Can't anybody sell games on eBay?
Sure anybody can sell video games on eBay in fact anybody can sell just about anything on eBay. Right now millions of people are doing just that. Only a small fraction though are doing it as a business and even smaller fraction are supporting themselves entirely off of their eBay income. I have been buying, repairing and selling video games online for 15 years. So hopefully I've learned something that I can pass on to you. Why video games? Well, video games are popular and aren't as time consuming to list as other items. Plus they are not all that hard to get your hands on. That's not say that it's easy but I'll outline some basic steps you can take to be on your way to the top.
Getting Started On eBay
Hey That Was Easy!
Before you can sell anything you have to sign up with eBay. So head on over to eBay.com once there click "Sign In" you'll be prompted to either sign in or register click register. Then watch these videos on signing up:
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Registering with PayPal
You can't sell anything on eBay without a PayPal account so set that up too. I would like to add that when registering for PayPal you have the option of linking your bank account or adding a PayPal Credit Card. I suggest that if you are going to be selling over $500 dollars a month that you go ahead and either link a bank account (if you have a business account) or if you don't have a business account apply for the PayPal Credit Card. This will protect your PayPal account from being frozen which can happen if you have one too many policy violations or buyer disputes. This could leave you in the position of having to ship orders without the money in you PayPal account that you would normally use for postage. Ebay does this in an effort to stop fraudulent sellers however in can be a huge problem. With a PayPal card you can easily keep this from happening.
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Buying Some Games To Sell
If you are going to sell games then first you'll have to buy them, right? So where can you get some great games to sell? eBay, that's right you can buy your games from eBay and sell your games on eBay. The key is buying in bulk and selling individually. Do a quick search on eBay for "Video Game Lot" or "huge video game lot" you are sure to find hundreds of results. It can be tough to know which ones will be profitable though. Here are a few tips that can help:
Tip #1 Know the average sell price for games from different systems. For example if you were looking for large Nintendo NES lots then you should know the average price for games for NES. Make sure you don't bid so much that you no longer have any profits.
Tip #2 The lots with thousands of items will attract a lot of attention and probably end up being overpriced junk leftovers. Look for small to medium sized lots usually the quality is much better.
Tip #3 Look at the seller's profile to see if they themselves are Video Game sellers if so their lots are probably leftover inventory they couldn't sell. Unless you have a different selling strategy then stay very far away.
Tip #4 Look for quality titles. They don't all have to be rare titles but there are some you should stay away from. The main one is sports titles, face it no one wants to play Madden 93 anymore. Why would they when there are so many better football games available? Also, stay away from games based on movies most of these are terrible with a few exceptions.
Tip #5 Look for sellers with Best Offer enabled even if there Buy It Now is high many times you can negotiate a price that will make both of you happy. Remember wholesalers can not expect to get full price for their lots and you as a reseller will have to pay more in shipping and eBay fees than a wholesaler when negotiating don't be scared to low ball a price. The worst thing they can do is reject it and leave a nasty message and who knows you may get a steal.
Here are some links that can help as well:
Tip #1 Know the average sell price for games from different systems. For example if you were looking for large Nintendo NES lots then you should know the average price for games for NES. Make sure you don't bid so much that you no longer have any profits.
Tip #2 The lots with thousands of items will attract a lot of attention and probably end up being overpriced junk leftovers. Look for small to medium sized lots usually the quality is much better.
Tip #3 Look at the seller's profile to see if they themselves are Video Game sellers if so their lots are probably leftover inventory they couldn't sell. Unless you have a different selling strategy then stay very far away.
Tip #4 Look for quality titles. They don't all have to be rare titles but there are some you should stay away from. The main one is sports titles, face it no one wants to play Madden 93 anymore. Why would they when there are so many better football games available? Also, stay away from games based on movies most of these are terrible with a few exceptions.
Tip #5 Look for sellers with Best Offer enabled even if there Buy It Now is high many times you can negotiate a price that will make both of you happy. Remember wholesalers can not expect to get full price for their lots and you as a reseller will have to pay more in shipping and eBay fees than a wholesaler when negotiating don't be scared to low ball a price. The worst thing they can do is reject it and leave a nasty message and who knows you may get a steal.
Here are some links that can help as well:
- Ebay Video Game Lot Buying Guide
- Learn what to look for when buying wholesale video game lot on eBay.
- Using Market Research To Find Video Games That Sell
- Using market research can enable you to easily identify which video games will sell and for how much.
- Wholesale Game Search
- Search for wholesale lots,surplus auctions and drop shipping partners.
Wholesale Video Game Lots
Here are some video game lots to get you started.
Video game lots on eBay are one of the best and easiest ways to acquire used games to resell. Check out some of the lots that are ending soon.
Creating The Perfect Listing
Closing The Deal
Your eBay listing is where you close the deal you either get the buyer to bid or they keep browsing. What can you do to keep them interested in your game?
1. State All Important Info In The Description.
Ebay now has tabs where buyers can find shipping information, your return policy & more. You should still put this info clearly in your description. If not, buyers may check your listing and not see the info they need and click elsewhere. Leaving you without a sale. Also you don't want it to sound like a lawyer wrote it but keep a friendly tone.
2. Try To Take Pictures When Needed.
So when is a picture needed? When a game has collectible value or is a classic title you should take a picture. Many buyers of these categories want a game that looks nice and clean with no marks or damage. Even if you don't have a picture you want describe these three parts of the game: box/case, manual, disc/cartridge. This will give buyers a good idea of what they are getting.
3. Price The Item Competitively.
Go to advanced search and search for the item you are about to sell. Select the option for completed items only. Look at only the items in green those are the items that sold. Price your item at about what the others have sold at. If you see nothing but red items that means that item will take a long time to sell or you may want to sell as part of a lot instead.
4. Sell More, Get More Exposure.
The more items you have up at once the more of a presence you create for yourself on Ebay. Make sure you always create a link in your description to your other items. If you also combine shipping this will encourage more sales once someone finds one of your listings. Each listing should also be considered an ad for your other listings.
5. Mix Up The Format
Some buyers like fix price listings and these will normally get a higher price. However, you will also wait longer to make the sale. So every once in while mix it up and have a big auction of a lot of items with low starting prices. This encourages more people to watch your auctions and hopefully bid.
Of course it also doesn't hurt to have a professionally made html template that will entice buyers and brand your business. Check out some these:
1. State All Important Info In The Description.
Ebay now has tabs where buyers can find shipping information, your return policy & more. You should still put this info clearly in your description. If not, buyers may check your listing and not see the info they need and click elsewhere. Leaving you without a sale. Also you don't want it to sound like a lawyer wrote it but keep a friendly tone.
2. Try To Take Pictures When Needed.
So when is a picture needed? When a game has collectible value or is a classic title you should take a picture. Many buyers of these categories want a game that looks nice and clean with no marks or damage. Even if you don't have a picture you want describe these three parts of the game: box/case, manual, disc/cartridge. This will give buyers a good idea of what they are getting.
3. Price The Item Competitively.
Go to advanced search and search for the item you are about to sell. Select the option for completed items only. Look at only the items in green those are the items that sold. Price your item at about what the others have sold at. If you see nothing but red items that means that item will take a long time to sell or you may want to sell as part of a lot instead.
4. Sell More, Get More Exposure.
The more items you have up at once the more of a presence you create for yourself on Ebay. Make sure you always create a link in your description to your other items. If you also combine shipping this will encourage more sales once someone finds one of your listings. Each listing should also be considered an ad for your other listings.
5. Mix Up The Format
Some buyers like fix price listings and these will normally get a higher price. However, you will also wait longer to make the sale. So every once in while mix it up and have a big auction of a lot of items with low starting prices. This encourages more people to watch your auctions and hopefully bid.
Of course it also doesn't hurt to have a professionally made html template that will entice buyers and brand your business. Check out some these:
eBay Listing Templates
Expanding Your Business With Some Tools
Increase Efficiency, Sell More.
When you're starting out on eBay listing items seems easy you can just list them straight from the website. Finding items to sell is seems easy too just do completed item searches. However, when you're buying and selling hundreds of items a week you'll find that eBay's built in tools are not all that user friendly. Fortunately there are some tools to help you become more efficient when selling a high volume of video games (or any other product for that matter).
- Five Great Tools For eBay Sellers
- These five essential eBay tools will have spending more time selling and less time listing and shipping.
- Ebay Market Research
- Using Market Research can help improve sell through rate and help avoid buying inventory that won't bring profits. Sellers who use Market Research make an average of 65% more profit.
Further Reading
(Hey, eBay is not that simple)
This has been a brief introduction to the world of selling video games on eBay for more info be sure to check out my latest blog post below. There is a lot to learn about eBay (and eBay itself is constantly evolving or devolving depending on who you ask).
This UpMarket page written by
elancep
Ethan Pepper is a the founder, editor and designer of Ebay Video Game Selling Tips with 15 years experience buying and selling video games for profit.... more »
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