Making money online is one of the easiest jobs anyone can have. Theoretically, all you need to do is turn on your computer, open up a browser, and start working. Yet, being successful by working off the internet takes a lot of hard work, a lot of budgeting, and serious dedication.
Most people start making money online by selling some things they no longer need on eBay. It sounds easy to know what to sell on eBay to make money online when you’re just starting out. There are two billion transactions on the website per day; with that much traffic, you’re bound to make some cash.
Yet, you can’t just grab any random object, make a listing, and expect to be rich. To truly be successful by selling items on eBay you need to research the market and act like a businessman. When you open up a virtual shop online, you’re going into business for yourself.
You’ll be your own manager, and to be successful, you’ll need to act like it. Keep reading below to learn more about how to be successful by selling items on eBay, and how to make as much money on the website as possible!
Research What to Sell on eBay to Make Money Before Listing
The first step before you make your first listing is to research the items you want to sell. Every item essentially has its own market and to find it, all you need to do is search for it as if you were looking to buy it. Pretend to be a customer and be on the lookout for the best deals and the best quality.
That way, you’ll have a better sense of your competition. eBay is a competitive marketplace where thousands of people are working to get the same sales. If you pretend to be a customer and research the item’s market before listing it, you’ll intuitively know how to stand out.
When you stand out, more people will flock to your digital storefront. And when you get more virtual traffic, you’ll get more sales!
Search Around for the Items You Want to Sell
Don’t just stop looking at the item’s prices when you find it on eBay. You should also look at how people are selling items on other websites, too. Be sure to check out Amazon’s listing page, and whether people are selling it on your local Craigslist page.
You could even go to a physical pawn shop to see if you can find the items you want to sell. By doing so much research on it on a single item, you’ll develop a keen eye for what customers are looking for. That way, you’ll know exactly how to format your listing and you’ll understand what you need to do to make a sale.
Look at More Than Just Price
Price is easily one of the most important parts of any successful listing. You need to price your item correctly, or else it simply won’t sell. Yet, price isn’t the only thing that you need to look out for.
You should also do research on how frequently the item is viewed on eBay and beyond. If you look at an items views, or how often it’s saved people’s personal wishlists, you’ll get a sense for the demand around an item. That’ll give you a sense for how quickly you can sell it.
You should also look at the condition of the items that your competition is selling. If they look subpar, then you may have an edge against them by making the item appear sleek and clean.
There’s more to a successful listing than just pricing it right, and doing market research doesn’t just mean looking at the price. Do what your customers would and examine everything else too!
Tech Sells Quickly, as Long as It’s New
One of the most popular items sold on eBay is electronics and technology. People flock to eBay to find some of the latest gadgets for cheap since secondhand merchandise usually comes at a steep discount. If you have a popular piece of technology released within the last few years, expect to be able to sell it quickly.
Keep reading below to learn about some examples of things that sell quickly on eBay!
Cell Phones are an Investment in Yourself
When you buy a new cell phone, you’re not buying a new toy. You’re making an investment in a valuable tool that connects you to the rest of the world. People’s entire lives revolve around their phones; so why would people want to skimp out on them?
Selling an iPhone on eBay will usually net you a sizable amount of revenue, for several reasons. The brand benefits from its popularity and people will pay extra to have an iPhone. They’re also usually safe to be buy used since it’s hard to actually break one.
Yet, Android phones sell quickly, too. Smartphone models like the Samsung Galaxy or the Google Pixel can sell like hotcakes since they’re from reputable brands and can handle a lot. No matter the phone, you’ll be able to make money off it on eBay.
Selling Game Consoles is a Game
Playing video games is more than just a hobby for some people. Gaming can be something to commit their entire lives to, building careers out of it. It’s serious business, and so selling gaming consoles online is serious business, too.
If you have a current generation gaming console, such as a PlayStation 4 or a Nintendo Switch, then you’re sitting on a goldmine. The good thing about selling game consoles is that they can also be snagged for cheap if you time it right. Buy a few when they go on sale during the holidays, and then resell them later.
That way, you’ll pay minimally for your inventory and make hundreds of dollars by selling them when the market calms down after the holidays.
Clothes Don’t Usually Fit Your Expectations
If you’re like most people, then you have a mountain of clothes in your wardrobe that you don’t know what to do with. They may be worn out, they may not fit, or you simply may not want to wear them anymore. That doesn’t mean you’ll be able to sell them on eBay, though.
There’s a simple reason for it too: nobody wants to buy used clothes, and especially not online. Most people prefer to try clothes on before they buy them, and that’s simply impossible over the internet. And since clothes are something that people where every day, they want to make sure they’re clean well-kept.
It doesn’t matter how well you wash your clothes or how well you portray them in your eBay post. People will simply never be able to trust that they’re safe to wear. So don’t count on your wardrobe to make you rich online, unless they’re fashionable enough to start a modeling career!
That Time of the Year is Here
There’s one time of the year that makes all eBay retailers rich, like Christmas in the summer. It’s the time that everyone on eBay looks forward to the most: the school year. Students are always scouring for deals and cheap materials for their classes, and if you’re an eBay retailer, it’s your job to provide that.
Keep reading below to learn a lesson about why the school year’s ending and beginning always create so many opportunities to profit eBay retailers.
Schools Letting Out, So Books are Cheap
When school lets out, around the beginning of summer, students no longer need their books. And since they have no reason to hold onto them after classes end, they usually sell them cheaply just to make a quick buck. This gives you an opportunity to build a large inventory of educational materials for cheap.
Simply wander around your local college campus, or browse online postings to find cheap books. You may even be able to find books that students are trying to get rid of at your local library. Grab a few and hold onto them — they’ll be valuable again in just a few months.
Hold Onto Your Books Until Schools Starts Again
The end of summer means the end of warm nights filled with lightning bugs. It means no more days spent in flip flops and shorts, soaking up the sun. Most of all, it means students will be going back to school, and they’ll need books to study with.
Once summer ends, post the books that you collected once it began. You’ll find that their prices skyrocketed as students clamor for the materials they need. It’s always an especially intense frenzy on eBay too, as students turn to it for deals.
Little do they know that more demands mean higher prices. And there’s nothing more demanding than classes!
Calculators Sum Up to Profit
There’s one kind of educational tool that will always net you revenue, no matter the time of year: calculators. Texas Instruments has a monopoly on the new calculator market, which means they can go for hundreds of dollars. The used market is different, though.
You can snag calculators from students cheaply once they graduate, and immediately resell it to a current student for profit. As long as you don’t charge as much for one as Texas Instruments does, it’s guaranteed to go!
Making on Money on eBay is Possible, but Hard
Knowing what to sell on eBay to make money, when to sell, and how to make the best posting possible takes work. Just like everything, it takes work to make money regardless of whether it’s on the internet or off it. And if you want to launch a career as an eBay retailer, expect to put in a lot of work.
You’ll need guidance, too. You’ll need someone to keep you focused and motivated, and that’s what I’m here for. Simply keep reading here to learn how to make money online, how to be your own manager, and how to be successful with your fledgling eBay empire!