During these harsh economic times, selling on Ebay can be a great way to supplement your income. Things which you no longer need can sometimes fetch a good price on the global marketplace. You may even find yourself making significant amounts of much needed income by selling things you may have once thought of as expendable. But before becoming a bona fide Ebay seller, there are 3 things you should ask yourself:
1) Do I have to time to invest into selling on Ebay?
Above all else, selling on Ebay will take a significant amount of time out of your daily life. You will find yourself spending time taking pictures of items, as well as optimizing and uploading those pictures, spending time writing accurate, marketable descriptions and choosing starting prices that will garner bids, and spending time figuring out shipping and handling costs as well as packaging those items and taking them to a shipping center. It is easy to see where those who are already tight on time can have a problem with selling on Ebay. If you don't have the time to invest, then it might be a good idea to save yourself the unnecessary headache.
2) Is there a market for what I am selling?
What you might think of as a surefire seller, others may not. I once ran into a green Ebay seller who created 70 seperate auctions for small individual items. Albeit they were each only listed for one dollar, the seller had to spend fifteen cents to list each one. In the end, not a single item sold, and instead of gaining money, the seller actually lost $10.50.
If you are unsure if an item will sell, don't spend all of your money to list it. Run a test auction first, in order to keep as much money in your pocket as possible.
3) Does Ebay make the most sense for me?
Even if you do have the time to sell on Ebay and also have an item you know people will buy, Ebay may still not be the best option for you. Large and expensive items are also expensive to sell on Ebay. Money that should be going into your pocket will find its way into shipping and handling costs as well as Ebay's own cut from your revenue. The best option to selling large and expensive items is to sell them locally. By selling locally, you will asure yourself that you will gain the maximum amount of profit by not having to deal with the secondary fees of Ebay selling.
1) Do I have to time to invest into selling on Ebay?
Above all else, selling on Ebay will take a significant amount of time out of your daily life. You will find yourself spending time taking pictures of items, as well as optimizing and uploading those pictures, spending time writing accurate, marketable descriptions and choosing starting prices that will garner bids, and spending time figuring out shipping and handling costs as well as packaging those items and taking them to a shipping center. It is easy to see where those who are already tight on time can have a problem with selling on Ebay. If you don't have the time to invest, then it might be a good idea to save yourself the unnecessary headache.
2) Is there a market for what I am selling?
What you might think of as a surefire seller, others may not. I once ran into a green Ebay seller who created 70 seperate auctions for small individual items. Albeit they were each only listed for one dollar, the seller had to spend fifteen cents to list each one. In the end, not a single item sold, and instead of gaining money, the seller actually lost $10.50.
If you are unsure if an item will sell, don't spend all of your money to list it. Run a test auction first, in order to keep as much money in your pocket as possible.
3) Does Ebay make the most sense for me?
Even if you do have the time to sell on Ebay and also have an item you know people will buy, Ebay may still not be the best option for you. Large and expensive items are also expensive to sell on Ebay. Money that should be going into your pocket will find its way into shipping and handling costs as well as Ebay's own cut from your revenue. The best option to selling large and expensive items is to sell them locally. By selling locally, you will asure yourself that you will gain the maximum amount of profit by not having to deal with the secondary fees of Ebay selling.
1 comments:
I started selling on ebay around a year ago and have been pretty successful in the venture. In fact, I just invested in a Ebay consignment store here locally, so I'll be getting even more involved. I look forward to getting your advice on ebay.
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