This much we know!
I have my own Ebay shop, and as a result of winning a competition in The Guardian newspaper, won in depth training from Ebay in how to be one of Ebay's top sellers This much we know...
I've seen plenty of people try to make money from selling items on Ebay and it can certainly be done but what you need to know is how to maximize your profits and sustain your profit making over the longer term.
I'm assuming that you are planning to buy things to sell on Ebay at a profit. People often ask me what they should buy, I think it makes sense to start off by buying what you know about - that might be children's clothes or collectible toy soldiers, or whatever. That way you will make better choices about what you buy and don't buy and you will have an idea of what you might be able to make a profit on.
I'd say yes. I know it costs £6 a month but you can list a lot of items for a greatly reduced listing fee. Items in your shop are fixed price, buy it now items or make me an offer items and don't get the exposure that auction items get. However, shops get good visibility in Google searches. If you're clever you can direct potential customers from your auction items into your shop.
I would recommend starting by doing nothing except watching Ebay auctions for a few weeks. This is time well spent. You will get an idea of what items in your chosen field sell and which ones don't.
You can certainly use Ebay to buy stock, but use a different Ebay identity to the one you will be selling under. All your transactions will be visible to customers and you don't want to annoy them by letting them see how much you bought the item for originally. You want your customers to think they got a bargain!
It's best if you can buy items on Ebay that allow a local pick up then you won't have to pay postage so you can maximize profits.
Local newspaper small ads are great hunting grounds for bargains, as are car boot sales and charity shops.
It depends on the time of year. Bikinis sell better in the summer, coats sell better in the Autumn. You can check what itmes are the most popular search terms in each category using Ebay Pulse which can be found on their home page.
A good clear photo is crucial. Display the item well. Iron it or clean it, and don't have it leaning against some terrible wallpaper or swirly patterned carpet. You don't want to devalue the item in your customer's eyes!
You need to write a detailed, honest description. Certainly you need to point out any damage or wear to the item but don't lead with that information or your customer will have decided not to buy before they get to the good points. If you want to be detailed about the bad points make sure you are equally detailed about the good points, you don't want to talk yourself out of a sale!
The title is crucial, you must get it right. Think like a buyer, what would the buyer write in the search box? In the case of clothes make sure you write what size it is. If it's new say so in the title. Don't just write the bare minimum and expect all your possible bidders to find your item because they won't. To maximize profits you need to spend time getting the title right. Look at other items for sale and look at their titles. Lots of people include l@@k in their title but that is a waste of 4 valuable letters, I've never put l@@k as a search term and I don't know anyone who does. Title space is valuable, that's why you can buy extra space and add a subtitle.So think carefully about your title and use your letter allowance wisely!