Beginner seller looking for advice.

[joshan84]

Hello everyone, I'm a beginner seller on ebay and i'm curious about sourcing a product. I've heard of places like alibaba and aliexpress to start. I've watched a lot of youtube videos and read some blogs about this topic. I dont have a lot of money starting out, but I would like to invest in a cheaper product. Do you guys have any advice when it comes to finding a producting and making sure it is profitable. Feel free to share stories of the first product you listed. I would to read about that and im sure others will too! 🙂

[epowerbargains]

I remembered one more thing - make a point to buy on eBay. You will learn the ropes from the buyer perspective and you will learn what you like and what you would improve on as a seller. 

[castlemagicmemories]

That's a great point; many get a good idea of how things work by buying and then moving on to selling.

[castlemagicmemories]

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@castlemagicmemories wrote:
Also, there is a FVF on both the item price and the shipping cost.

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And as far as free shipping, there is no such thing as free shipping.  That merely means shipping is included in the item price.  No offense, but there have actually been threads asking where can they sign up for this free shipping, and they were entirely serious.

[jennieaa]

Practise Patience.  Success requires hard work, and a dose of patience to get there.

Research is your friend.  Seach the completed / solds regularly for anything you think you want to sell.

Be flexible - this is an always changing world and what sold well six months ago may be the deadest thing listed today.

Do not ignore the local manufacturers.  You might find a great item made locally. 

Think about what you love.  Think about what you would buy if you had an extra $100 - no strings attached to it.  Is it a viable product to sell?

Glad you came to the boards.  Read, read, read.  I learned a great deal about what to do and what not to do.  Sometimes even the most negative post can offer insight (part of the learning what not to do).  Some use a posting id (like me), others do not.  check their feedback, check out their listings.  what do they do to be successful?

ps. Don't forget to share with your spouse/significant other you successes and what you have learned as you go along.  It helps to provide that at home support you will need while working to grow your eBay business

[firesteel_surplus]

I've already given you my advice on your "buying from Alibaba" post. Here is some more advice from an experienced ebay seller.

I took a look at your ads and did a search on your Magpul PTS midcap item. You obviously did your research and searched for prior and/or currrent sales (EXCELLENT! As Wayne and Garth would say)....however....there is a listing for these same items with the EXACT same sale heading by another seller at $245 for 4. You have yours at $240 for 5. My question is: Did you copy their sale heading? I find it hard to believe that out of the two current listings when searching for Magpul PTS midcap both items are exactly titled the same. Much too high of a coincidence....I do not find it a "honor" when someone uses my EXACT heading in their sales. Just saying.

You have some fairly high dollar stuff posted as  a new user. Don't be surprised if none of it sells. New user/high dollar items spells problems for experienced buyers.

Your ad for the tires and wheels does not have what the wheels fit.

The Spider Man 2 game...you don't have any description on the item condition. Nice pictures but TELL me that the item is in great/good/like new/looks like it got run over by a truck condition and explain any major blemishes that might turn me off from the sale.

Mike