Want to start my own Ebay Business?

Sweet_Sugar_1984

Hi everyone.

I just need some advice and pointers in the right direction.

I am a stay at home mum with two kids under the age of five. I really want to start working again to boost my income but have had no luck with my job search. The fact that I live in a remote village doesn't help as jobs rarely come up near where I live.

Anyway, a couple of months ago I started selling a few bits and pieces that I had at home on Ebay and I made a decent profit. I now want to start my own Ebay business, but have no idea where to start.

I'd like to sell household items like bedding and curtains but I need to locate some decent suppliers. I have seen companies online that sell off catalgue returns and overstock at reasonable prices, has anyone ever used these companies? Or does anyone else know of any websites that are reliable?

My husband is on a decent salary so I am not looking to make millions, I'd just like a bit of extra money and do something that will keep me ticking over until I do manage to get a job.

I'd love to hear from anyone who can give me some advice or contacts etc .

Thank you.

lincroft1710

No one who is selling the same or similar products will divulge the name of their suppliers. Remember that you should register with HMRC as self employed.

motorguy

Sweet_Sugar_1984 wrote: »

Hi everyone.

I just need some advice and pointers in the right direction.

I am a stay at home mum with two kids under the age of five. I really want to start working again to boost my income but have had no luck with my job search. The fact that I live in a remote village doesn't help as jobs rarely come up near where I live.

Anyway, a couple of months ago I started selling a few bits and pieces that I had at home on Ebay and I made a decent profit. I now want to start my own Ebay business, but have no idea where to start.

I'd like to sell household items like bedding and curtains but I need to locate some decent suppliers. I have seen companies online that sell off catalgue returns and overstock at reasonable prices, has anyone ever used these companies? Or does anyone else know of any websites that are reliable?

My husband is on a decent salary so I am not looking to make millions, I'd just like a bit of extra money and do something that will keep me ticking over until I do manage to get a job.

I'd love to hear from anyone who can give me some advice or contacts etc .

Thank you.

Extremely hard to compete on ebay as you'll be up against people who are bringing in containerloads of stuff and have real contacts in the trade.

Also, their fees will be lower as they will be a volume seller.

Also, bedding is relatively heavy and therefore costly to post relative to its value.

I wouldnt go registering with HMRC until you have a viable business plan and your homework done relative to suppliers etc.

Kayalana99

lincroft1710 wrote: »

No one who is selling the same or similar products will divulge the name of their suppliers. Remember that you should register with HMRC as self employed.

You'd be surprised what you can find out for yourself though, one of my competitors has his whole seller name as 'brand' on his eBay listing in the info...it's not actually the brand name just where he got it from.

A lot of items actually have the name of the people it came from on them as well, you just need to do the research - if you already know what you want to sell just looking at others eBay listings and looking at the pictures - then hitting google - you may just find your supplier. Obviously it isn't this easy for every item but it's worked for me on more then one occasion.

If your serious sugar feel free to PM me for extra help - I've recently started up my own business where I make my own products from home - I am a real fan of seeing if you can make it before you buy it in.. but hey ho.

I'm a mother of two as well so I know how hard it is to find time :-)

DKLS

Plenty of wholesalers who sell bedding, especially around Manchester/Salford areas. But as advised margins are tight and compettition is high.

There seems to be plenty of money in making curtains, My Mil makes curtains for the rich and daft in north Yorkshire, the prices she charges makes my eyes water! the latest one was 15k to make the curtains for a 4 bed detached!.

justxneedxaxwin

I didn't do bedding but used to sell kids clothing , I agree competition on ebay is hard especially with postage costs and fees , however if it worked out well you can put business cards in with purchases etc to send repeat buyers to a website and save all fees - this is a lot of work but if it takes off i think be worth it. I wish you loads of luck , I want to do something similar myself (not bedding) but rising post costs put me off a bit

mimilovell

These guys are right. A competitor who is selling on ebay will not tell you where to pick up ex-caloague stock. You need to do that research for yourself. But if you look online there will be companies who will sell them to you. Please remember this are ex-calogue and the companies sells them in pallet loads, you dont know the quality you are getting. As the people do not check the goods before giving it to you.

Bedding is quite heavy, so you will need a good checp courier. Buy some scales to weigh things in. If you have unwanted stuff in the house, yes just sell that and do it for your friends, just like a car boot sale. It is just so that you get to the system, how much ebay and paypal charges and their dispute procedure/ how much things weigh/ how to write and advertise propertly etc... And when you have got a hang of it and know what you want to sell, then do a business plan start trailing a small amount of stock.

Good luck we need some more businesses in the UK.

BTW if you are ever looking for iphone cases and accessories, please feel free to message me

lickybits

i sell on eBay and find the niche products i sell do best.

the fewer people selling the same product on eBay as you the less competition.

just remember customers expect free delivery (so factor that in) eBay fees will include the total sale which will include the postage cost..

the royal mail will from time to time lose items or customers will claim they haven't received, theirs also paypal fees, listing fees, cost of eBay shop, bubble wrap (if you need to use it), envelopes.

rule of thumb for me is try to sell items over £20 as below that figure the postage fees kill you, niche products sell best (less competition), send recorded delivery (i know costs £1.20 extra but worth it).

wholesalers might show what items go for on eBay and how much they will sell them you for but... they often show the average price on eBay and if you list on eBay you'll struggle to sell for the price they recommend as more often than not someone will be selling it a lot cheaper on eBay.

i have seen items selling on Ebay a lot cheaper than what wholesalers are offering them for.

Kayalana99

I was curious you really are selling niche stuff their LB!

I don't think OP is coming back tho

londonTiger

best way to find out how to sell on ebay is to try out a few lines.

Dont go overboard and buy lots of stock up front, but in small batches at first to test out.

You're not going to find out much by asking on forums - because successful sellers will not be divulging their trade sectrets on the boards. But if you're good on the net you can go through competitors entire inventory and even see how often products sell for and for how much.

The done thing now on ebay is list an item in bulk. So if you click past purchases you can see the dates of purchase and identify hot items.

But remember - it's a fools game to go after and sell products that everyone else is selling. You have to compete on price and that will mean you make 50p on each item and the lions share of profit goes to ebay Inc and royal mail. The best sellers are those who identify a niche.

You may find it more rewarding to sell your services on a freelancing site if you have a strong skillset. Ebay selling is basically becoming a commercial picker - it gets tiring after a while.

dellboydan

My best advice for eBay is finding a niche that you are passionate about and/or know the market very well. Research is key to any successful eBay business so you will need to do plenty of background work on your competition.

If you are up against a big company then you might struggle as they will be buying in bulk so will be getting huge discounts from their suppliers, and if you try to compete on price you might find yourself struggling to make a decent return or even making a loss.

If you are having success with household items that you have sold recently, why not look into that further? The used market is a fantastic opportunity for eBay businesses, you might get more luck finding good quality used items at carboot sales, gumtree, house clearances etc, and may find that the profit margins would be far greater.