ebay as a job/business?

[Caz]

I'm just wondering, has anyone ever done ebay as a job/business almost?

I'm considering it. I'm selling a bunch of clothes on there that end tonight, plus added some more. And I've realised I actually really enjoy it! I strangely get a bit of a buzz from it, especially in the last few hours, watching it, seeing bids and watchers increase! I got the ebay bug!

Anyway, just wondering what I could possibly sell. I'm going through putting a lot of my clothes on ebay. Going to list a bunch of DVDs too, as I've got about 15 doubles... whoops! And see what other stuff I have. but obviously I'm going to run out soon enough!

Any ideas of what things I could look into selling?

 

[Qwetypi]

Hello!

You can often bulk buy things on ebay to resell as individual auctions. I used to do this, for example I got 10 belly bars for £2 which I sold for £1 each, and £20 lipglosses for £10 which I resold for £2 each.

Also, if you have books or DVDs you can often make more money selling them on Amazon, as they put a higher postage rate than you'd ever need. That's why you see them for sale for 1p, because people make the money on the postage. If you have DVD's that are reasonably recent that might be the best way to do it.

 

[LizzMB]

personally, i wouldnt do it.....with ebay fee's, paypal charges and postage, you dont make a fat lot out of it apart from the exception as previous poster said if you get hold of a bargain and sell on!

We sell all my clothes on there, and its ok at the time becuase your paypal account looks HUGE, but then the money for fee's and postage comes out the other account!

I'm mixed on this i'm afraid!

xxx

 

[Guru]

Can you make anything Caroline? If you're nifty with a sewing machine you could make clothes. I know someone who made dog sofas and sold them on there!

 

[Caz]

I know what you mean Liz, got to be careful in choosing, the fees can be crazy!

But I figure if I could sell £30-40 worth a week on there, I could do CD still. So might be worth a look.

 

[Caz]

Umm I am quite crafty, but not sure anyone would buy my stuff!

Not sure I could make clothes though!

 

[wannabesize10]

i have to agree with Lizz i sold loads of clothes, books , and household stuff etc and made about £300 Ebayer took around £42 for listings and final vaule fee's and paypal took around the same also under estimated some of the postage cost so in the end i only eneded up with about £200 if i added up the RRP it would have been over £1500, - it's good to have a clear out sell the odd bit but now i'd rather give my stuff away or have a bootfair every now and then ,

have you looks for maybe neswpaper/leftlet delivery etc as it would give you some money & be great exercise i think i would do it for free just for the exercise !

 

[alipally]

I recommend a book called something like

"ebay, a job you really can do in your pajamas!"

About a woman who was down to her last £20 and started selling things on ebay from her house and now goes round charity shops digging out stuff that will sell. The trick is to identify what will sell.... (Remember that 40% of all listings don't sell)

BTW: Plus size clothes always sell really well!

Happy listing!

 

[RainbowRose]

My hubby has an ebay business which I get involved in. I have to agree about the ebay fees and paypal fees etc. He has been quite successful and had many good customers, but there have been a handful of horrible dishonest and nasty customers too. Thankfully they are in the minority.

Good luck with it and remember only accepting postal order, cheques or cash payments avoid the paypal fees. Though some people prefer the security and quickness of paying by paypal!

I hope it all goes well for you.

 

[Watergirl]

Oh god, I wish I was like you - I hate Ebaying with a passion. Having to take pics, write all the info, post the items, arghh...my idea of hell. Good luck though

 

[Jaycey]

Here's an idea for you, Caroline - have you heard of Bargain Footwear & Clothes? They are a company who sell items in bulk, for people to sell on market stalls, etc. They do actually get some nice clothes on there, but you never know what size you're going to get, so it's a bit like guesswork. (I had a couple of nice Palmers bikinis from there at £1.99 each, fortunately they were both 12s so that was OK! And I got two pairs of lovely linen capri pants* there, which was handy as one pair fitted me and the other pair fitted my mum!)

There's no reason why you shouldn't bulk-buy from a place like this, and then sell the items on individually on eBay (they are all BNWT after all) - I'm sure you'd make some money.

Their website is here:-

Bargain Footwear and Clothes

- and just to give you an example, they are currently selling an assorted pack of sports tops which work out at £1 each - you'd HAVE to make something out of that!

* cost me £3.99 and when they arrived, they had tickets inside which said £35.00! The make was Pomodoro, which I've seen in posh department stores.

 

[Caz]

I know... I think I'm just strange!!

 

[Caz]

Oooh, thanks, I'll take a looksie!

 

[dreamingmaid]

If you have a niche market, you can make some serious money. My husband sells full time on ebay and believe me when i say the fees are double what our mortgage is *gulp* but we have a good living out of it.
I used to sell on ebay full time and i had a good income out of it. Again i had a niche market but it has now become flooded with fakes and the like.

 

[Caz]

I guess it's finding that niche, and I think that's going to prove quite difficult. No idea where to start really!

 

[Caz]

Have just stuck 2 of my old text books on Amazon, that's another £50 if they go!

 

[Caz]

Managed to sell the first batch of clothes for £120 today, so going well!

Have been thinking about the whole ebay thing and I think it's going to be hard to find something that isn't all over it anyway. Like tongue bars, I can buy 25 for £4, but ebay is plastered with them! So will have to think. But is looking unlikely. Not sure I'm clever enough to come up with a niche.

 

[Qwetypi]

Plus size clothes always sell well. Maybe go to Evans and hunt through the sales racks for stuff reduced to a fiver, I bet it will sell for more than that on ebay!

 

[lunar jim]

IMHO eBay selling as a business is more effort than it is worth. I used to sell computer equipment and even though I was buying wholesale the margins were so low I jacked it in. I thought I could start small and grow it but it would have taken too long to build up the stock levels, and with the stuff I was selling you couldn't keep it in stock long anyway as computer stuff quickly becomes superceeded... I just couldn't compete with 1. eastern imports and 2. people selling in mega bulk. By the time I'd boxed it all up and shipped it I couldn't be arsed. Then add in the odd problem with shipments going missing and it just becomes a pain.

The only three ways of making proper, business-like money with eBay, again IMHO:

1. Make stuff youself and sell it, as the materials are likely to be a lot less than the selling price of what you make

2. Start with a big wodge of cash and sell low cost items at a tiny margin but turn over *lots*. See people selling e.g. memory cards, come of them have over 300000 feedbacks...

3. Sell smaller amounts of large value, second user items: antiques, ex-corporate laptops, whatever. Best to choose something you know a lot about though!

 

[Jaycey]

Jim, I think I'm going to show your reply to my OH! We have a garageful of old computer equipment (some has been there 10 years) that I would love to shift - only when I mention it, he says, "Well, you put it on eBay then"! Hmm, unfortunately I would need a lot of input from him to find out what it actually is, in order to describe it properly - and that's where it all comes to a grinding halt. A lot is ex-corporate (they gave it away to him - what does that tell you?! ) but it's been there so long, that I reckon a skip might be more suitable than eBay - what do you think?!