How to make money on ebay

You can make money on eBay!

This is true!  Hundreds of thousands of Americans alone are making all or a substantial portion of their living by selling on eBay.  There's no reason you can't be one of them.  Here are things to remember...

eBay isn't a Get Rich Quick Scheme!

If you want to make money- then it will take work... a lot of work.  Not only will you need to get educated on the best practices of how to sell, but actually SELLING is a job-   Sure, you have VERY flexible hours... a REALLY liberal number of vaction days... can be your own boss, set your own schedule, work your hown hours etc. etc. etc.  Still, whether part time or full, selling on eBay is a JOB if you want it to be.  It isn't getting money for no work... but if you are willing to treat it like a business, selling on eBay can be very profitable for you.

It won't cost you thousands to get started!

There are a ton of individuals and companies out there who would love to sell you information on how to get rich quick selling on eBay.  These packages often cost over a thousand dollars up front and monthly payments thereafter.  I hear their ads on the radio, or see the infomercials or the full page ads in the paper.

You don't need it!  eBay is very user friendly!  Actually putting up a listing is very easy to do.  Most of the tools you need are FREE and right here!  A few are not free, but even if you prefer a live learning setting, you can get your full eBay education for less than $100.

1. VIDEO TUTORIALS:  eBay has step by step video tutorials that walk you through the process of actually listing an item on eBay.
2. SELLING OVERVIEW:  eBay has a very clear and helpful Selling Overview that takes you from registration as a seller, through tracking and feedback.
3. SELLER CENTRAL:  Seller Central has all the important selling related links to training and tools that will help you learn how to sell or improve your selling.  It has tips to getting started, making improvements, advanced selling tips and best practices.
4. THE LEARNING CENTER:  There are all kinds of video tips and tutorials at The Learning Center.  Learn more about how to sell, how to take good pictures, accepting online payments and tracking with My eBay!
5. EBAY UNIVERSITY:  eBay has a traveling eBay University that teaches eBay Basics, Beyond the Basics, and eBay for Small Businesses!  If you are lucky enough to have them traveling through your town... by all means, attend!  It's relatively cheap ($59.95) and is fun and  you can deduct the fee as a business expense!  If it's not going through your town... you can attend the Online eBay University for $7.95 for the Basics class and $19.95 for the Beyond the Basics.  You can buy the DVD as well!
6. EBAY EDUCATION SPECIALISTS:  A lot of people learn better if they are in a live setting.  I am an eBay Trained Education Specialist  There are people like me all over the country.  We are trained by eBay and teach the same information and use the same materials as the eBay University uses.  You can look up a local ES and find a workshop to fit your schedule.

You don't have to invest thousands in inventory...

At least until you want to!  Please don't fall for one of these get rich quick drop shipping scams.  These people are selling to THOUSANDS of people just like you and often those items are flooding the eBay marketplace.  You end up paying the middleman a fortune, and aren't making any money on the deal.

What to sell!

1. Start small... when you are just learning to sell, I HIGHLY suggest just picking up a few things around the house that you'd like to get rid of.  You don't want your first sale to be an XBox 360 or a Louis Vuitton bag!  You need to practice on the little things so you don't make mistakes on items that you have bought to resell.
2. Do your research... I feel so bad when I see sellers selling items that end at less than the total cost for fees!  All that work, and it basically COST THEM money to list the item!  Please research the item that you want to list.  Use that link to find out what it is likely to sell for on eBay.  Don't list  things that you aren't likely to make much over the eBay fees to list them, unless you really are doing it for practice!
3. Sell something you like...  I could never sell tools, or consumer electronics etc.  I just have no interest in them.  I spend a lot of time thinking about, looking at, and otherwise dealing with what I sell.  If I didn't like it, I'd get sick of it quick!  If you like what you sell, work can be fun!

You will have to work hard

As an Education Specialist, I've taught hundreds and hundreds of people how to sell on eBay.  For some reason, a common misconception that many of my students have is that selling on eBay is easy, fast or requires no work.

If you really want to start an eBay business... just remember that it's just that... a business.  While your hours are fexible, and you have no one but your buyers to answer to... it requires time and a lot of hard work.

Good Luck!