Buy at car boot / Sell on Ebay

trying_hard

No Problem if you need help just pm me - let me know how you get on x

Quackers

rosieandjim wrote: »

, and am actually going through the house now for bits to sell, debt free days here we come!

I think thats the best idea.

Sell what you already have first.

That will give you more profit and help build up your experience of using Ebay as well.

As you become more confident and get used to using Ebay you'll get more of a feel for what sells and what doesn't.

I've made a few mistakes by buying things for amazon/ebay that didn't make as much as I thought.

Doing an advanced search for completed listings is a fab idea too as it gives you an idea for what things sell for. I always do this before I sell anything now to help me decide whether to list it or not.

Good luck

durham_girl

rosieandjim wrote: »

I'd rather spend a morning or 2 scouring boot sales and selling on ebay from home

And remember, whatever doesn't sell on ebay you have a boot sale with! Surprising what tat people will buy!

Dave_Brooker

rosieandjim wrote: »

Hi I have lots of car boots I can go to, and was wondering is there any thing I could buy which I could sell on Ebay, I am working nights and have a young family to look after but I can't be wonder woman any more its absolutely killing me, and I have serious debts to pay(partner doe not know) so are there any tips you guys can give me for making a bit by buying and selling. Also any ideas for making money at home, starting making jewellery, do a few surveys, but love my home life, just don't want to work all night any more I am at my lowest please help thankyou friends:beer:

As if there's not already enough worthless junk being listed on ebay...

Your strategy is the same as a million others, if you hope to make some proper money you need to sell something people actually want, and at a hig profit margin.

JCD_Capulet

WOW, I'm glad I can't hear what's written on theese forums because that last comment would have made my ears bleed.

In the past when I used to sell on ebay day in day out for years. I'd sell my items on with just a little one or two pounds profit from each. Sure it meant listing double the items for half the profit, but my low costs kept folk comming back.

HolisticHarmony

Some great ideas here and I’d echo about getting over to the Debt Free Wannabe board.

If money's already tight, it's often best to start out by selling items you already own. Then ask friends, family, neighbours, other mums at school, the postman if they've got anything you can sell for them. Many will just give you stuff; others may want the proceeds but you can charge them a "commission" on the final price. Remember, that you will have fees to pay (eBay and PayPal if you use it) and they can add up if you’re listing a lot of items.

It's true you can still pick up lots of things to sell at car boot sales but, as already mentioned, it’s best to do your research on eBay first to see what's selling and at what price. I made many mistakes when I first started picking up all sorts of things only to find they either didn't sell or I made a loss. It’s often best to focus on one particular area, say, children’s toys or clothes, or something you already have an interest in. Your enthusiasm and knowledge will come across in your listings.

That leads me to suggest that you use a free online eBay calculator BEFORE you list an item. By putting in a few details like the start price/end price and shipping costs, it calculates whether you’ll make a profit or loss. One of the best ones IMO can be found by typing "ebay UK fee calculator" "ecal" in Google (it's the top one).

A few other hints:

• Look at completed listings for the most successful sales and see how the sellers have described and promoted their items
• Always use at least one photo making sure they're in focus and show the item really well. Use the gallery on most items. (eBay are running a promotion from 1 Sep to 31 Dec where you only pay 5p (instead of 15p) for using the gallery in some categories like Books/Comics/Magazines and Films/DVDs)
• Offer a money back guarantee. If you're new to eBay and only have a few feedback, this helps buyers to feel they can trust you. They're more likely to buy and very few, if any, will return an item
• Think about the packaging of an item. Awkward-shaped items or those that are breakable and/or heavy may incur high shipping charges that could deter people from bidding. Also, they can take longer to wrap and you’ll need to have big enough boxes, bubble wrap, etc
• If you're sending items first or second class, or by standard parcels, always obtain a Certificate of Posting. That way, if an item gets lost, you can refund the buyer and get compensation from Royal Mail
• I’d suggest that you open a PayPal account. Buyers like the convenience of paying immediately and, although you’ll pay fees, you’ll probably get more bids if you offer this method of payment as well as cheques and postal orders
• Once you've got several sales under your belt, you may want to look at buying wholesale and/or using dropshippers. With the latter, profit margins can be good and you can undercut other sellers. With dropshippers, the profit is less but it takes very little time to run once a listing is up and running. Plus, you don’t pay for the goods until you’ve been paid

I've got a bit carried away but I really hope this helps and GOOD LUCK! If you want some more hints and tips, please feel free to PM me.

P.S. To help save money and cut down on your spending, sign up to the Freecycle network. Hopefully, they’ll have one in your area.