How to Make Money with eBay Dropshipping (Beginner-Friendly Guide)

A few years ago — back when I had very little money to invest, maybe around $100 total — I decided to test out eBay dropshipping as a business model. This was about 3 or 4 years ago, and while things might be a bit harder nowadays, what drew me in back then still holds true today: it's a business model that doesn’t require any upfront investment in inventory. It’s basically free to start — the only thing it really costs is your time.

This is the step-by-step method I used to generate over $2,000 in sales in my first 30 days, with zero upfront inventory — just smart research and basic tools.

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A Quick Warning Before You Start​

eBay technically doesn’t allow dropshipping from retail sites like Walmart or Amazon, but it does allow it from wholesale suppliers like AliExpress or CJ Dropshipping. That said, many sellers still dropship from retailers... at your own risk.

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How to Start eBay Dropshipping​

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Create a New eBay Account​

• Go to ebay and click "Create Account"
• Choose Personal if you're starting small; Business is better for scaling

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Find Winning Products to Sell​

With no money? Manual Research

1. Go to Walmart.com
2. Click Departments > Savings > Shop All Savings
3. Find discounted products with potential
4. Copy product titles into eBay to see if others are selling them
5. If yes → verify they’re dropshipping (check seller’s past items and margins)
6. Paste seller’s username into eBay Advanced Search > Sold Items
7. Reverse-engineer their listings and find their suppliers (Google helps!)

Example:
Rowing Machine on eBay: $237.32
Same product on Walmart: $172.00
➡ Profit per unit: ~$28 after fees

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Step 3: List Products on eBay​

• Either list manually or use automation tools like AutoDS
• Make sure your listing matches the supplier's info exactly to avoid returns
• Don't copy other eBay sellers’ titles or descriptions — they may not match your supplier’s version

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Set Up Shipping & Return Policies​

For Walmart/Amazon:

• Free shipping within the US (no international)
• 3-day handling time
• 60-day free returns (aligns with Walmart policy)

For AliExpress/China:

• Create a separate "Shipping from China" policy
• Economy shipping: 11–23 business days
• Offer paid expedited shipping (e.g., SpeedPak)
• 30-day returns, paid by buyer

Set these under:

My eBay > Account Settings > Business Policies

Click to expand...

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How to Handle Returns and Issues Like​

• Use supplier’s return policy to handle returns
• If item is returned to your address, process it through Amazon/Walmart
• Don’t panic if a customer gets an Amazon box — most don’t care (seriously)

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Bonus Tip: Use a Credit Card for Cashback​

Get 2–3% back on all purchases + signup bonus = instant margin boost.

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Final Tips​

• Always check supplier stock before listing — or use software to automate it
• List consistently (5–10 items a day) to avoid flags
• Never scale too fast on a new account
• Keep customer service friendly and responsive
• Don’t panic about occasional returns — it’s part of the game

Too risky, so many chargebacks and returns selling on ebay.

ebay is too risky nowdays

Bish said:

Too risky, so many chargebacks and returns selling on ebay.

Click to expand...

Quiterd said:

ebay is too risky nowdays

Click to expand...

Why too risky?
There's nothing wrong with returns
Walmart refunds are free