Questions for experienced resellers

[jusha-7343]

I was looking to start selling on eBay I did so years ago and also bought a lot of items however it has been a long time and I had to start with a new eBay account meaning no feedback no reviews, I am not looking to get rich or use drop shipping or hold a lot of stock I was looking to start very small selling  mostly readily available items that I can upsell,I was curious what are easy items to sell that I can build my confidence build my feedback and my reputation with I was looking to invest $500 every month into this business but it is strictly for fun as I am kind of nervous about shipping and and an extremely patient person so I don’t have any specific numbers or expectations whether my items take a day to sell or a week to sell just because I’m starting so small, also in your opinion is it better to stick with several items from several different niches or kind of be all over the place especially at the beginning.

any advice would be very much appreciated

[tdrake]

If we knew items that are easy to sell and we don't have to hold much stock, most of us would be on it like white on rice and the market would be flooded in no time.  "selling  mostly readily available items that I can upsell,I was curious what are easy items to sell"  What you're looking for is selling with little effort... good work if you can get it. That's my view, others here may, and probably will, differ.

One tip: When you write your descriptions use a few periods and Capitols in the appropriate places, it will save you some INADs due to buyer not understanding (if and when they read the description, this advice is probably a moot point.)

[chevymontecarlo88]

The best advice i could give someone that wants to do what you are going to try is to pick a category that you are familiar with. A hobby or something that you genuinely enjoy. Once you get the hang of Ebay you can start branching out. 

Researching the market (inventory vs sales) and availability (sourcing) will need to be looked at regardless of which category you choose. 

Take good pictures, write good descriptions with titles and ship out quickly. Have access to shipping supplies that will allow fast and properly packed items. The USPS Flat Rate boxes work well as you have an established shipping price and you can basically ship anything that will fit in them. (there are 70lb weight limits)

Offer good customer service and your off. 

[mtgraves7984]

any advice would be very much appreciated

@jusha-7343 

Know what you sell; sell what you know. Good luck.

[aprilmoviebuf2000]

Start with what you know.  Be mindful of overly saturated categories, where there is a lot of competition (ie: clothing, media etc), as you will just get buried amongst the tens of thousands of listings.  
Be aware you will have listing limits...so yes you will need to start small.  Your funds will also be held as a new seller until you prove that you are on the up and up.  Read up on selling fees, policies, etc in the seller center.
Have you signed up and been verified for managed payments?
"Easy items to sell" really is a broad question.  The fact is, for a new seller there is no such thing.  It takes dedication and work to source items, create quality listings, get a handle on shipping, etc.  
Speaking of shipping, I would advise to use calculated shipping (based on item weight and buyer location) to start out.  Get a postal scale....you can find them right here on ebay for less than $20.  Be accurate with package weight and dimensions in the listing itself, so the buyer is charged accurately.
There's much more, and it's a constant learning process.  

[soh.maryl]

A suggestion that doesn't seem to have been given here:  Do some buying first just to see how it works and to look at eBay from a buyer's point of view.

Just curious:  Why two pretty similar posts?  

[jusha-7343]

I made a mistake when I posted twice I didn’t actually see that it successfully posted

[jusha-7343]

Thank you for all the advice I really appreciate it I think I’m honestly going to struggle the most with the shipping, I just find it very overwhelming I see a lot of resellers and blogs and forums saying you should offer free shipping regardless of whatever you sell as it just makes it easier from a cost perspective, I am definitely very knowledgeable I always get a deal I know how to price match and I am honestly fascinated just how much people are willing to pay for convenience, which certainly makes the reselling business I’m sure very lucrative and quite profitable even for small businesses and smaller sellers that maybe only specialize in offering several items but at the end of the day if you can sell them repeatedly you’re doing quite well I would guess.

[tdrake]

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@jusha-7343 wrote:

 I think I’m honestly going to struggle the most with the shipping, I just find it very overwhelming I see a lot of resellers and blogs and forums saying you should offer free shipping regardless of whatever you sell as it just makes it easier from a cost perspective, 

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Everyone has to decide what's best for their business plan and the products they sell in regards to so-called "free shipping". Back in the day when Amazon was scaring the heck out of eBay, eBay was pushing "free shipping" hard. It has since backed off on the hard sell, but many sellers still spout the party line.

"Free" shipping is but another tool in the box for me. I use it for maybe 1 in 50 items. Sometimes you have something that you need to go with the crowd and offer "free" shipping to compete.  But you would differ from me if you intend to buy a bunch of widgets all the same and want to sell them against a bunch of sellers selling the same, or variation of the same widget.

I don't generally list with "offers" turned on.  When I'm selling vintage electronics and the like, there's no need - those buyers know the score and are used to dickering just like me. If something is selling slow at the price I set I like to be able to run a markdown sale, or turn on offers, or send offers to watchers - whatever I want.  I don't want to be pulling out a calculator every time to make sure i don't get screwed by the so-called "free shipping".  I live in NH - On East Coast. A buyer in CA could easily ruin the profit on an item. And so forth and so on. Many here swear by "free shipping" so you should perhaps listen to them. 

[soh.maryl]

Not sure whether or not this has been mentioned, but, even if it has been, it's important enough that it's worth repeating:  BE SURE TO READ THE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE FOR BUYERS.

It's seen in every listing and it's important that all sellers, as well as buyers, become familiar with it.

It explains exactly what a buyer can do if/when a transaction goes wrong in the buyer's eyes.

For instance, there is no such thing as "No Returns Accepted".  A buyer can open an item not as described case in any situation and the seller will be required to send a prepaid return label and to refund in full, even if he KNOWS there was nothing wrong with the item.

Not trying to scare you, just being realistic.  

[pennysdream]

Hi, sounds like you want to do what I do. I play for fun.  Something to keep me busy.  

My advice is... 

READ EVERYTHING.  Be new.  Forget everything you knew from before. Nothing is the same. 

Like others have said, list stuff you enjoy.  Buy stuff you enjoy.  It makes it much more fun. However, be prepared to diversify. Even stuff you enjoy gets tiresome after a while.   Having something to switch it up helps. 

If you start to feel stressed about the buyers, sellers, sales, and any other eBay stuff, take a break.   You can even set yourself "away" for a few days.  And then do something else. 

Give yourself a year to see if this is what you really want to do.  I know that may seem like a long time.  However, a year gets you through each selling cycle.  The up's and down's.  

Don't promiss things you can't keep up with.  It's cool to be top rated, or top rated plus. But if you cannot follow through, then you are stressed and your buyers are not happy. 

And lastly, and maybe most important, Have fun. If it is not fun, don't do it. 

Just my two cents. 

I hope it works out well for you

Penny

[josephb555]

The best thing to sell is something that everybody uses, such as wallets, belts, shoes etc..