Once you have decided to try selling online you need to decide what to sell. and the possibilities are endless. Many people can’t get past this initial step and never venture into the online marketplace. The most important thing is that you know the item(s) you are selling. You need to be able to clearly describe the item and be able to intelligently answer any questions your customer may have. Many people, myself included, have started with items in their own house. This way while you are learning how to create a good auction you are not investing a lot of money.

I started out with my daughters closet as she outgrew clothing I would sell them and found this to be profitable. I then began looking around the house for things I no longer used that was still in VERY GOOD condition and eventually found myself selling fulltime on eBay. I now scour sale racks, retail outlet stores and tag sales looking for great buys that I can sell for a profit, This works well for me as it doesn’t require a large investment but it also doesn’t give a large profit margin. Many people have actual warehouses filled with merchandise and other rely solely on drop shippers.

Doing your homework before you start selling is essential. Just because you think an item is great doesn’t mean it is selling. I am always doing searches on eBay checking out what is selling and for how much. There is an advanced search option where you can check ended auctions and you can see the final price and item sold for. Using this search you can also see how many didn’t sell and what the starting price was for the item. This is important to know before you decide to list an item. Why invest money listing an item that is not selling for the price you want.

Before listing an item make sure you can accurately describe the item, if I need any help with the description do a Google search and read a few descriptions for the same or similar item. Then do a price comparison in order to come up with a competitive starting price. Once you have decided the item is profitable, you truly can sell anything as long as you have done your homework, know what you are selling and you price it right.