Too many parents think creating a side hustle has to be hard or time consuming. Honestly that is not the case nowadays especially with technology. One of the easiest ways to dip your toes into making money online is by selling stuff… eBay is one of the simplest ways to make money and have been around forever!
How to make money on eBay?
Actually making money on eBay is not hard…
Usually people want to know how to make ALOT of money on eBay….
Well the truth is the methods are the exact same whether you want to make a lot of money on eBay or a little.
Here are 9 Tips on How to Make Money on eBay:
Start out selling things you have
When you first start out, you need quick wins. So start off small. Look in your spare room, junk drawer and garage for items that you haven’t used in a while. You will be surprised at how much stuff you have in your house that people are willing to pay you for on eBay.
Here is a protip…
Break your items…
Yup!
Think parts and pieces.
People are always searching on eBay for parts of a vacuum or pieces of a lego set. It’s cheaper for them to buy just the part that they need then a new one. For you as the eBay seller, you can literally make more money than the original lego set or vacuum cost by selling the parts.
Expand your items
After you have exhausted your junk drawers, closets, attics, etc… you are going to need to move onto other items to sell. Hopefully, after selling a few items you realized that it’s not so hard and you have begun to see which items are better at making money on eBay then others.
So where do you get your next group of items to sell on eBay?
Remember the goal is to make money on eBay… so start off with the freebie section of craigslist and ask friends if they are trying to get rid of stuff. The freebie stuff on craigslist can be a treasure trove of goodies and it gives you the opportunity to find out more about what sells and doesnt sell on eBay.
You will be surprised at what sells well and what doesnt. Things that you think are a sure thing are usually not.
Some of the biggest money makers on eBay are….
Clothes!
I’m serious. People make a killing on it. So if you know your clothing brands this is your niche.
Other top categories to sell on eBay are electronics, books, and more.
Reviews Make or Break Your Side Hustle
Seriously!
We are all addicted to Amazon reviews. Who buys anything with less than 4 starts nowadays?
eBay is no different.
Those buyer reviews are going to make or break you, so spend time on your first 2 months of sales going over the top on customer service.
Now I don’t mean you can slack off after that but, you really want those first buyers to leave a positive review.
This means shipping fast… fast… fast…
Like I said… think Amazon.
People know eBay isnt Amazon, but they still expect Amazon shipping. So get your items in the mail quick.
Include in the box your contact info so that you can clear up any issues and ask for a positive review.
Create an eBay Store
Once you have some solid reviews under your belt create an eBay store. There are a lot of perks to having a store, one being….
EBAY PROMOTES YOU!
Yep free traffic is good for you. That means more sales!!!
Do your happy dance now!!!
Another side perk it people just tend to trust stores better. There is no difference as a seller but as a buyer an eBay store just adds more credibility.
It just shows potential buyers that you know your stuff and that makes them way more comfortable handing over their cash.
Know Your eBay Fees
If you are trying to make a lot of money on eBay, you are going to have to know your costs…
eBay Fees….
Paypal Fees…
Shipping costs…
These are all things you need to be aware of while you are trying to scale up your eBay business.
It makes no sense for you to sell at item for $100 that you bought for $70 only to realize that the shipping costs 15 bucks and the fees are 12 dollars.
I am not snubbing 3 dollars because thats still a profit… but it’s going to take selling a LOT of those items to make enough money on eBay to make it worth it.
There are a ton of free calculators out there to help you out.
Some quick solutions
are to sell items that fit in first class envelops or items thats wont break… such as cloths.
Include shipping fees into price of purchase. You are not Amazon… ( you may lose some sales this way but it helps you to stay profitable on your eBay side hustle.
Print your labels from home.
Niche Down
After a while you are going to learn what you are great at selling and what makes money. Now is the time to niche down…
General stores are great because you sell anything but speciality stores can charge a whole lot more.
Besides at this stage in your business, you are going to have to begin buying items. Becoming an expert in a specific type of item makes it easier when you are shopping.
Imagine being able to walk into a Goodwill and browse the shirts and jeans and know which ones will sell for 5 dollars and which one that will sell for 50…
Thats a huge skill!
Niche down and become an expert!.
Don’t use Stock Images
I am serious… you are trying to make money on eBay… don’t be lazy.
Go to eBay.com now and search for an item and you will find a TON of stock images…
Dude put some effort into it.
The images are the first impression the buyer gets of you.
Taking a LOT of high quality images helps the buyer see exactly what they are getting which helps make the sale.
Put yourself in the the mind of the buyer. What would they want to see? Go overboard on pictures and make sure the lighting is great!
Be creative and detailed in descriptions
See above….
Don’t be lazy.
I have come across a ton of listings in which the description is a single sentence.
New 33 inch tv…
You are a real business. You are trying to make serious money selling on eBay. Act like one. Write your description to sell the product plus give an accurate representation of the product.
Put in the time
Yes…
I know…
I started off by saying that this wasnt time consuming…
And the reality is… it doesnt have to be.
But over time you are growing a real eBay business and that will begin to take more and more time.
I know a lot of stay at home parents or weekend warriors that make money selling on eBay part time.
This is a perfect side gig…
But…….
If you want to turn this side hustle into something more you are going to have to put in time.
Schedule it out.
Saturday is yard sale shopping.
Sunday afternoon is flea market/ goodwill hunting.
Monday nights is pictures and listings.
The next couple of days your listings are live and you can research your niche.
As orders come in create a system to ship.
Then repeat the following week.
Create a schedule for you that will allow you to maximize your time and profits on eBay.
Lastly
Take action…
Making money on eBay is not hard….
Building a sustainable eBay business is a bit harder but every eBay business started by selling their first item….
Look around your house now and identify 3-5 items that you are going to list this weekend. Put them on your table and begin taking pictures.
Start your eBay side hustle today. If you are looking for a detailed guide with the nuts and bolts on how to start your ebay side hustle, this guide will help you.
I used to use eBay a lot when I was in college as a side hustle but haven’t been doing a lot since. My latest fun hustle is selling coupons I get in Valpak mailers for a couple bucks. It’s probably not “worth my time” but I find it to be fun and akin to picking up a quarter off the sidewalk.
That is awesome!
I know people who sell Bed, Bath and Beyond coupons and Lowe’s coupons. It’s not a way to get rich but they do it for just “fun” money.
Great post and so true! My husband has earned thousands of dollars on eBay over the past 12 years as a side hustle. It started when we wanted to send our first kid to Montessori but we really couldn’t afford it. So he started selling things he’d find in thrift stores. Eventually, he worked his way into a profitable niche of buying low and selling high on certain clothing items. He paid for three Montessori educations! (About ten years total of tuition over three kids).
He does it a lot less now that his main career has taken off, but just this month, he sold about six things, so he still keeps his hand in it.
The great thing about the eBay side hustle is that you can do as much or as little as you want. So you can take a break or try to scale up. It’s one of the only side hustles that I know that you can take a two month break and then jump back in without losing momentum.