Sourcing Products to Sell on eBay

Selling products online is a popular way of making money. We can use many shopping platforms – both local and international ones. There is an array of different products we can handle. From smart watches, action figures and motorcycle parts, to laboratory equipment and vintage instruments. If you surf the internet, you surely have heard about marketplaces such us AliExpress, Amazon or eBay. Presented platforms let you make a profit, build the brand and spread your wings, so it is no wonder that there are so many users who try their hand at online selling. Have you ever thought about dealing with goods in this way, but you do not know anything about sourcing products? If so, we would like to present you some methods on how to do it and begin the adventure in the one of the most famous shopping platform – eBay. 1. Find out eBay before you start

If we want to think about eBay sourcing, it is necessary to know some facts about this entity. eBay is a multinational company which was founded in the United States in 1995 by Pierre Omidyar. It is one of the biggest e-commerce leaders with revenue of 9.567 billion USD and operates in 30 countries. This shopping platform reached over 174 million active users and it supports many of small business and entrepreneurs by its eBay Foundation. What is more, there also is a specifical business which is under the eBay company – StubHub marketplace. StubHub operates in tickets for games, concerts or theater shows. If you are not able to go to the performance, you can always sell a ticket there. 2. Sourcing for eBay

As we mentioned, eBay is one of the e-commerce leaders with a wide range of products to buy. But what product to sell on eBay could be a good idea for you? Let’s consider how to find these goods – undoubtedly this information would be useful and let you choose the best option to start selling on eBay.

2.1 What should you focus on sourcing products?

Before we start selling goods on eBay, we need to determine the type of selling. There are different ways to sell on eBay – we can sell in bulk or by retail. Ebay also gives an option to sell new or used products, so there are many possibilities for finding stuff to sell on eBay. Naturally, carrying out research is something that is crucial here. Check what kind of products enjoys popularity on eBay and other internet platforms. You should pay your attention to the present and future trends and check catalogs of products on eBay which may give you an idea of articles to handle. It would be much easier if you find something that is related to your hobby or interests. In this case creation, an offer is faster and you could make a good marketing plan because you know the thing. For example, it might be a cheap product for sale, like nail polishes. If you are keen on beauty, you can make the interesting auction, answer to customer response quickly and credibly and thereby gain more and more positive comments what would attract other new clients.

2.1.1 Scan eBay best selling products

How to get products to sell on eBay? One of the easiest ways is scanning list of eBay Top Products. In many cases, you will see branded products, which are offered by hundreds of members. You need to carry out research and verify if you had a chance to compete. Those sellers are mainly experienced users, who hold many of units at low prices. The trade is about selling many products but the profit margin for a one is not too high. Cost of the product is dependable on other competitors, who propose it for a very similar price. This is also related to better shipping service – leaders in this line of business have special relations with transport companies, so the shipment is faster and proven. The solution for this kind of uncertain situation can be choosing an unbranded item. It can be something unique for a client and the price would not be so high as for a product with a label. Another matter is the fact that we might decide to deal in small and hard to damage goods initially. Those items do not take too much space, so shipping can be cheaper and faster and because of troublefree mechanism, you won’t be subject to any refunds.

2.2 What products to sell on eBay from second-hand?

When we decide to trade in second-hand things we can find them in many places – you might be surprised but not only on the internet ones:

2.2.1 Things from your home

Reselling stuff from your home is an excellent way to start. If you are thinking about selling on a wide scale, treat it like a warm-up. Finding products to sell on eBay in the house lets you make a profit from articles which are not useful for you anymore, but may be something interesting in the eye of other customers, for example, your one-used ball gowns (parties are all the time, so we can claim that demand for this kind of goods is set in stone). What is more, when you find stuff to sell on eBay in this way, you not only earn some money and familiarize yourself with the service but also get rid of useless things and make more space for other articles.

2.2.2 Garage sales and charity shops

Where to get products to sell on eBay when we do not have anything in our house to dispose of? We can go to charity shops or garage sales, where we might get real jewel with high value. This option would be commended for people who like looking for promotions. It could be time-consuming and not with every visit we would find something valuable, but sometimes even one look is enough to strike the desired article. Furthermore, low-priced items are typical for places like these, so we could find a proper product without overpaying.

2.2.3 Ask your family and scan the internet

There is plenty of classified advertisement websites, where people from your neighborhood offer their used things at attractive prices. We can find something that interests us by a special search engine – it is like garage sale without leaving home. eBay products to sell can be closer than you think – maybe your family or friends have something that is not used anymore in good condition and has legs to be sold on eBay. In many cases you would get it for free, so do not be ashamed of asking your relatives.

2.3 New goods to sell on eBay

Does eBay sell new products? We have answered this question already. Naturally, you can deal with new items on the shopping platform – both by retail and in wholesale. And again, you can look for articles with a price tag in your home or ask family and friends – maybe they got a gift which wasn’t used by them at all. But if you think about dealing in bulk items, but you do not know how to find products to sell on eBay, you can use some of these ways:

2.3.1 Check the stores

Look around the streets and check if there are some attractive promotions in stores which let you buy them in wholesale and resell on eBay. There are lots of discounts extended to 90% lower from a regular price or occasions like 1+1 for free. Another sellers source could be shops which are in liquidation. Then, the owners try to sell all the products, so they offer the lowest possible price. In this group of goods might be some articles willingly chosen by customers from eBay.

2.3.2 Dropshipping method

One of the most popular ways of buying stuff to sell on eBay is dropshipping. If you do not know what it is and how it works, there is a short explanation. Dropshipping is an internet selling model, where a seller finds a supplier, who directly send an item to the final customer. In our case, the users of eBay (who dropship) have a store online, there are products with photos and descriptions, but they only book the orders and transfer this information to provider responsible for all logistic processes. The main advantage of the dropshipping method is that you can pay your attention to other matters of the business, such as marketing and promotion. What is more, you do not have to warehouse the goods, so there is no cost for products keep. On the other hand, you need to be ready for additional costs, because some entities would charge a special fee for dropshipping, but it also covers shipping and packing payments. If you want to drop ship on eBay, you need to find other suppliers, who offer chosen items. Next, you have to add this product to your auction. When the customer decides to buy it and transfers the payment, you in turn order a product in a supplier site by giving the data of your client. Naturally, the price at your auction is higher than at supplier one – it is about making a profit, isn’t it? One of the popular ways to dropship products is using other shopping platforms like AliExpress, where we can find a cheap product for sale. If you want to know something more about this kind of selling, check our post how to dropship from AliExpress on eBay? 3. Summary

As we can see, there are some possibilities for sourcing items to sell on eBay. You can start trading in wholesale by using drop shipping method or resell goods from your local shops. If you have an unnecessary thing at home you can always sell it on eBay. Keep in mind, that carrying out research and estimation of chances to compete with others is crucial when you think about trading in bulk of goods online. We hope that presented eBay sourcing guide would be useful and lets you choose the best option for starting your adventure with eBay.