Selling on Ebay... Can It Be Profitable?

I've been an eBay seller for years. The #1 thing that will help you is a decent postage scale so that you know your shipping costs. Guessing means you're going to lose sales, money or both.

If your husband is buying to resell, he should stick with things that he is very knowledgeable about. For example, one of my friends keeps and eye out for mantel clocks at thrift stores and yard sales. She loves clocks, and she knows valuable vs common. She'll buy one for $20 and sell it for $300, for example.

Yes, it can be profitable, however, from what I've seen, there is a "pecking" order on ebay...those who have a long track record show up on the first pages of a search, those who are newer have a harder time getting up in the higher pages.

Personally, I like selling on Craigslist...I have sold over $1000 of stuff to local people. I make them come pick it up and there's no shipping cost.

I sold a lot of stuff on ebay a few years back and made a good amount of money. However, whenever I go on ebay lately, I see more "buy it now" postings than actual bidding. I got more for selling stuff on ebay than I do on craigslist, but that was like 4 years ago. Doesn't seem as profitable now, but I haven't done it in a while.

I actually prefer craigslist, because you don't have to deal with the hassle of shipping, and you get cash in hand as opposed to having to fiddle with paypal. I've sold tons of stuff on craigslist and love it!

I have done well in the past, but then took a looong break from listing. Two summers ago I took oodles of time FINALLY listing and selling a ton of items, and in the end made NOTHING due to their messed up shipping calculations. The shipping was SO Inflated in the totals, I made the mistake of changing the shipping amounts to the REAL cost of shipping for people. Little did I know, Ebay (and maybe paypal) takes a cut of shipping too so their shipping calculation was purposely inflated, meaning I lost money on everything I shipped by putting on the real shipping price (which I painstakingly got form the real post office-even taking a few items to weigh for some picky people). I sold one item to Canada, charged the real shipping, and then Paypal hit me with a massive Canadian fee (lost money on that sale). Some of the items went so cheap it canceled out the sale entirely. I ended up selling a ton and paying Ebay a ton in fees, but making nothing. The worst part was that we were in very dire straights at the time, I wanted to keep some of the stuff, and I did NOT have hundreds of hours to spend on listing and dragging the kids to the post office a million times and wouldn't have done it if we didn't really need the money.

When I called Ebay to ask if something could be done since I have been a good customer for years with a perfect shipping record...could I at least have a reduction in fees or something, and they were completely unwilling to do anything. Needless to say-I haven't used them again.

Just BEWARE of all the fees and cuts and stick to things you will get decent money for. DON'T reduce your astronomical shipping amounts from their stupid calculator.

It is VERY time consuming and confusing listing too. I ended up having an exchange with a lady who bought some EXPENSIVE heels from me (for minimal money) and she was actually contesting my shipping price so I lowered it :( She mentioned she never sells anymore because she has parted with many valuable things and gotten no money for them in the end.

Just be careful. I swear it was a way better site ten years ago. I used to sell stuff easily and make money for my time. They've changed.

A few weeks ago I sold quite a few items and made a good profit, I listed because they were having list 12 free items..

I like to post on Thursday nights or friday mornings and do 3 day sells.. It goes a lot faster.. Be sure to check on your items for questions. The quicker you respond the better.

Craigslist we use many times a month.. My husband is a hoarder. He is always finding something, being given something or purchasing things he knows he can sell on Craigslist.

GOOD photographs are a must.

I add, non smoking home, no pets... Especially for things that are made out of fabrics

I am completely honest about the condition. "Perfect condition, like new, slight discoloration, Used less than 6 times. Very loved. Will need some repair. Good for parts "

i noticed on ebay, people like the story behind the item.

I sold a table cloth that had been a high school graduation gift to a woman when she was President of her Home Ec club, in high school. She was from Ohio.. Sold for way more than i expected.

Last week the glass pieces I sold had been wedding gifts to a young couple in 1959. They still had the tags on them. The original tissue and the gift box!

It can be fun... Remember you will need to ship it ASAP... Good Luck!

I laughed when I say your question because of my experience. My husband also bought some "collectibles" from garage sales to sell on ebay. After shipping and fees we pretty much broke even. There was a few items that we made a small profit on, but that was offset by the items we lost money on. I think it also would have been helpful if he knew what he was buying before buying them. He just bought items becuase he knew they were collectibles. Just make sure if you do sell items on ebay, like someone mentioned before, you take shipping into account.

I have been selling on ebay for about 8 years now. I have a really high feedback, actually its 100%
Everything is free to list now, you only pay a fee if sold. so take a shot at selling some of your stuff lying around the house, I always try to keep selling light things under 1lb, because then you can use first class mail, otherwise if you go over that 1lb, you have to use priority mail which starts at almost $5, or parcel post which takes forever. I found a certain book at the dollar general (not saying what!) for $5, and it consistently sold for $10 on ebay, I must have sold 50 of them over the summer, so I made a tidy profit, and they only weighed 10 oz, so I got in that first class bracket. Look in the dollar stores, because sometimes rich people just don't go in them, and they would rather buy on ebay!
I also have had a lot of luck with craft items, such as cross stitch patterns. My best seller was a latch hook kit I bought for $2 at goodwill, which sold for $120!
toys don't sell too well, and the main problem with toys is that they are bulky and heavy. Paper crafting will sell really well.
Ebay has a great forum where you can ask questions, but the best thing is just list a few things and see what happens! Take good pictures, against a plain white background! List your return policy CLEARLY! people will try and take advantage if you don't.