Peddle Your Passion

Written by Texas Tracy on May 22, 2008

Once again this week I was asked by an acquaintance about selling on ebay and how to get started. I directed her to my blog, because there is so much to say about selling.

The challenge that faces most newbie ebay sellers is what to sell. Once they have sold everything in their house of value they are presented with the big question: what to list now? My answer is to sell what you love. Focus all your attention on buying items that maintain your interest. Finding a source of products though, will be your next hurdle.

Designer items have always been a passion for me. Most specifically, accessories. Buy one classic, high dollar designer handbag in lieu of 40 no names from Target. The money will probably be the same. The look is completely different. Because I have always felt this way, selling designer accessories was a perfect match. When I made the conscious decision to focus my sales on handbags, the next thing I needed to do was to find a place to purchase them–and at a price where I could resell them and have a margin decent enough to make it worth my while. This small point is what distinguishes the ebayers who can sell for a living and those living wanting to sell. Margin, margin, margin…

Once you decide on your focus you need to start the constant thought process of searching for new products. Even if you currently work full time you can still utilize your lunch hour to acquire new items to sell. To start, check the classifieds of your local newspaper…daily. I once purchased $500 worth of Louis Vuitton from a man whose wife had passed away. I bought eight large pieces plus paid an additional $200 for some Gucci and Prada. The only reason I got it because I was the first person to show up with the cash. Happens more than you may think and yes, I resold it all on ebay. Absolutely lovely. In addition, Craigslist is a wonderul source for all sorts of stuff. Here again, it pays to check daily and it is a must that you know your prices. I love Craigslist because the quaility is generally better than what you might get at a garage sale.

What I nor anyone else can teach you is what is a good purchase price. This is truly trail and error. In my end of ebay it is a fine line of condition and desirablity of an item. Time and practice will teach you when something is a good buy. Also, many original sellers cannot resist the sight of cash. Oftentimes people will take far less than the asking price if you produce some visible cash. Of course, use caution when doing this and make sure you are safe.

Last, finding stuff to sell is an ongoing process. If there existed a truck that would come and dump superior products off at your house for resale to make loads on ebay people would be doing it left and right. The fact is that unless you want to buy pallets of unsold stuff from QVC or HSN to sell it probably won’t ever happen. But if you can find $500 worth of Louis Vuitton you know that you can sell it…ask me.

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