ebay store????

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WKR
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Does anyone have an ebay store that brings in regular money for them? I would like info on how that goes and tips/tricks. Thanks....you can pm me if you do not want to go public...
 

Rich M

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We went to a seminar in 2010 that was promoting this. Not sure what you gonna sell, check your competition first.
 
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Not a store, but I’ve done sales sporadicly. One thing I’ve thought about it that you’d want to focus on a particular type of goods that you understand and can get a supply of regularly. For a while I was hitting yard sales pretty regular and able to pick up hand tools that I was able to resell.

Just bought an old cast iron pan from a seller who specialized in them, they had a much better description, pictures, etc- you could tell they really knew what they were dealing with and it seemed like they were able to get a higher price than their competitors because of it.

Storage and organization could become an issue depending on the quantity and size of what you’re selling.
 
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I had a buddy that did ebay/amazon/his own website pretty hard for a few years, he had some custom trapping stuff and a variety of other things that were really niche, I mean REALLY niche. I think its all been knocked off at this point, stuff that only he was selling there's 2-3 guys seeing who can do it the cheapest
It can be done but you need to find a specialty, everyone is pedaling junk from China at this point. If you really know and understand a specialty or collectables market, stuff you can maybe buy at a local level and do an arbitrage on, there is potential. If you find such a thing, guard it with your life.
I purchased a municipalities surplus parts inventory a year or so ago, I bought it for pennies on the dollar and can use enough of it for my own equipment that it made sense, but there are hundreds if not thousands of dollars worth of filters and misc parts that I looked at ebaying, and honestly don't have the interest in screwing with for the $20 here and $15 there, shipping, and running it all through my taxes at the end of the year.
Pirate ship and a scale is mandatory. I think fees are running 13-14% these days, and thats charged on the gross sale and the taxes.
 
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LFC911

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I've sold over a thousand items on ebay but it isn't a storefront, just personal items over the years. Like Silveroddo said, seller fees are about ~14%. You can sell just about anything on there except guns and ammo. If it is hunting related you would be better off selling here and not letting ebay take their cut. If stuff is too big to ship, I would sell it on Marketplace where you also avoid ebay fees. Let me know if you have any questions.
 

ericacymcdonald

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I sell a lot of eBay, it's more of a hobby then anything. I go to flea markets and yard sales and will resale some of what I find. One of my favorites is old fishing reels I'll clean them up and repair them. It's honestly not worth it if I consider the hours I spend but it pays for all my hobbies and I enjoy it. My wife even started doing clothes and shoes on Poshmark. It's exciting when you find something at a yard sale for a quarter that's worth 100
If you have any specific questions let me know
 

LFC911

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You make your profit when you purchase items for re-sale.
depends upon the item but for the most part, in my case, I'm not making a profit, just getting fair market value back out of it for something i no longer use.
 
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OP
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Actually when selling items that you purchased to sale the price you paid determines your profit more than anything else.
 

LFC911

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Actually when selling items that you purchased to sale the price you paid determines your profit.
if you sell something for $100, ebay takes $14 and you get $86. You can give free shipping and have to ship the item, which comes out of the $86 or you can charge the buyer for shipping and make a little on that. For example USPS List price is $12 to ship but you pay $9. Buyer paid $12 and you get $3 for the shipping in profit. Hope that makes sense.
 
OP
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WKR
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Fees and shipping are constants. Sale prices are also fairly consistent. Purchase prices are variable and where you make the $.
 

jmez

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True but you will also increase your profits by driving up your own prices. Most that sell a lot or have stores do it. Buy enough on there and you will start to recognize when it's happening.

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OP
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WKR
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I buy mostly from buyitnow or bestoffer, very little from auctions. Really mostly from bestoffer listings.
 

jmez

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The auctions are a scam. I don't buy much anymore. Majority of time your bidding against bots. You lose the suction, a few hours later seller relist the item or they email and ask you if you are still interested.

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nphunter

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I’ve been selling on eBay for over 20 years. For a few years back in the early 2000’s we were grossing well over $100K in sales. Fees, shipping, free returns, refunds, and costs make net much less.

We did well but it was a lot of work. I needed the extra income then and now I don’t or I would still do it. My dad is almost retired and pretty much took over the account and sells quite a bit still but nothing like we use to sell.

Cost to consider that most don’t think of when selling small items. Shipping supplies, refunds, even bogus refunds to keep 100% positive feed back rating. The more you sell the bigger shipping discounts you get as well. Fees have went up since we sold a lot and they now send our 1099’s for filing taxes which adds some work come tax season.
 

adamm88

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Iv bought stuff at yard sales and flipped them on ebay about 8 or 9 years ago for extra money when i was broke. It basically cashed flowed to buy more stuff, i probably bought a few dinners and broke even in the end

If you have a craft talent i think etsy would be the way to go to make some extra $$$ if you have the time and and are good


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Luked

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I have a friend of mine that sells on Ebay for his main job. His nitch is old toys. Hes making really good money doing it. Last I talked to him he said he was clearing $6k a month doing it.
Biggest thing I can see is the markey for what your selling, is it there or not. And the ease of getting product to sell and knowing that product well.
 
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