Want to start my own Ebay Business?

RyanEzio

Hi, I've been selling on eBay for the past 4-5 years.


I run a business on multiple platforms and eBay is probably the best one out the lot.


Just have yourself a day thinking of things to sell, have a look at what other people sell also. This will give you a few ideas.


The fees can be expensive, but for the amount of traffic you get, it's well worth it.


Stock wise, I've brought off many sites and funnily enough eBay is one of the BEST places to actually buy stock.


There's no extra costs when purchasing anything and you can sometimes pick yourself up some great deals.


I create my own stuff and sell stock items to.


Try to look out for items which are in bulk. I've brought bulk items for less than 10p each and sold them to make a £1 profit on EACH item.


Be patient and do your research.


I don't make millions, but I make a perfectly liveable wage from it.


eBay combined with other sites such as Zazzle, Amazon, Etsy, Ebid and your own website can make you some decent money!


Good luck!


- Ryan

betterlife

Hi, i sell on ebay, ive been self employed since july last year, im a stay at home mum, and fully support my family of 2 adults and 4 children.
I design and make wedding stationery, but have recently added extra things to my shop, which go well with what i already design. and although you can buy them cheaper off other people on ebay (they must buy alot more than me, as i only try a few of each item) i still sell mine. i think the key is to find your niche which will get your customers into your shop, offer combined p&p, and they will often purchase from you, than get one from you and one from someone else (if that makes sense lol) another thing i do is buy from pound shops of home bargains, then sell in my shop, i no it sounds a bit cheeky but, i can often get things in there which is cheaper than buying from my wholesalers! i generally buy things for a £1 and sell between £2.50 and £4, so a nice profit, dont forget not everyone has these stores near them, and there stock varies. if you have a good eye for what sells, try it. ive also bought second hand (charity shops, car boot sales) and resold on ebay, designer shoes and clothes, vintage handbags. in fact i use to buy designer handbags off ebay, which had been listed poorly, ie bad description, bad photo`s, some didnt even realise the bag had serial number etc. once id received them, id clean, take clear picture, write an excellent description, and make a profit, my best was a genuine louis vuitton handbag, which i won for £50 (about 3 yrs ago) i had it authenticated, it had never been used, i used it myself for about a year, then sold it for nearly £300, good luck, in finding your niche, it is great working from home, but very much hard work! especially with young children, i work all day, and most evenings as well, this is all inbetween, walking kids to school and back, homework, cleaning, cooking tea, etc. xx

tracie_80

motorguy wrote: »

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.

I'd highly suggest that you do register with HMRC because there is going to be massive crackdowns on Ebay sellers shortly. People often assume that if they are not making a profit, then there is no need to register, that is untrue.

Just_Plain_Jane

motorguy wrote: »

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

tracie_80 wrote: »

I'd highly suggest that you do register with HMRC because there is going to be massive crackdowns on Ebay sellers shortly. People often assume that if they are not making a profit, then there is no need to register, that is untrue.

I don't think motorguy was suggesting tax evasion, just that OP do plenty of research before starting up. No point registering only to realise your business isn't viable before you even start.

googler

tracie_80 wrote: »

I'd highly suggest that you do register with HMRC because there is going to be massive crackdowns on Ebay sellers shortly.

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