Budget & Finance > Making Money > Selling on EbayOctober 13, 2009

Selling on Ebay

I keep hearing that if you want to sell successfully, you need to find your "niche" on what to sell on eBay. For those of you that do sell on eBay, how did you find your niche? I'm trying to sell and I seem to be floundering. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

By Karen from Charleston, SC

Answers

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By
09/28/2010

I can't really help with finding your niche. You may find it very difficult to find something unique anyway, but it can help if you have a hobby that produces sale-able items. Otherwise, I don't know. I would advise you against electronics if you're just starting out. Have you ever tried to find something on eBay that you expected to be there and wasn't? If so, look into that, see if there's a demand. Then see if you can track down a wholesale outlet that can supply you with it.

(For research into what's generally available, you could look at http://www.makro.co.uk/servlet/PB/menu/1051111_l2/index.html, sorry about the huge URL. Then if not, you can look at specialist suppliers.)

And for general advice, as other people have said, make sure your returns policy is rock solid and very clearly visible. Don't try to make money on the postage, work out a business model and take it seriously. If you view it as a hobby, it's unlikely to go anywhere.

By
10/15/2009

Unless you're wanting to be a serious seller with money to burn then forget eBay! You have to pay complicated fees to post up front and if the item doesn't sell you're out that money and you'll have to pay to post it again if you really even want to post it again. It could cost you a lot of money to find your niche in the first place and there's no set formula to find a niche. Sorry, just being realistic.

Yes, try Craigslist but be careful and meet during normal business hours in a very public place to sell your items if someone is interested.

By
10/13/2009

Forget Ebay or at least give Craig's list a try and sell local. I've successfully sold a mountain bike, a bunch of Legos sets, and a set of golf clubs. Each time I met the potential buyer at a business parking lot and never got turned down (or even asked to lower my price.)

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