How are some sellers able to sell so cheap.

[inhawaii]

When i'm out shopping i'm always on the lookout for bargains that i might be able to sell on eaby. 

I'll only sell items if i can double my money (or more).

I was at Costco the other day and saw this 8 pack of Oral-B toothbrushes that were discounted down to $10.  I thought to myself "I could sell these on ebay". I got home and went on ebay to do my research. 

[soh.maryl]

You did not complete your post, but I imagine you were going to say that you saw listings for that same item for less than $10.

It's somewhat of a waste of time to speculate here about how some sellers are able to sell so cheap.  Could be they got a more awesome deal than the one you got.  Could be they have stuff around the house and just want it gone, even if they make no money.  Could be they are new and haven't read all about fees yet so will be in for some surprises when they see the invoice.

No one can give a definitive answer.

[penguins_dont_fly]

Buying stuff retail, even at a discount, is not an effective way to source most items.

Of course, there are exceptions to this ... like your made in Hawaii and Japan goodies that aren't widely available everywhere ... but for common stuff that is sold everywhere, not so much.

You have to remember that even on markdowns, Costco is making a profit on those. Which means that they get them a lot cheaper ... and so can others.

Someone buying wholesale or liquidation is paying a lot less for the same item that you find in Costco.

And some may just be clearing closets.  I bought the wrong heads for my Philips SonicCare toothbrush ... they were on Clearance, so I couldn't return them ... I should just list them.   I would only break even if I did, but I'm not looking to profit on cabinet clearing.

[penguins_dont_fly]

Just adding on to my post ....

I have a drawer FULL of Oral-B toothbrushes.

My dentist gives me one and my periodontist gives me one, every time I visit.  That's 4 a year for the past couple of years (2x dentist 2x perio).

That's FREE inventory 🙂

[m60driver]

I did not see any listings for $10 or less but there were listings that once you factor in shipping and fees you would be losing money.  With the increases in postal costs and the shift to zone pricing, the era of shopping online for inexpensive low priced items is quickly fading.  If I carried such inventory for Ebay sales I would be liquidating by selling at a break even price or even taking a small loss.  Always remember the first rule of retail: take your first loss.

[myjunqueyourtreasure]

And then there's always the ones who are impossible to compete with as they get that nifty 5 finger discount.

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@m60driver wrote:

I did not see any listings for $10 or less but there were listings that once you factor in shipping and fees you would be losing money.  With the increases in postal costs and the shift to zone pricing, the era of shopping online for inexpensive low priced items is quickly fading.  If I carried such inventory for Ebay sales I would be liquidating by selling at a break even price or even taking a small loss.  Always remember the first rule of retail: take your first loss.

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@inhawaii.... this is also something that you, especially, need to factor in.

You don't have the luxury of "close by" zone shipping. Everybody outside of HI is Zone 8 to you.

Others have the ability to "average" their shipping costs and offer "free" or discounted flat rate ... they may make a bit or lose a bit on individual sales, but it will balance out. Some will be Zone 2-3, some will be Zone 7-8.

You, on the other hand, always have to either factor in Zone 8 for "free" or use calculated ... which will always be Zone 8. You will not be able to compete with pricing for Shipping  on common items from the lower 48.

[readabouthorses]

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@myjunqueyourtreasure wrote:
And then there's always the ones who are impossible to compete with as they get that nifty 5 finger discount.

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Yep, that is one of the aisles that Walmart chose to put cameras on in the local store.

[pburn]

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@readabouthorses wrote:

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Yep, that is one of the aisles that Walmart chose to put cameras on in the local store.

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The toothbrush aisle? 

[upgradedendmills]

I think if I lived in AK or HI shipping would be a major consideration in what I sold. Not just the cost, but the shipping time. i.e., I don't think I would sell items that used Media shipping and expect them to get to NY in time to keep happy customers. If I were to sell books or Media items they would have to have enough value to support Priority Flat Rate shipping.  Same thing with commodities or more common items, living in AK or HI puts you at a large disadvantage. I would try to find items that are unique to my area and use that as an advantage. Not making a joke about it, but maybe grass skirts or those natural necklaces, or legal coral, or locally made craft items for people that want to visit HI and are unable to.

     This could work both ways also. Research and find an item that is commonly purchased in AK or HI that is expensive to buy there due to the shipping costs and buy it in bulk to take advantage of discounts on bulk shipping.  Keep a running inventory of a few of these items with an eye towards local sales. I buy most of my inventory on eBay in bulk at good prices and stock it for however long it takes to sell at a decent markup. (more than double or triple to make any money!!!!!) There can be huge profits in having an item in stock and eliminating an extra three or four days in the shipping time.

[joesoucie22012]

Theft is a possibility. Gangs of thieves or individuals stealing or boosting. It's rampant all over the place. I saw 2 guys running out the door of a dollar tree with a shopping cart packed with stuff. Theft is way up at the antique mall where I have a space. People running out the door of goodwill with huge bags of stuff. Walmart has security guards at front door. 

[inhawaii]

Sorry, computer trouble.  But you guys were smart enough to figure out what i was going to say.

So it turns out i can't sell them and  make a decent profit. 

I just makes me wonder how are these other sellers getting their product so cheap?

[this*old*attic]

Although I live in a nice location, the next town over has socioeconomic challenges.

At the neighborhood WalMart on the edge of town, even the super large clothing detergent bottles/boxes are tagged with security devices.

It's not the sort of item one thinks of as high crime... so sad. I think most of us don't realize how fortunate we really are.

[mypostingid15]

We had a sports store close in a shopping center near me, I went there on the last day, they loaded a couple trucks with expensive inventory but had so much lower priced items left in the store, I saw boxes of major sports teams hats/caps, I asked how much for all of them and they told me $50, so I said ok, paid, and loaded the boxes in my truck, they were 60 brand new boxes with 25 hats in each for a total of 1,500. They also had a section with "free" sign, I picked about 8 boxes of locker room signs, key chains and licence plates for free.

I checked the hats/caps on ebay and found they sell for $20-$30, so I listed mine for less, my cost per cap is $0.03,

and if you factor in the other boxes I got for free, it would bring my cost per item to less than $0.005, so I think it would be hard to compete with me on those items.

[fuzzface50]

"And then there's always the ones who are impossible to compete with as they get that nifty 5 finger discount. "

I get questioned about this quite often selling new box items on CL.  People are scared at first wondering how I can sell items cheaper than Walmart when my items come from there.  Basicly buying out of season stuff and holding them to the next season usually before selling works for me.  Yep, I wait for the basement clearance price and buy what is left. 

Some Walmarts are to small and don't hold inventory from year to year.  Those ones you get good deals at.  Also general products that have expiration dates, they like clearing those out every year too.

Like the Walmart I deal with I brought 9 pools that I was going to resell next year but I flipped them already to someone else that is going to sell them next spring.  I brought 5 at $50 and 4 at  $25 each. The ones I brought for $25 Walmart actually paid $77 and some odd cents for and they sell them at $250 normally at the beginning of summer.

This Walmart is small and has no extra storage space except for the containers they rent outside for like black Friday so it is better for them to ditch the items early for what they can get for them and get a fresh batch the next spring. 

Well I normally don't get 9 at a time and I was kind of tight with space myself  especially buying out the airpark of helicopters/parts this summer so I listed them this fall at $100 each for my $25 pools and $150 each for my $50 pools just to see if I could clear up a little room by selling a couple of them. 1 guy actually the first person to come out I told them I normally hold until spring and would sell the small ones for $150 and the bigger ones for $200 and this got him thinking And we made a deal. He ended up buying all 9 for  $1,000. I made $650 in 2 weeks and didn't have to hold to spring so I was game.

anyways back on subject, people always wonder how I can have new stuff cheaper than the stores if I am not 5 fingering it.  you just need to play the waiting game and get in on the last basement clearance price you can hold out for. Lots of times people will snatch them up at 50% off but to get a good deal you need to hold on longer. sometimes you hold on to long and lose them all or only get a couple but that is the game we play .