby indeed does become a business - seriously. They've built their business and now they must start looking for customers.

If you have finally begun to take your eBay hobby seriously and build it as a business, you need a marketing plan. If you want to know how to build an eBay marketing plan, you need this book.
The eBay Marketing Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Reach More Customers and Maximize Your Profits

The eBay Marketing Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Reach More Customers and Maximize Your Profits

by: Cliff Ennico, Cindy L. Shebley

Amazon Price: $14.96 (as of 01/02/2010)Buy Now

"Selling on eBay has never been hotter. There are now almost 900,000 people using eBay as a part-time or full-time source of income. And while there is big money to be made selling merchandise on the site, it is also becoming more and more challenging for sellers to stand out from the crowd. Written by two e-Bay experts, "Marketing Your E-Bay Business" offers advice to eBay sellers on building a successful marketing plan by identifying their customers, determining what items will sell best for them on eBay, and using 'fear' and 'passion' marketing to reach those customers and induce them to buy. Cliff Ennico and Cindy Shebley will help readers market their eBay products and attract and keep customers."

Ebay Income Advanced: How to Take Your Ebay Business to the Next Level 

Valuable information for eBay sellers at all levels!


Ebay Income Advanced: How to Take Your Ebay Business to the Next Level - for
Powersellers and Beyond

If you're new to e-commerce, don't let "Advanced" in the title stop you from exploring this new book. Besides providing information on how to develop a business plan (important at any level of business), this book also contains product sourcing information, information on wholesalers, drop shippers, auctions, closeouts, discontinued merchandise, overstocks, salvage items, surplus merchandise, below wholesale products, customer returns, wholesale trade shows, suppliers, liquidators, closeout firms, foreign and domestic manufacturers, and places to look in your area.

But that's not all. The book also includes hundreds of tips to help you write better listings, learn to communicate better with customers, how to build your brand, and much, much more. Read the full description and the customer reviews of Ebay Income Advanced: How to Take Your Ebay Business to the Next Level - for Powersellers and Beyond to see how this popular book will help you build and grow your eBay business.

Learn eBay from the Experts 

These authors know what they're talking about!

There's a lot of information on this page and on eBay about how to sell on eBay, but it's always nice to have a good reference book, something you can hold in your hands and mark up with highlighter and post-it notes. Here are some recommendations, all from authors who have been there and done that.

Click through on these titles and read the reviews from all the satisfied readers.
What to Sell on eBay and Where to Get It: The Definitive Guide to Product Sourcing for eBay and Beyond

What to Sell on eBay and Where to Get It: The Definitive Guide to Product Sourcing for eBay and Beyond

by: Chris Malta, Lisa Suttora

eBay Business All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))

eBay Business All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))

by: Marsha Collier

eBay Income: How Anyone of Any Age, Location, and/or Background Can Build a Highly Profitable Online Business with eBay

eBay Income: How Anyone of Any Age, Location, and/or Background Can Build a Highly Profitable Online Business with eBay

by: Cheryl L. Russell

eBay: Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks (Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks)

eBay: Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks (Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks)

by: Julia Wilkinson

The Official eBay Bible, Third Edition: The Newly Revised and Updated Version of the Most Comprehensive eBay How-To Manual for Everyone from First-Time Users to eBay Experts

The Official eBay Bible, Third Edition: The Newly Revised and Updated Version of the Most Comprehensive eBay How-To Manual for Everyone from First-Time Users to eBay Experts

by: Jim Griffith

Do You eBay from the UK? 

EBay International Sellers - These resources are for you!

Starting a Business on eBay.co.uk for Dummies

Starting a Business on eBay.co.uk for Dummies

by: Marsha Collier, Dan Matthews

Amazon Price: (as of 01/02/2010) Buy Now

Make Serious Money on eBay UK: The Bestselling Guide to Buying and Selling on eBay - and Beyond

Make Serious Money on eBay UK: The Bestselling Guide to Buying and Selling on eBay - and Beyond

by: Dan Wilson

Amazon Price: (as of 01/02/2010) Buy Now

Ebay.co.uk for Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

Ebay.co.uk for Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

by: Jane Hoskyn, Marsha Collier

Amazon Price: (as of 01/02/2010) Buy Now

The eBay Book: Essential Tips for Buying and Selling on eBay.co.uk

The eBay Book: Essential Tips for Buying and Selling on eBay.co.uk

by: David Belbin

Amazon Price: $15.60 (as of 01/02/2010) Buy Now

eBay Global the Smart Way: Buying and Selling Internationally on the World's #1 Auction Site

eBay Global the Smart Way: Buying and Selling Internationally on the World's #1 Auction Site

by: Joseph T. Sinclair, Ron Ubels

Amazon Price: $17.05 (as of 01/02/2010) Buy Now

News About eBay, From eBay 

Keep up with eBay news from the eBay general announcements board.

EBay.com itself is a great resource for learning how to sell and how to grow your business, as well as just finding out what's new in the eBay world. Check their announcements regularly. The workshops are archived and are highly recommended resources for learning about specific current and important topics.

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Stay on Top of Ebay News with the AuctionBytes Blog 

Ina Steiner is on the case! If it's happening at eBay, you'll probably read it here first.

News, rumors and speculation about the online auction industry by Ina Steiner, Editor of AuctionBytes.com

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Take a Break and Have Some Fun 

Oh, those eBay videos!

featured lens EBay Video Showcase

From Weird Al to Judge Judy to more Weird Al to elevator commercials and - is that the real Weird Al? - everyone has their video take on the world's most famous auction site.  While you're waiting 'til it's time to snipe your late...

Love eBay? Show the World! 

Wear it on your chest, wear it on your head, carry it, or let your kids wear it for you, but let everyone know you sell on eBay!

online auction addict Baseball Jersey

online auction addict Baseball Jersey

From: Symbols on Stuff: T-Shirts Stickers Hats and Gifts

Price: 24.99 Buy Now

eBay Caps and Hats Cap

eBay Caps and Hats Cap

From: Occupation T-shirts and Gifts at Top Tee Designs

Price: 20.99 Buy Now

Women's Long Sleeve White T-Shirt

Women's Long Sleeve White T-Shirt

From: ReadMyChest.com

Price: 21.99 Buy Now

eBay Addict Diva 4 Tile Coaster

eBay Addict Diva 4 Tile Coaster

From: Renie Britenbucher Glass Tapestry Artwork

Price: 9.99 Buy Now

Online Auction Addict 1 Ornament (Oval)

Online Auction Addict 1 Ornament (Oval)

From: Renie Britenbucher Glass Tapestry Artwork

Price: 10.99 Buy Now

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by Susan52

Susan52 knows that starting an eBay business can be a challenge, especially these days. She's happy to present here some great resources to help you... (more)

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