If you have ever considered selling your stuff on eBay, now is the time to start selling! It’s not as hard as you might think. Our family has been selling stuff on eBay for 18+ years. We would recommend selling on eBay if you would like to make some extra money. Or even if you just want to get rid of some of your stuff. We are going to walk you through the process step by step, so you can feel confident about selling on eBay.
Disclosure: this post may contain affiliate links. This just means that we make a little money if you buy something through one of our links. It does not cost you any more to purchase an item through our links. It just helps support this blog so we can continue to bring you more content like this.
Why You Should Sell on eBay
Now you might not be sure if you want to start selling anything on eBay, but here are a few reasons why you should start selling on eBay.
- Extra income: the most obvious reason to sell on eBay is for the money! eBay is a great way to earn extra income on the side. Selling on eBay probably won’t replace your current job, but it definitely could help offset some of your debt or give you extra spending money to do whatever you’d like with it.
- Cleaner Home: if you start selling items that you already have in your house, you will make some extra space. It could mean some extra closet space or more room on your bookshelves.
- Thrill of finding a treasure: one of the most fun aspects of selling on eBay is selling something that is worth a lot of money. It’s a great feeling when you see buyers in a bidding war over your item.
If you are already a member of our resource library, go ahead and download our eBay selling guide. If you have not signed up yet, click the image above!
What You Should Sell on eBay
Okay, so you know you want to sell items on eBay, but what should you sell?
There are so many things that you could sell on eBay. Here are 5 tips to choosing what to sell on eBay:
Tip 1: Pick Items You Know About
When you sell items on eBay, you will have buyers contact you to ask questions about what you’re selling. You don’t have to be an expert on every item you sell, but having a general knowledge of your items can help buyers make an informed decision when purchasing your items. We usually sell toys, dolls, and books because that’s what we know the most about. The longer you sell on eBay, the more knowledge you’ll get about the type of items you sell.
Tip 2: Pick Items You Already Have
When you are starting out, selling what you already have is easy. You don’t have to take the time to go find items to sell when you already have them. Though, you should know that not every item you own will be worth a lot of money.
Tip 3: Pick Items That Are Selling
There is no point in listing your item on eBay if you know that it’s not selling. If you search your item on eBay, you can see how much other people are charging and whether or not it’s likely that your item will sell. we will explain this a little more in a bit.
If your items aren’t selling on eBay, try selling them at a garage sale! ⇒ How to Have a Successful Garage Sale
Tip 4: Pick Items That You Can Ship
There are many things that you can sell on eBay, but it is harder to sell something that has a high shipping price. We would suggest selling items of a reasonable size. Consider how big the box will be and how much the item weighs. Also, if you are thinking about selling glass items or something else that is breakable, know that there is a possibility that your item could break during shipping. If a buyer receives a broken item, you will likely have to refund their money. So you would be losing out in the end.
Tip 5: Pick Items That You Can Find
You might get excited when you are scrolling through eBay and notice that some items bring a LOT of money, like thousands of dollars. Most likely those items are not ones you will find at a garage sale or thrift store. Although, sometimes you might happen to find a treasure at one of those places. Try to be reasonable when you are thinking about what to sell, but know that you might find something really awesome once in a while.
How to Know What is Selling on eBay
When we want to know if something is worth money on eBay, we usually go to eBay’s site and search for the item. You can also use the mobile app, which is what we use when we are at a garage sale or thrift store. We typically sort items by auctions with the most bids. To do this, you will need to click “auction” and then change the sort to “number of bids: most first.”
Need help navigating eBay’s search tools? Download our FREE step by step guide on search tools.
If you include items that are in the buy it now format, know that an item is not necessarily getting that amount of money. People can choose whatever price they want. Don’t think that your item will get what someone else is listing it at unless it already has a bid. Also, just because something is old, it does not mean that it is worth anything. It is important to do your research to see what is selling.
Where to Buy Items to Sell on eBay
If you do not already have items that you want to sell on eBay, you will need to go out and buy things. We typically find the best items at garage sales because they usually have lower prices than resale shops. Since we live in the Midwest, there are typically only garage sales from April-October. The other months we have to buy at used stores. When buying items, you need to have a general idea of how much the items are worth. If you are not sure, look the item up on the eBay app or take a chance and buy the item anyway.
Related Post: The Ultimate Garage Sale Guide
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We will be continuing this series on eBay in the coming weeks! If you would like to go ahead and open an eBay account click here.
Do you sell items on eBay? What are some of your tips for selling on eBay?
Part 2: How to Start Selling Items on eBay
Is there any chance you can put all of the e-bay guides and tips into the resource library. Printing from the screen makes the type really small. Thank You!
Cyndi
Do you mean an easy to print version of our different eBay blog posts? Like a PDF?
I keep trying to access the free ebay printables but keep getting lead back to the “join our community” page which ive signed up for twice now. What am I doing wrong??
Hi Christina. I’m sorry you are having trouble accessing the printables. When you signed up, you should have received an email with the link to our resource library and the password to access it. You can also just click on the resource library button at the top of the page and then enter the password we sent you. If you are still having trouble, email me at jessica@nowthatsthrifty.com and I can send resend you the password.