Profit on eBay for various products

thedon23

thedon23

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I started a thread a few weeks ago about how I want to help my parents get started on eBay (buying stuff in wholesale and reselling). Now, we all have basic knowledge of eBay, but it is our first time that we will be buying stuff in bulk and reselling.

Now, so far, I've looked at a few markets..make up and fragrances, to be exact. I'll talk about fragrances first. I've looked at quite a few wholesale sites (real items, not knockoffs), and even at wholesale price, they are selling a bottle of cologne at like $20. I check on eBay, and I see the same bottle of cologne being sold for $22 + free shipping. Seems like it's not worth it at all, considering eBay and PayPal pick up fees as well.

Am I missing something here? It looks like you need to be selling thousands and thousands of items to even see somewhat of a profit.
 
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you have to find a niche that is profitable first, looks like fragrance is not one

Most people start with all the stuff around the home that is no longer wanted, that way it costs nothing and you can build up some good feedback etc

Then look at niches across ebay and focus on one that has good margin

They are certainly there its just a matter of digging around
 
Also look for wholesalers on ebay itself and buy bulk from them to resale items back on ebay individually.
On a side note, here's a category that could be profitable: antiques and collectibles.
 
Ebay can be lucrative, I used to sell a lot back about 10 years go but there are a lot of whole sellers on there now. As everyone else has mentioned, you need to find a specific niche that has not been saturated yet. Things like perfume, shoes, purses are just way too competitive and not really worth it IMO.
 
The best success I've ever had with eBay and the likes has been when I've contacted a local manufacturer of some sort of widget, worked out a deal with him to sell for him online, and had him take care of fulfillment.

As far as buying bulk wholesale lots and reselling, where have you looked so far?
 
thedon23 said:
I started a thread a few weeks ago about how I want to help my parents get started on eBay (buying stuff in wholesale and reselling). Now, we all have basic knowledge of eBay, but it is our first time that we will be buying stuff in bulk and reselling.

Now, so far, I've looked at a few markets..make up and fragrances, to be exact. I'll talk about fragrances first. I've looked at quite a few wholesale sites (real items, not knockoffs), and even at wholesale price, they are selling a bottle of cologne at like $20. I check on eBay, and I see the same bottle of cologne being sold for $22 + free shipping. Seems like it's not worth it at all, considering eBay and PayPal pick up fees as well.

Am I missing something here? It looks like you need to be selling thousands and thousands of items to even see somewhat of a profit.
Click to expand...

Hit me up on skype later. I'm going to bed now. I used to be a big time seller on ebay and amazon...then went on to wholesaling. Let me know what you're looking to sell and I'll get you set up. I'm not selling anything anymore, but I still have my sources. :)
 
i dont think you will make money selling perfume , shoes etc as already mentioned . look for a new accessory that you add to something that is already big . you can easy test the water without laying out . take a picture of a product in the store or wholesalers and put up a test listing . if you sell one go to the wholesalers and buy two , if you dont sell any but get alot of interest adjust your listing or price . dont think you will make big money on ebay anymore though, most items are already cut to the bone by the power sellers .
 
iiaok said:
The best success I've ever had with eBay and the likes has been when I've contacted a local manufacturer of some sort of widget, worked out a deal with him to sell for him online, and had him take care of fulfillment.

As far as buying bulk wholesale lots and reselling, where have you looked so far?
Click to expand...

That sounds like a good idea. Well, so far, I basically looked at make up and fragrances. Fragrances is pretty much of the list; profit margin seems very low. But make up seems like it might be a good seller, considering how much demand there is for it. Still looking around at other types of products.

marusia said:
Hit me up on skype later. I'm going to bed now. I used to be a big time seller on ebay and amazon...then went on to wholesaling. Let me know what you're looking to sell and I'll get you set up. I'm not selling anything anymore, but I still have my sources. :)
Click to expand...

Awesome, sounds good Mary. Talk to you today then :)

mazar said:
i dont think you will make money selling perfume , shoes etc as already mentioned . look for a new accessory that you add to something that is already big . you can easy test the water without laying out . take a picture of a product in the store or wholesalers and put up a test listing . if you sell one go to the wholesalers and buy two , if you dont sell any but get alot of interest adjust your listing or price . dont think you will make big money on ebay anymore though, most items are already cut to the bone by the power sellers .
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'll give that a shot. While I do agree that it will be difficult to compete with the power sellers, I think that's just like any business. For example, with niche sites, there will be competition. But doesn't mean it's impossible to pass them. Will just take time :)
 
find good product on chinavasion, take a look competition on ebay, and decide price or search others.
 
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