If you’re looking to start a new side hustle, reselling on eBay might be the one for you. eBay can be a profitable side hustle that also gives you time freedom because you can do it at any time convenient. Many resellers we’ve met started flipping when they had full-time jobs, and they’ve since grown their business into a profitable side hustle on eBay.
How To Start Your eBay Side Hustle
If you’re new to reselling, the best way to start your side hustle is by finding items around your home that you no longer use. Make a pile of 3-5 items in the $20 to $50 range, and list them on your local reselling apps like Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp. Some great things to start with include baby gear like strollers, small appliances, or outdoor equipment. Once you’ve sold those items, you can put the profit back into your side hustle.
If you enjoy flipping, you’ll want to get a business license and start making everything official to see how far you can take your side hustle. Contact your local municipality to determine the steps you need to set up as a legal business.
How To Find Items To Resell
One way to find items to resell when you’re starting and don’t have the cash to invest in your business is to ask friends and family if they have items they’d like to sell. You can take a portion of the profits for handling the resell process, or you can ask if they have any items they want to donate to you as you get started with your eBay side hustle.
Look around your neighborhood the night before trash day or take an early morning walk on trash day. Sometimes people throw out perfectly good items because they no longer use them and don’t know what to do with them. If you see an item on a curb but aren’t sure if it’s trash, just knock on the person’s door and ask. It doesn’t hurt to ask.
Check your local thrift store, resale store, or flea market. Look for unusual items. Find unique or undervalued products and resell them for a profit. If you see something that you think might be valuable, take a minute to look up the comps on eBay on your phone before purchasing. It’s okay to walk away from a vendor saying you’ll think about it and then return after you’ve done the research.
How To List An Item On eBay
Listing on eBay may seem complicated if you’ve never done it before, but you’ll have it down after a few listings. Take quality pictures of your items that you can post with a detailed description. Note any defects or scratches in both the photographs and the description. You don’t want to promise the item is in perfect condition when it’s not. It’s better to under-promise and over-deliver, so the item is better than expected when the buyer receives it.
Pricing An Item On eBay
If you’re unsure what to price an item at, research what other sellers are pricing the same item and list slightly lower. The reason to list lower if you’re a new buyer is that you don’t have any feedback built up, making you appear less credible than other sellers.
The way to counter that as a new seller is to be the lower listing. You can also work on building up your feedback by selling small items for cheap just to get the feedback and by making your purchases on the platform because you will get reviews as a buyer too.
Another way to gauge what price to sell an item is to look at sold items. Type in the name of the item you’re selling, and then click sold items to see what other buyers have paid for the item.
Learn Shipping
Shipping can be a barrier to those just getting started in their reselling business, but don’t be afraid to list an item on eBay with shipping. It’s essential to ensure you know the shipping dimensions and weight of the item in the box with the packaging. The box and packaging materials can add weight to your box, so you don’t want to get charged later for additional weight. You should always have tape, boxes, packing materials, a tape measure, and a scale available when packing items to list and ship.
Know your different carrier options. USPS, UPS, and FedEx are the options most people ship through when using eBay. Research the options those carriers offer for shipping and how they handle objects with weird dimensions. You should also learn the maximum weight and dimensions for an item with those carriers. If you exceed that, you may have to look into freight shipping.
When it’s time to ship an item, make sure to ship it out on time and stay in communication with the buyer. This will help get you a positive review.
Consistency Is Key
Reselling on eBay can be a profitable side hustle if you put in the work to make your business successful. This doesn’t mean hours and hours on end because if you’re using the high-profit item method that we use, you won’t have to spend as many hours working. Putting in the work means listing consistently, responding to buyers’ questions or returns, creating listings with quality pictures and descriptions, and shipping items out promptly. You will have more sales and better reviews if you do these tasks consistently. Another great part about this business is that it can scale to meet your needs. Some resellers make a couple of hundred dollars a month on eBay, while others make a couple of thousand dollars a month.
Don’t be afraid to start an eBay side hustle. Reselling lets you work when you want to work and can be a profitable side hustle for those looking to increase their income. Get started reselling on eBay today!
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