Used items, what sells best on Ebay

KRDmum

Hi peeps, I have been Selling on and off on EBay since 2004 and recently after a few years of break, I got the bug again.

I am in a process of major house clear out and wondering where I should be starting. So far I have listed adults clothes (mainly jackets and jeans) but I have a fair amount of books, toys and kids clothes. The problem with selling toys on EBay is that most of them are quite bulky, so think maybe I should sell them locally (NCT sales etc) and concentrate on something else?

Once my house is clear, and believe me it will take a long time lol (amazing what you accumulate with 3 kids and no time to do a regular clear out), I was thinking of possibility of going down the route of getting some bargains at carboot sales, and selling them on (I realise I will need to regoster with HMRC then). So again back to the original question, what used items, in your experience, sell well on eBay? Any ideas and suggestions will be much appreciated.

Many thanks for taking your time reading / answering

Gleeful

Designer stuff. I made a killing for 3 years selling one major ladieswear brand - buying it on eBay and then selling it on at 'buy it now'

I also know ladies who sell things like Jacques Vert - same principle, buy on eBay and then resell.

I only recently stopped it to launch my own clothing label.

KRDmum

Thank you Gleeful, would you mind elaborating a little bit on the type of clothing, I.e. Trousers, tops or outerwear?

KRDmum

Oh and well done on launching your own clothing label!

mrcol1000

If you send things by My Hermes then it will reduce your postage costs, especially for bulkier items. Apart from things that go as letters or large letters, it will be cheaper than Royal Mail. You also have the added bonus of it being fully tracked.

Check on Amazon to see what the books are worth. if someone is selling them for 1p plus postage then I would donate them or recycle them.

I think you need to do your own research on Ebay to see what does and doesn't sell. It is quite surprising what does and doesn't. Things you think about binning will be worth something. I do not think many people will be that forward in answering your question as if you know what to buy and sell for profit, you normally want to keep that information to yourself. For instance I could name a couple of clothing brands which you have probably never heard of, but you can buy used at car boots for 50p a time and resell for £20.

forgotmyname

The issue with ebay is that something that sells lots this week may die an instant death next week and wont sell even at half the price.

jon81uk

forgotmyname wrote: »

The issue with ebay is that something that sells lots this week may die an instant death next week and wont sell even at half the price.

Yep, for auction prices to go up, you need at least two people who want it.

Generally I think the closest to current season the better, unless it is a timeless designer item. But for high street if it is a few years old there is almost no value.

KRDmum

mrcol1000 wrote: »

If you send things by My Hermes then it will reduce your postage costs, especially for bulkier items. Apart from things that go as letters or large letters, it will be cheaper than Royal Mail. You also have the added bonus of it being fully tracked

Thank you, I have to agree I have been a fan MyHermes for quite sometime really, lost my faith in Royal Mail a while ago, after they lost a few parcels of mine, passport including. And they now have a drop off point at the shop by the school :T

KRDmum

mrcol1000 wrote: »

I think you need to do your own research on Ebay to see what does and doesn't sell. It is quite surprising what does and doesn't. Things you think about binning will be worth something. I do not think many people will be that forward in answering your question as if you know what to buy and sell for profit, you normally want to keep that information to yourself. For instance I could name a couple of clothing brands which you have probably never heard of, but you can buy used at car boots for 50p a time and resell for £20.

I appreciate that, over the years I've sold pretty much anything that was no longer needed in our household, from car parts (expensive hobby we once had) to ink cartridges, but it is supply and demand, if there is somebody out there looking for that part (door cards for example) you are in luck, otherwise, all these items are just gathering dust.

But when it comes to the brands or a designer stuff I am totally hopeless, apart from your usual Gap, North face and diesel etc, I don't really know any that's worth bothering with and try to source them out, hence asking for a bit of guidance, I've still to do all the legwork

I am not looking to make a living so won't be much of a competition but just looking for some spare cash to pay for kids activities and an odd coffee etc. I have given up full time work due to childcare cost, but find myself watching pennies very closely now and having 3 children under 6, cost soon mouth up, hence I've started clearing out the house.

Anyway, enough of my life story, any tips by post or pm would be greatly appreciated x

nicholaswitchell

All parcel companies lose parcels at some point.

soolin

KRDmum wrote: »

I appreciate that, over the years I've sold pretty much anything that was no longer needed in our household, from car parts (expensive hobby we once had) to ink cartridges, but it is supply and demand, if there is somebody out there looking for that part (door cards for example) you are in luck, otherwise, all these items are just gathering dust.

But when it comes to the brands or a designer stuff I am totally hopeless, apart from your usual Gap, North face and diesel etc, I don't really know any that's worth bothering with and try to source them out, hence asking for a bit of guidance, I've still to do all the legwork

I am not looking to make a living so won't be much of a competition but just looking for some spare cash to pay for kids activities and an odd coffee etc. I have given up full time work due to childcare cost, but find myself watching pennies very closely now and having 3 children under 6, cost soon mouth up, hence I've started clearing out the house.

Anyway, enough of my life story, any tips by post or pm would be greatly appreciated x

Can I suggest a bit of leg work- it can really pay off. If you have an idle moment just set ebay to 'completed items' and search randomly for items, get a feel for what normally sells and what doesn't . Clothes are something I avoid like the plague , so if you do find brands you can source but which sell well and start aup a micro business then remember to factor in buyer returns when working out your costs and profit. Also ensure you avoid brands that are on VERO.