I want to start a new business on eBay...any advice please?

Brooker_Dave

sophieg123 wrote: »

Should I have my own niche or sell random bits of everything? What types of things are most popular and how do you find this out?

Well worn clothes seem to be all the rage.

I'd look for a proper job if I were you.

sophieg123

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

I'd look for a proper job if I were you.

thanks ive actually got an interview tomorrow

Goldiegirl

I think the best thing to do is start small.

Hopefully you'll find a new job shortly, and I'd suggest that you do any eBaying as a sideline, to see how you get on with it.

Even if it is a sideline, if you are buying things with the intention to sell them, you'd need to be registered as a business user.

With regards to what to sell, I would suggest you start off with things that you know about, and then gradually research other areas, to learn about products and potential for selling them at a profit.

I know people do make a living from selling online, but they have worked very hard indeed and are experts at it, from long experience.

Incidently, even if it is a sideline to your main employment, there's still a lot of work involved, what with photographing your things for sale, listing them and then packing them.

I've managed to sell 17 things so far this weekend and beleive me, that's a lot of packing to do!

Good luck with your venture

nat_85

The thing with Ebay and Amazon to a degree is it can consume your life,

because people can buy 24hours a day some of them expect a 24hr a day reply!

It is at its best fantastic at its worst all consuming!!

Contains_Mild_Peril

Good luck with your job interview.
I agree with RFW that it's not a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket: eBay has become a hostile environment for small sole traders. Try to sell in other venues as well if you can. It's a bad idea to rely on eBay as your only income source, because they can (and do) shift the goalposts whenever they feel like it. It's also best to avoid relying too much on one product line: if a top-rated seller who is able to buy cheaply in huge quantities undercuts you, you could end up selling your remaining stock at a loss (similarly, other factors beyond your control may suddenly render stock almost impossible to sell, e.g. Royal Mail's postal price restructuring which more than doubled the postage price for a great deal of ordinary-sized items, and sometimes stuff just going out of fashion or being replaced by a new improved version).

Irene_SaleHoo

eBay offers a strong customer base, you are assured of customer traffic and your main concern will be looking for that thing that you can competitively sell. Why not start with unwanted things from your home, just to have a feel of how things work at eBay? And once you get an idea of a niche to go into, then you can start souring them wholesale to have greater chances for profit. I wish you the best!

sophieg123

thanks for all the advice, weve decided what our niche is and are not using dropshippers!

thanks all
xx