16/7/10 A quick and simple, often overlooked method to find products to sell on eBay from the comfort of your own home

Hello!

A close friend of mine is one of those people who continually talks about wanting to start an eBay business, but that’s all she does – talks about it. She never actually does anything about it. Time and again I’ve offered to help her out because we have known each other since school and I love her to bits – apart from her total indecision and inability to grab an opportunity and give it a go – but she gets so far, I think we’re making progress and the next week she’s changed her mind again.   

So, what’s stopping her? Fear? Indecision? Time? Money? Well, none of these things actually. She is in fact just incredibly lazy. She can’t be bothered to put in a little bit of effort to start what would be a really successful online venture. 

Now, before you gasp and start calling me a horrible, cruel and nasty person, she reads my newsletters every week and honestly won’t mind me telling you this because she knows exactly what she’s like and it’s a standing joke between us – in fact this might give her the motivation she needs! 

We are all lazy in one way or another. We drive everywhere; we eat ready prepared foods, if there is a short cut or a lazy way to do something we’re all interested – including me. But unfortunately in real life, to achieve what you really want you can’t just stand there and expect success to fall out of the sky and land in your lap. 

My friend said to me the other day “I really want to do the eBay thing but isn’t there an easy way of doing it?” 

No. Nothing is ever ‘easy’ as such, but it can be simplified. 

By that I mean that there are plenty of less strenuous ways to go about finding products to sell on eBay. Ways that mean you don’t even need to leave your house or the comfort of your own chair. 

I’m currently nearing the completion of my brand new project – Ultimate Product Sourcing Secrets - and whilst I’ve been working on this it has reminded me that some of the best places to source products to sell on eBay are often completely overlooked, purely because these places are easily accessible and staring you in the face. 

So, today I want to talk about just one ‘lazy’ way of finding great merchandise to sell at your own eBay store that loads of ‘non-lazy’ people don’t even consider. It’s a method so simple and obvious that I totally understand why you might overlook it. A method that can promise real profits once you understand how to find the best deals and one that will save you time in searching the streets or the internet for the best charity shop or wholesaler to stock the goodies for you to sell on eBay. 

The vast amount of online stores available to you as a consumer, also offer an incredible source of potential stock for you as a seller 

I’m sure that you have already purchased from some of the online retail giants such as Amazon, but have you ever considered that there may be deals to be found on these websites that could enable you to sell items on for profit? It’s true! There are plenty of products that you could sell for more on eBay than you purchased them for originally on Amazon. 

So, if the idea of finding products to sell on eBay without ever leaving the comfort of your own chair sounds appealing, then it’s important for you to understand exactly where to look. 

eBay boasts a very attractive reputation for being pretty much the cheapest place online for products in any and every different category. However this isn’t always the case, but the thing is people don’t bother to look elsewhere (another example of laziness!) because they think they are already looking in the ‘cheapest’ place. So, you can cash in on this existing reputation, by selling products for more on eBay than they may cost at another online store, as there is a very high chance that many of your potential buyers won’t even look anywhere else! 

Other people may simply be willing to pay a little more from your own eBay store to save them the hassle of traipsing all over the virtual shopping streets of the World Wide Web to find the best price. See, laziness again – it’s everywhere! 

Finding the best products from the range of online retailers available to you will take you a little time to research but it’s worth it, so to get you started I have put together a list of locations where you can start looking. 

Where to find the best online retailers 

-   I’ve already mentioned Amazon but I’m going to do so again now because it really is a great resource. Remember that you don’t just have to buy products from Amazon itself through their website, as there is also the option of using the Marketplace to purchase items from users around the country. 

-    Once you have exhausted the search on Amazon.co.uk, why not consider having a browse on Amazon.com as well? Or the Amazon website from any other country? Obviously you’ll have to take postage into account when working out if you can snap up a deal from a different country, but never rule it out of the equation. Recently canny sellers have been importing iPads from the   USA via Amazon where they can be bought much cheaper and then reselling them on eBay.co.uk 

-   Buying products from eBay itself is also a viable option, but don’t limit it only to eBay.co.uk as you could get some great prices by looking at the items from the USA at eBay.com. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a linguist you could even snap up some excellent deals from the continent – try eBay.de (Germany) or eBay.fr (France). 

-    Many other large retailers may also offer a discount on products, such as Play.com, Gamestation.co.uk and many, many more. If you are looking for something specific be sure to have a look around these well known websites for a great deal. I’ve seen products on Play.com available at a cheaper price than on eBay, yet they continue to sell on eBay too. 

-    Price comparison sites don’t always include every retailer or every product, but they are always worth a look if you want a specific product for your own eBay shop. They may help you to find out if one particular shop has a deal on a product that you could then sell on for a profit. 

-    And finally, don’t rule out the small online shops. Many websites sell into small niche markets. These websites are great as they may not have a large following and you could snap up a product that fits in with your own selling strategy perfectly! 

Take some time to have a look at these sources and compare their products with the prices on eBay. You won’t be able to sell anything and everything on for a profit, but I can guarantee that with a bit of shopping around you will be able to bag a bargain or two. 

How to sell stock from online retailers for a profit 

So, now you know where to begin, and it’s all well and good knowing where to look, but to really start increasing your earning potential you also need to know how to go about selling on what you find. 

Your first consideration is, of course, what to actually fork out your hard earned cash for. The best solution is unique to you as it will fit with your own eBay business. Consider whether you operate in one particular niche then look for products that match those that you already sell. If you are just starting out then make sure you compare any prices that you find with listings on eBay to ensure they are in demand and have a good profit margin. 

It’s important to think about how many of your items you should buy as well. I know it may be tempting to purchase all 100 of the latest gadget because they’re on special offer, but unless you are absolutely positive that you will be able to shift the stock, you should purchase a test batch first to see exactly how much profit you will make. You may lose out slightly on the special offer its true, but losing the occasional promotion from an online retailer is better than losing a lot of money to be landed with stock that you just can’t shift. 

Finally, remember the eBay fundamentals that I have covered in previous newsletters. A great title, description and photo will help you to successfully sell your stock for a higher price than you paid, maximising your profit with each and every eBay listing. 

So, have a look around online this week and see what you can find! 

As always I wish you the best of success,   

Amanda 

P.S If you haven’t got your name on my Priority Members List for Ultimate Product Sourcing Secrets yet you’re missing out on some free videos and important information. Sign-up here right away http://www.canonburypublishing.com/upss  

**************************************************

If you are a new subscriber and have missed previous newsletters, you can catch up here: http://www.powersellerpod.co.uk/Newsletters.html  

The £2,500 Per Week eBay Powersellers Secrets: http://www.powersellerprofiteer.co.uk 

The Ultimate eBay Success System: http://www.canonburypublishing.com/ultimateebay/  

Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/powerselleraob 

Subscribe to my Blog: http://broadwaypublishingcompany.blogspot.com 

Visit my Website: http://www.powersellerpod.co.uk 

I produce this newsletter on the understanding that these are my own personal opinions and experiences, which are as accurate as possible at the time of publication. I cannot be held responsible for any error in details, accuracy or judgment whatsoever. 

© Amanda O’Brien 2010 

Back to Top