You Can Find Brand New Items to Sell on eBay

Just for fun, I want you to take a guess at how much you think I paid for both of these items, in total, before you read the rest of this post. So go ahead and guess how much you think I paid, in total including tax, for the blouse and jacket in this picture, and write it down or just keep it in your mind.

I love a good bargain and I got 2 bargains at Kohl's this past week. It all started a few weeks ago when I went to Kohl's to use a gift card I received for Christmas. I waited to use it till I got a 30% off coupon in the mail. As I always say," A sale is good, a coupon is good but combining a sale with a coupon is golden." While I was at Kohl's I decided to buy some gifts I needed for an upcoming birthday, since they were having a great sale and I had the 30% off coupon to use on the gifts. When I checked out, I was given $20.00 worth of Kohl's cash to use the next month.

On Monday, I went to Kohl's determined to get something as close to $20.00 as I could. I was shopping for me, because we have a trip coming up and I needed something for it. But I could have just as easily have been shopping for new items to resell on eBay. I bought this blouse, normally $36.00, on sale for 60% off at $14.40, and the jacket, normally $36.00, on sale for 70% off at $10.80.

I also had my 30% off coupon to use. Then because both of them were on sale racks that said "take an additional 20% off the lowest ticketed price," even I was surprised when the clerk told me the final amount. I think she was surprised too! The total amount I paid out of pocket was...ready for it... 17 cents!

Now I am keeping these items for myself, but I am writing this on my eBay blog to show you how it is also possible to purchase items on sale in regular stores and resell them on eBay too. You just have to be a bit creative about it.

Okay, time to fess up...how much was your guess as to how much I paid for those 2 items? You can leave it in the comment section below...happy shopping, for yourself, or to resell on eBay!

Patagonia Sells Well on eBay

I had heard that the Patagonia brand of clothing sells well on eBay, especially in men's clothing. But never had a chance to personally sell any items of this brand until this week. I was in a thrift store last week sourcing for potential items to sell on eBay. I happened upon a men's Patagonia Synchilla fleece vest. It was in perfect condition. I was so excited I had to resist the urge to shout for joy! I was with a friend and ran right over and showed her. She doesn't sell on eBay so she wasn't quite as excited about this find as I was.

I took it home, washed it, as I always do for all of the clothes I sell on eBay, and listed it. The prices for this same Patagonia vest were running between $18.00 and $35. I listed it for $32.00 with shipping included. It sold 2 days later! Now because I included free shipping, I will lose some of that, and including the eBay/Paypal fees and the cost of my original $2.00 I paid for it, I will still make a profit of $18.00. Not bad and an easy sell.

Some of you may be wondering if I could have sold it for more. I am sure that I could have, BUT that would mean it would be sitting around in my eBay closet for a lot longer. I already don't have much extra room in that closet. And within a few months, the warmer weather will be here and it may not have sold till next fall if I priced it too high. So I am happy with the money I earned on this Patagonia vest, and the fact that my bank account will be a bit fatter this week.

What do you think? Would you have priced this item higher even if it meant sitting on it and hoping for a buyer?

Learning From Other eBay Sellers

Suzanne A. Wells

I have been selling seriously on eBay for one year now. Before that I just dabbled here and there. But one thing I have learned for sure over the years is that you can learn a lot from other eBay sellers. I belong to a Facebook group called, "Stay at Home Moms Selling on eBay" and the founder of the group, Suzanne A. Wells, has been selling on eBay and making a living at it for quite some time now. She posts articles on the online website "The Examiner" and I always find them helpful. Last week I read an article she wrote about selling "ugly" shoes on eBay. The title interested me because I have been dabbling in selling shoes on eBay and my sales have been not too shabby!

My SAS Sandals Find

So I read her article, the basis of which was a lot of people have special needs regarding their feet and although there are some ugly shoes out there in the world, people will buy them for comfort, especially people who have diabetes and need special support shoes. I wrote some of the names down in my little notebook, and one of the names I wrote down was SAS shoes. They are designed for comfort. You can imagine my surprise and excitement when the very next day, I found a pair of SAS sandals (see above picture) in my local thrift store for $2.00! Personally I don't find them all that ugly, but I snapped them up and went home and researched how much they were selling for on eBay.

Although there were no shoes listed in the size 7N that I had found, I found a few of the exact same pair listed for between $26 and $40, some with shipping included and some without. I decided to list my SAS sandals for $35.00 with shipping included on Friday. They sold Sunday (that's in two days) for $35 and I expect that shipping will be $8.00 to $10, and after subtracting my initial $2.00 investment, I should make at least a $23.00 profit! Not bad in my opinion. I wish all of my items would sell that quickly.

Learning From Others

But the point of this post is that it can be quite helpful to learn from other eBay sellers, especially if you are just starting out. If you know anyone who is doing well selling on eBay, I suggest you talk to them and get some pointers. Also, you can go to the Facebook page for the Stay at Home Moms Selling on eBay group and join. Even though it says it's a closed group, they accept new people. That group has so much to offer and I have learned a lot from them.

Also, I would suggest that you check out YouTube videos for people who sell on eBay. They show you items they have bought and how much they have sold for, or how much they expect to get from each item. My favorite is a guy named Steve Raiken, but he puts his videos on YouTube under "Raiken Profits." The guy is a fountain of knowledge for how to earn on eBay, and he is from my old stomping grounds in Connecticut.

Do you know of any other good websites or people on YouTube that we can all learn from? If so, please leave the information in the comments below. Thanks, and happy selling!

Putting Your eBay Store on Vacation Really Works

Taking Break From eBay

I just got back from a fifteen day cruise with my husband. We were gone for 18 days all together. I have an eBay store and part of the reason I decided to get a store was so I could put my items on vacation as we travel frequently. After I got the store, I started hearing stories from other sellers about how putting their store on vacation caused a dip in sales for up to two weeks. That panicked me because I don't want to lose that kind of money. So, I did some research and asked people I knew that had a store. They told me that if possible, even when my store was on vacation, I should still get on daily and revise items and continue listing as much as possible. I had done this when we were on vacation within the United States. But it meant I couldn't actually get away and relax.

But for the cruise, I wasn't able to do this. We took a transatlantic cruise on the Royal Princess which started in England, then went to Holland, France, Spain, Portugal and the Azores. While we did have internet access, it takes so long to get online while on a cruise ship, and then longer to access websites, that it would really be wasting money to do anything on eBay while away. So I made the decision to put my eBay store on vacation, and not touch it till we got back, so I could actually take a vacation myself. I was feeling a bit burnt out anyway so really needed a break.The photo above is of me on the ship as we set sail from Southampton,England.

Whew, What a relief!

We were due back on Monday, September 21st, and I had a little extra time left on my shop internet account, so I went into my eBay account and took my store off vacation. I was surprised and thrilled the next day when we returned to see that I had a sale the same night I took my store of vacation mode, and two more sales on that day, the day we returned home. So in my situation, putting my store on vacation gave me a much needed break and it didn't seem to hurt my sales at all. I am thrilled and relieved that I will be able to do this in the future, and really get a true vacation. Do you have an eBay store? Have you put it on vacation and how did it work for you?

Spent $3.25 and Made $29.85 on eBay

I have to say I really LOVE selling on eBay. But you have probably already figured that out if you have read any of my other posts. I have so much fun finding things at thrift stores and reselling them for a profit. And the most fun I have is when something sells at a price that surprises me. That's what happened recently.

Selling Wallpaper Border

I had read on an eBay Facebook site that I belong to that wallpaper borders sell well on eBay. Huh, really? I didn't think anyone used wallpaper borders anymore. But when I saw some at a great price at a local thrift store, I decided to give it a try.

I found a plastic bin filled with packages of old wallpaper borders at the thrift store I go to quite often. I didn't really believe they would sell well, so I bought a set of four packages blue Marimekko 4 inch wallpaper borders, and then an extra one that was partially opened so I could show what the design was. There were plenty more, BUT I wanted to just proceed cautiously in case they didn't sell after all. The rolls had been around awhile and the UPC stickers on them were yellowed. A couple had rips in the plastic wrap but they were scrubbable and washable so I figured they would clean up well. I listed the 4 rolls on eBay, with the opened one displayed on top. I was very honest about their condition in my description. At first, I listed them at a price of $14.95 for the 4 rolls. I had no bites for a couple weeks so I started playing around with the price lowering it until it sold. The 4 rolls sold for $10.95 a few weeks after I listed them, and I threw in the open roll as well because it was still usable. So for that sale, I spent $1.25 on 5 rolls and sold them for $10.95.

List, Sell, Repeat!

The other day I happened to be in the same thrift store and found the same bin. There were another 4 rolls of the same blue wallpaper border in the bin, again each for 25 cents. There were only 4 this time so I could open a roll and show the design but I was hoping people would get the idea of what it looked like from my pictures. I also found a set of 4 rolls in the same Marimekko design, but in a putty color. I decided to give those a try as well.

I listed the 4 blue rolls for $10.95 again on a Saturday night. I woke up Sunday morning and checked my eBay site to see they had already sold. That night I listed the 4 putty colored rolls and...you got it, they sold within 24 hours as well! So all together I spent $3.25 for 13 rolls of wallpaper border and earned $29.85. Not a bad turnaround if I do say so myself!

Research and Learn

One of the most important things I have learned through my experience selling on eBay is that in order to do well and increase sales, a seller must always be willing to learn. I spend a lot of time on YouTube watching videos of successful eBay sellers. I also belong to a couple of eBay Facebook groups and people post questions all the time and we all learn from each other. What makes you a successful eBay seller?

My Life as an eBay Seller

I have been selling items on eBay on a regular basis for 21 months now, and I must say I am having a ball. It has been a roller coaster of ups and downs, but the longer I sell on eBay, the more I learn and the better I get at it. At first, I only sold items that I had around the house to get rid of them and earn some extra money. I found some Facebook eBay groups, and have been coached by a friend I met online and learned how to increase my sales slowly but surely.

In March of 2015 I decided to open and eBay store. Initially, my sales dipped a bit for a few weeks after I opened my eBay store and I thought maybe I had made a mistake. But after a few weeks, things started to pick up, and have been doing well ever since. Even though we are currently in summer which is traditionally a slow eBay season, I am doing better than ever. Am I rich because of eBay? No, but I earn money each week. Some weeks I surpass what I earned weekly as a substitute teacher. And let me tell you, being an eBay seller is a lot less stressful than substitute teaching, or working a 9 to 5 job that I don't like.

Once I decided to sell on eBay as a way to earn regular money each week, I knew I had to find sources for what to sell. I started going to Goodwill stores on a regular basis and added thrift store shopping to my repertoire. I love going to thrift stores and finding almost new, and sometimes new with tags clothing that I can pass on to my customers. People have called me "addicted to thrift stores" but what they don't see is the bigger picture. I shop at thrift stores as part of my job. It is fun, and I can make my own hours. Here's a picture of my favorite thrift store. It's local and most clothing items sell for $2.00 each with vintage and household items selling for 25 cents to $5.00.

Right now I have only an eBay Basic Store which allows me 150 free listings per month in any category, and 100 free listings in the collectible category as auction style. I may go to the next size store in the future but this works best for me personally right now due to a lack of storage space. My goal was originally to have 150 items listed at all times, but because I have been able to take advantage of eBay's free listing offers periodically, for the past month I have been at 200 items and my sales show that the increase has helped a lot. My goal is to always have 200 items per month listed, and when autumn hits, I will try for more since that's the best period for eBay sales.

Here's a little glimpse into my life as an eBay seller:

Monday: Wake up and check my eBay store to see the sales I had Sunday night. Sunday night is traditionally the best time of the week to get sales because people have had the weekend off and have been scoping out eBay and usually make purchases on Sunday nights before they go to bed. I get excited when I see I have sales. I spend the day packing sold items from Saturday afternoon and evening and Sunday and head to the post office Monday afternoon to send off my packages. I live 10 minutes from a post office so it's convenient. Monday night I list a few thing on eBay and also revise a few more items that I already had listed as I have learned constant daily listings/revisions keep my items active within the eBay system and are more visible to buyers.

Tuesday: Check my eBay sales from the previous night. Head to the local thrift store that is closed Sundays and Mondays and they restock all of their items on Mondays which means the best choices of items are on Tuesdays. This is especially true on the last Tuesday of the month because the previous Saturday they had a pick up in a local community and have lots of great items to choose from. I come home and wash the items in baking soda as that takes any thrift store scent out, then in a regular wash. My birthday is at the end of July and once I turn 55 I will be eligible for 1/2 off all items at Goodwill in my part of Georgia so I will be going shopping at one of the area Goodwill stores each Tuesday starting in a few weeks. Tuesday nights, I take pictures of the items I purchased and list them on eBay.

Wednesday: Check eBay sales. Go out to lunch and grocery shopping with my husband. Come home and put groceries away before checking my eBay sales. Had a sale while we were out to lunch...yay! In the afternoon I pack any sold items and go to the post office to mail them. At night I list a few more items and revise a few. Watch a You Tube video of a guy named Raiken Profits who I have learned a great deal from in terms of what to sell. I check sales before going to bed.

Thursday: Check for eBay sales in the morning, email either of the 2 clients I am now selling items for if they had a sale. Go about my day and pack and ship any items that have sold before the post office closes. At night, list a few more items and always revise a few. Check for any sales before going to bed.

Friday: Hit any nearby yard sales, estate sales or thrift stores to get more stock to resell. I usually do this every other week as I don't have enough storage room to go weekly and store all my bargains. I come home and wash all clothing in baking soda then in a regular wash. Hang all clothing so I can spend the weekend taking pictures and listing and revising items that are already for sale. Go out to eat with my husband. Check eBay sales and get excited when I see I have had 1 to 3 sales. Friday nights have now become my second best sales period. I have heard it's because people get paid on Fridays and like to buy on Friday nights. I list or revise a few items before bed.

Saturday: Check eBay sales and pack everything that has sold from that morning and the night before to get them mailed before the post office closes at noon. Saturday night I usually list a few more items and always revise. I check for sold items before bed, and there are always one or two that happened while I was out with my husband or just watching TV.

Sunday: This is my biggest listing and sales day. I usually check for sales after church and get extra happy when I see one. I have an enjoyable and relaxing afternoon and list and revise at night. I check sales before going to bed.

And there you have it: an average week in the life of this eBay seller. I currently only list 1 to 5 items a night and revise 1 to 3 a night as well. I like to spread my listings out over the week and it takes an hour of concentrated time to list 4 items. It's about 15 minutes each to do it right, which includes:

*Taking pictures of the item (I try for a minimum of 4 for each listing)

*Researching how much the particular item has sold for in the past and what similar items are currently listed for so I know what I should list it for.

*Putting a well-worded listing on the eBay site and including pictures.

About once per month eBay offers a special deal where you can list an incredible amount of item for free for a 5 day period. They decide if the listings will be an auction, which is limited to 7 to 10 days or Buy It Now for a 30 day period. During those times, I shop and extra time and spend the whole 5 days of the offer listing as much as I possibly can.

Over the 21 months I have been selling on eBay I have done a lot of research into which niche works best for me. I have found it to be men's shirts in sizes large through 5X. I do sell other items as well, including coats, shoes, belts, ties, women;s clothing and some antiques/vintage items. But I am happy to have found my niche and am starting to get repeat customers.

I love finding nice items that I know my customers will enjoy. And I am not an eBay seller that has extremely high prices on their items because I'm a bargain hunter and love to share savings with others. Here's an example of a great deal I was able to pass on to a customer. The Chaps shirt in the picture was for sale at Christmas in Kohls for $60.00. I know that because I saw it and loved it but am too frugal to pay that much money for a shirt. I found one at a thrift store that was a size 3X (not my size) for 75 cents and sold it to a customer who absolutely loved it for $11.95. She raved about how nice it was in her feedback, and that made me feel great that I could pass it on to her at a reasonable price.

I love selling on eBay because it allows me to have time at home with my husband (and my dog), have a flexible schedule, and to still earn money. I probably average 2 to 3 hours per day on my eBay business and can put my eBay store on vacation whenever I need to. If I want to earn more money, I just need to put in a little more time. If I can't get to the post office one day, I will ship 2 days of purchases the next day because I have the flexibility to do that. It's a great way to earn a living.

By the way, I just checked and in the 40 minutes it took me to write this and add pictures, I made an eBay sale! Can you say,"Ka-ching?!"

If you are an eBay seller, how does my schedule compare to yours? If you aren't an eBay seller but have been thinking about it, what's holding you back?

List Every Day for More eBay Sales

These bike bib shorts did the best of all my items in May. They were new with tags, and the price tag was $100. I sold them for $52.

I had heard that listing every day increases sales ever since I started on eBay. Even if it's only one or two items, that action gets picked up by Google and eBay and generates a higher viewing slot when people are searching for items.

Auction Listings

But originally when I first started selling on eBay, I only sold items by auction only. And I was told that items sold the most if they ended on a Sunday night auction. So I listed items each Sunday for a seven day listing, to end the following Sunday night. That worked fine for me. And for any of you who are doing that, I have also found that ending an auction on a Friday night works well too. People that get paid on Fridays are shopping on eBay Friday nights and I have had a lot of success with listings ending on Fridays as well as Sundays. The trouble with having your auctions ending on only certain days means you can't list every day. You can only list items 10 or 7 days, etc. before you want your auction to end. But that was when I was only dabbling on eBay to make some extra money.

Show Me the Money

But now that I have decided to branch out and start an eBay store to earn more money as part of my regular income, I have learned it is true that listing items every day really works to have consistent sales. During the month of May, I had an opportunity to list up to 2,000 items as a "Buy It Now" listing. I had been trying out the "listing every day" method, and found it to work well. Then when I got the 2,000 listings offer, I went to town and just kept listing items. I had to go out thrift store shopping twice to add to my inventory, but it has truly worked. I am selling and average of 1 to 2 items each day of the week now and it is very exciting. I have heard that as long as you go in and revise a few items on a day when you can't list , that works well also to keep the eBay activity going on your account.

Comparison Chart

To show you the financial difference, here's a chart to show you how much better I have done since I started listing every day:

March Sales: $247 with 16 items sold

April Sales: $262 with 23 items sold

May Sales: $433 with 35 items sold

What a difference listing every day has made. It is clear to me that keeping my eBay account active makes a huge difference in my sales. Are you listing every day on eBay? What technique has worked best for you to improve your eBay sales?