jimmayor007
Newbie
- Oct 30, 2007
- 2
- 0
It's amazing what you can find if you really take the time to look. Browsing by yourself can also prove to be very relaxing and a good form of stress relief. I can just lose myself in a good thrift store browsing through the racks, looking for treasures to sell on eBay.
I have found that it is much easier to sell things that you have a personal interest in or first hand knowledge about. For example, I love designer purses!! As I was rummaging through a box of purses at a church thrift sale, I came across and old Gucci clutch bag with a 25 cent price sticker. Because I know purses, I could spot right away that it was authentic. I brought it home and immediately did an advanced search on eBay to see what these purses were selling for. I was elated to find that they were going for over $100
Hint: When researching past sale prices pay particular attention to the condition of the item sold. A mint condition item will obviously go for more than an item that shows considerable wear. Of course you want to get the most for your item that you can, just remember to be realistic in your expectations
If you feel that there really isn't one thing, in particular, that you have first hand knowledge about, don't fret, you will learn a lot as you go. For example, I never knew thing one about old cameras, but I picked one up at a church thrift sale for $1, because it looked interesting. I brought it home, inspected it, did a little research on it's history, and then did an advanced search on eBay to see what other cameras like it had sold for. I sold the camera for $40 and acquired valuable knowledge about old cameras in the process!!
Hint: You can learn a lot by reading other people's eBay listings for similar items. Features about the product to highlight, proper terminology for a good description of the item, and just the general content of a successful listing.
Occassionally, you have to be a little creative. I purchased an antique typewriter at a garage sale for $5. I set a reserve price of $40 and only ended up getting one bid of $15. After searching through a few listings for typewriters I noticed that every listing I read mentioned the condition of the keys. Curious, I searched under antique typewriter keys and found that they were being used to make jewelry and they were selling like hot cakes!! I sat down, took every one of the keys off the typewriter and sold them for $45!!!
Now these are a few of my success stories. I have also purchased items that have proven to be not so lucrative. Sometimes it's the timing of the listing, sometimes it is simply not an item that people are looking for. For example, I found a novelty souvenir from the New York Worlds Fair that was still in the original package for 25 cents. Boy did I see dollar signs!!! Upon doing the research I found that they were selling for about $3 on eBay. I was disappointed, yes, but I was only out a quarter and I learned quite a bit about the New York Worlds Fair in the process!!!
In conclusion I would like to leave you with a few tips that I have learned along my eBay journey!!
Church sales are great!! A lot of stuff in one place, cuts down on travel time and gas expense.
Garage sales are a great resource as well, just a bit more time consuming, and they can be hit or miss.
Invest in a good digital camera!! Pictures really are worth a thousand words on eBay.
Vist the thrift stores in your area often, new treasures arrive daily.
I have found that concert shirts and designer clothing in excellent condition sell very well.
Take a walk through the teen sections of a few major department stores and familiarize yourself with some of the brand names that are currently popular with teens.
...read the full guide with pics here
I have found that it is much easier to sell things that you have a personal interest in or first hand knowledge about. For example, I love designer purses!! As I was rummaging through a box of purses at a church thrift sale, I came across and old Gucci clutch bag with a 25 cent price sticker. Because I know purses, I could spot right away that it was authentic. I brought it home and immediately did an advanced search on eBay to see what these purses were selling for. I was elated to find that they were going for over $100
Hint: When researching past sale prices pay particular attention to the condition of the item sold. A mint condition item will obviously go for more than an item that shows considerable wear. Of course you want to get the most for your item that you can, just remember to be realistic in your expectations
If you feel that there really isn't one thing, in particular, that you have first hand knowledge about, don't fret, you will learn a lot as you go. For example, I never knew thing one about old cameras, but I picked one up at a church thrift sale for $1, because it looked interesting. I brought it home, inspected it, did a little research on it's history, and then did an advanced search on eBay to see what other cameras like it had sold for. I sold the camera for $40 and acquired valuable knowledge about old cameras in the process!!
Hint: You can learn a lot by reading other people's eBay listings for similar items. Features about the product to highlight, proper terminology for a good description of the item, and just the general content of a successful listing.
Occassionally, you have to be a little creative. I purchased an antique typewriter at a garage sale for $5. I set a reserve price of $40 and only ended up getting one bid of $15. After searching through a few listings for typewriters I noticed that every listing I read mentioned the condition of the keys. Curious, I searched under antique typewriter keys and found that they were being used to make jewelry and they were selling like hot cakes!! I sat down, took every one of the keys off the typewriter and sold them for $45!!!
Now these are a few of my success stories. I have also purchased items that have proven to be not so lucrative. Sometimes it's the timing of the listing, sometimes it is simply not an item that people are looking for. For example, I found a novelty souvenir from the New York Worlds Fair that was still in the original package for 25 cents. Boy did I see dollar signs!!! Upon doing the research I found that they were selling for about $3 on eBay. I was disappointed, yes, but I was only out a quarter and I learned quite a bit about the New York Worlds Fair in the process!!!
In conclusion I would like to leave you with a few tips that I have learned along my eBay journey!!
Church sales are great!! A lot of stuff in one place, cuts down on travel time and gas expense.
Garage sales are a great resource as well, just a bit more time consuming, and they can be hit or miss.
Invest in a good digital camera!! Pictures really are worth a thousand words on eBay.
Vist the thrift stores in your area often, new treasures arrive daily.
I have found that concert shirts and designer clothing in excellent condition sell very well.
Take a walk through the teen sections of a few major department stores and familiarize yourself with some of the brand names that are currently popular with teens.
...read the full guide with pics here
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