Don't Throw That Trash Away! Sell it on eBay!

We have been having a blast over on my Facebook group discussing all the wild and crazy things you can actually sell on eBay - things that are considered trash or worthless items lying around your home or backyard. Here are a few of the items mentioned:

Empty toilet paper rolls
Empty paper towel rolls
Bottle caps
Pine cones
Acorns
Sea shells
Leaves
Gourds
Tumbleweeds

Shawn started the thread by posting this completed listing of empty paper towel rolls that sold for $16.95:

Talk about pulling money out of thin air! These items are often used for craft projects. Take a look on Pinterest and notice what people are  making with these types of items. Many craft and DIY enthusiasts go to eBay to buy their supplies.

There are opportunities all around you to make money, you just might not know it. Speaking of opportunities right in front of you, the next "How to Sell Groceries on Amazon" class will be held on Saturday August 17 at 12 noon Eastern time. Groceries are a great product to sell online because they are repeatable and customers often buy multiples. For example, an Amazon customer bought 5 of an item yesterday:

This item costs $8 at a grocery store 6 miles from my house, it sells for $25, and I can get as much of it as I want whenever I want. How amazing is that? The holiday selling season will be upon us soon - think about adding seasonal food products to your online offerings. Register for the grocery class here.

Also, my new online ecommerce school will be opening soon! I am assembling an amazing team of teachers to share their vast knowledge and specialties in the world of ecommerce. Sign up to receive email updates about teaches and classes here. There will be something for everyone regardless of experience level.

Related Articles:

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Mega-Seller eBay Moms Featured in Woman's World Magazine

 

Check out this week's Woman's World Magazine (on checkout stands in grocery stores, WalMart, Target, etc.) for an article about making big bucks on eBay. The article, on page 12, is titled, "Make a bundle on eBay...just like they did!"

I'm thrilled and honored to be featured alongside other superstar eBay moms including Sonya Lee Han, Jeanette Bushell, Marsha Collier, and Lynn Dralle. It is a great piece explaining how eBay can work for anyone and can be tweaked to fit whatever selling style or type of inventory that works best for you.

Woman's World is a weekly magazine, and this issue is only on news stands until August 19, so grab a copy quick and check out different ways to make eBay work for you!

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My eBay Flip - $10 Profit for 15 Minutes of Work

I love flipping listings. It is kind of like gambling. (No, I don't need a 12-step program...yet.) This is a great way to get inventory to sell, to try new things, and to leverage the power of eBay. Here is my latest flip and how you can do this, too! Thousands of new listings hit eBay every day, so the opportunity is ALWAYS there.

Here is my flip:

I found this item using a misspelling tool. I use Typohound.com - it is free. I searched for the words "cashmere sweater." The tool generates a list of possible misspellings, including typos, common misspellings, etc. I found this item:


Fatal errors on this listing:

1. Two words in the title are misspelled.

2. No return policy. (Read more on the importance of a return policy.)

3. The shipping is really too high for this item. It only weighs a few ounces.

4. No measurements on the listing. Always include measurements on clothing!

5. Keywords in title not optimized. Did not use the word NEW or NWOT in title.

The starting price was $3.99. I bid $5 using a sniper. You always want to snipe these items because bids on auctions encourage more bids. Stay under the radar and let a sniper win it for you in the last few seconds. I use Gixen.com - it is free.

I received the item in the mail, took my own photos, and relisted it. Here is my listing:

What I did differently (better!) than the original seller:

1. Use the word NEW as the first word in the title. This helps you place higher in searches.

2. Included free shipping. This also helps you place higher in searches.

3. Spelled all of the words correctly, added the color to the title, and used all of the space for the keywords in the title.

4. Included a 30 day return policy.

5. Included the measurements in the description.

6. Included international shipping.

So, did I make any money on this item:

Original cost: $16.99
Listing fee: .20
Final value fee: $3.95
Profit: $11.81

Not a huge profit but this is an example of what you can do on eBay without even leaving your house to find inventory. And you can do this many times a day, every single day. All you need is the internet, time, and your imagination. Some tips on flipping listings.

Focus on what you already know. Brainstorm within a niche you are familiar with. Do you know about books, guitars, cameras, tools, leather goods, or anything collectible?

Browse websites that carry expensive products such as Nordstrom, Saks 5^th Avenue, Bloomingdales, Macys.

Zone in on international sounding words as these are frequently misspelled. Good categories are apparel, shoes, fragrances, cosmetics, electronics, musical instruments, and tools. Avoid handbags and watches as many of these on eBay are cheap imitations and if you resell a fake one, you may be suspended.

Avoid fragile items as they will have to be shipped to you, and then shipped out again to your customer and this opens up opportunities for damage. Choose items that are easy to re-ship.

Create your own list of words to search for arbitrage. The key to this process is knowing what to plug into the misspelling tool.

Do this process regularly. I spend about a hour a week looking for items like this, set up my snipes, and win (or lose) the items throughout the week. This process is not intended to be the base of your eBay business, but is a fun way to find things to resell.

Related articles:

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Flipping Craigslist Finds on eBay

I went over this with a few of my clients this week, and thought I would share.

Craigslist can be a gold mine for inventory if you check often, do your research, and act fast. People are desperate and are selling things cheap. Your eBay selling knowledge (at whatever level) will pay off here. Many people are intimidated by eBay, don't have time to learn how it works, and just settle for selling items on their local Craigslist. By snagging these items cheap, you can make much more selling them on eBay because your buying audience will be exponentially larger than the local Craigslist audience.

Here is how it works.

1. Visit Craigslist for your city or other surrounding cities.

2. Look under the FOR SALE section.

3. Browse through the categories. You will come across things you have never heard of. Do the research (Terapeak or eBay completed listings) to find out what items sell for on eBay.

A few things to look for:

Perfume, cologne, and fragrances

MLM Distributors going out of business (Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Creative Memories, NuSkin, Silpada Jewlery, etc.)

Coats

Shoes and boots

Sporting goods such as ski equipment, little league football equipment, skates, hunting / camping / fishing supplies, equestrian supplies (saddles, tack, clothing), martial arts sparring gear and clothing

DVD collections

Move out of your comfort zone and try things unknown. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new. 95% of people will retreat to their comfort zone when what they try doesn't work the first time they try it. You have to explore new territory.

Key Points:

1. Check often and act fast.

2. Do the research.

3. Look in categories unfamiliar to you. Then refer to #2.

4. Focus on items that are easy to ship.

5. Be safe - only meet your Craigslist trading partner inside a public place, during daylight, and take another adult with you.

6. Click here for more information on flipping Craigslist finds on eBay.

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Tory Burch Ballet Flats - eBay Seller Success Story

Andrea sent in her success story:

"Hi,I am one of your blog lurkers and just wanted to share with you my great Goodwill find. Tory Burch leopard ballet flats. I bought them for 6.99."

Here is Andrea's listing:



Andrea's price at Goodwill: $6.99
eBay selling price: $114.50
Profit before fees: $107.51

Whoa! You go Andrea! Fantastic sale - you've been doing more than lurking! Thanks for sharing with us and showing us how it is done. If you have a success story, send it in to ebaycoach (at) yahoo.com.

Want to know about more thrift store finds to sell on eBay? Check out Thrift Store Goldmine, which contains 61 pages of items just like this. Learn what to look for at thrift stores to make this kind of money.

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Flipping Listings - Keywords to Search #3

Flipping listings is a great way to make a nice profit with very little work and a small time investment. The most common stumbling block to this process is thinking of words to plug into the misspelling tool. Let me help you out! I have been selling on eBay since 2003 and have sold over 20,000 items, so I can make some great suggestions.

Every week I will be posting 5 brand names, words, or phrases that you can plug into a misspelling tool. You can just copy the list and keep these ideas in a spreadsheet or WORD document.

This week's keywords:

Rothschild (coats)

Calphalon (cookware)

Birkenstock (shoes)

Talbots (clothing)

Hart Schaffner & Marx (men's clothing)

If you aren't familiar with these brands or items, take a moment to research them on Google so you will know what you are looking for. To learn how I flip eBay listings, click here for a free 5 minute tutorial.

Happy Selling!



Find sloppy listings and resell the items for way more than you paid for them! Click here to see my personal examples.

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Flipping Listings - Keywords to Search

Flipping listings is a great way to make a nice profit with very little work and a small time investment. The most common stumbling block to this process is thinking of words to plug into the misspelling tool. Let me help you out! I have been selling on eBay since 2003 and have sold over 20,000 items, so I can make some great suggestions.

Every week I will be posting 5 brand names, words, or phrases that you can plug into a misspelling tool. You can just copy the list and keep these ideas in a spreadsheet or WORD document.

This week's keywords:

Clinique

Patagonia

Diesel

Façonnable

Armani

If you aren't familiar with these brands or items, take a moment to research them on Google so you will know what you are looking for. To learn how I flip eBay listings, click here for a free 5 minute tutorial.

Happy Selling!

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