eBay Selling

[texmom777]

I have two teen sons that want to make money selling on eBay. The problrm is they have no idea what to sell. Does anyone know how they can find out what things sell on eBay? Have anyone's teens done this before? They love going to thrift stores with me, but I've had to put my foot down on buying random odd & ends until they figure out if it's worth selling.

[abba12]

I run a part time business selling second hand clothes on ebay. A lot of things sell on ebay. I live in Australia so I'm not certain how much is different in the US, take what I say with a grain of salt. We have a much smaller market of buyers and sellers here.

 

Do they want to do up single big items that may take time to sell but turn a good profit by itself/? Or do they want to sell lots of little things, only making $5 or $10 an item, but enough that it adds up. They need to do some research, and experimenting. I take it you're only interested in them selling second hand goods right now, not buying stock from a wholesaler or china?

 

I don't know much about big items with big profit and risk. Not my area. With little items, books sell reasonably well if you list enough of them, but you have to consider postage costs carefully. Clothes sell well, women's most of all. Alternatively they could go vintage with rare records, but those require research and knowledge. Lots of other things sell, from kids toys to knick knacks. They just have to find their niche, and be sure to assess whether the postage is worth it. Big and bulky items aren't ideal unless they're high value. 

 

Price point is important. For example, in second hand women's tops, prices vary a lot. They primarily fall into two groups, items listed for a few dollars each by people selling off their own items. These people undervalue what they have, and the profit ends up not being worthwhile for the time spent. Then there are items being sold for $20 or more even second hand, which sell eventually to people who love the pieces, but have a slow turnover. I have found a sweet spot somewhere around $10, high enough to make a worthwhile profit, but low enough that people will pay the prices if they like the item. (this is all in Australian dollars, I don't know what the American market is like for price points)

 

Don't make the mistake of doing 99c auctions, those stopped being effective years ago. If you list it for 99c, chances are you'll sell it for 99c. Most people want to do 'buy it now'. For that reason, it's worth considering opening an ebay store. The subscription fee is less than the listing fees would be. And be prepared to list the same stock over and over, I currently have about 1000 items in my two stores, but I only list about 200 items a month (and sell about 100 on a good month, 60 on a bad month)

 

If you go for the lots of small profit items route, be aware of time taken. Creating individual listings takes time, lots of it. There are ways to speed it up and you get quicker with practice and experience, but if you're listing lots of little items remember to take time into account when you asses how viable an item is to sell. 

[Lanny]

First, read the eBay legalese to see whether or not your teenagers can legally have an eBay Sellers account.

 

Then, I believe they should look at things they are interested in and knowledgeable about.

 

Just trying to sell the most popular items, or the most profitable items will probably not lead to  success.

 

GL to them