anyone make money selling on ebay?

[diz_princess]

I need a little fun money. I am a stay at home mom and spend hours on the computer after the babe is asleep. I have been selling off odds and ends on ebay and have really enjoyed it. I'd like to step it up a little...
does anyone here sell to make money/supplement an income?
how successful are you at it?
what do you sell?
Just like to hear the pros and cons.
I'm only talking about trying to "earn" 100-200 a month...if I'm that lucky.

 

[Nancy]

I know there are some on here that sell to fund their trips, hopefully they can fill you in. I keep saying I'm going to start selling. I might "hire" my oldest daughter to be my e-bay rep and sell for me...she has way more free time than me and needs a job.

 

[anewvance]

I make very good money on ebay. I sell mostly childrens clothes. I thrift a number of times a week and know what to look for. Mostly it's nice stuff that will get you $10 to $20 but if you put 15 or so auctions a week you can easily make $500 a month after you take off what you paid for the item and ebay and paypal fees. Just gotta know what to look for.

I am currently makeing about $1500 a month...

 

[aprilgail2]

I sell anything that is not nailed down LOL...I paid for our whole first Disney cruise selling my daughters baby things on ebay!

 

[diz_princess]

"I am currently makeing about $1500 a month..."

Whoa! That's really good! I am going to have to look into this. Any pointers or tips you have to offer?

 

[Jon99]

Just curious, how do you ship baby clothes???

 

[kilee]

I do clothing for the whole family. I really shop the rummage and garage sales all summer. I usually end up w/ enough inventory-- I have a storage unit rental to store it in.

I then ebay it throughout the "prime" time for the season. In the "prime" months- I'm making $1500-3000 profit. However, w/ clothing, for myself anyhow. I've found that certain months are way better than others.

Like summer clothing is really hot right now. Season started for me first week of February- but by my info from the last 3 years- it will begin to die off by the end of April- and I will stop selling summer items altogether by end of May.

Fall items start to pick up in August- so for months like June and July I might not make anything. But I usually need the break- so it works out all around.

 

[MsLeFever]

Would those of you selling clothes mind giving us a few hints? I'm a costumer so I'm at thrift stores a bunch but I'd never know what to buy. Are you making a buck a sale on a gazillion sales? Or are there certain brands where you can really make money?

Of course - I understand if these are "trade secrets"!

 

[anewvance]

I ship baby clothes in manilla envelopes. Fold them and put them in a ziplock and into the manilla envelope.. but make sure you tape it up really well.

I have no problem helping you all out but feel weird about posting it on the boards. So if you want to email or PM me, I can help you out with any questions you have or brand to look for or whatnot.

 

[kilee]

I ship clothing about the same way in the manilla envelopes. Larger items (not baby) end up going priority as do a lot of winter items since they are bulkier. When you use priority the supplies are free then too.

I can tell you I don't have a trade secret. Sometimes, after 3 1/2 years I'm still suprised by things that will and won't sell. Sometimes I have an item I'm confident on, and it barely goes above opening bid. Then other times, I'll have things go for $25-40 for an item I paid a quarter-fifty cents for.

As far as money, in the end I rarely see anything much over the $40 mark. I did once pick up a fifty cent sweater at a thrift store that was handmade from Poland (the tag said). I grabbed it because it was truly gorgeous- but I thought w/o a name brand- maybe I'd make a few bucks. It went for $72!! So, that was a nice one. I also sold a lot of 9 used tops for $128 this past fall. It was really just a stroke of luck though that 2 people got into a bidding war. So, those are rare.

I find my average selling price is $5.35 per auction. My general rule is I never pay more than $1.00 for anything. So, it's all profit from that point on. It took awhile to learn what will and won't sell. I look around at auctions all the time to see what is going.

 

[grlpwrd]

I've been ebaying for years and I have evolved from selling used books and clothes to my own business and website. I still sell used items on the side.

You can make $$$ by getting clothes at clearance sales and then listing them when they would command more $$$, you can find items at garage sales and thrift stores yet you'd have to keep an eye out for brand/style/etc, or you can buy items that are surplused or wholesale. Or you can also sell for family and friends and take a % of the sales.

Starting out I would go with selling what you have, like quality brand names like Children's Place, Gap, or Hanna Andersson. If you live near an outlet or place where there is a steady supply that's even better. I know a few sellers who live near the LL Bean store in Maine and the Motherwear (breastfeeding) outlet store who make a killing.

I know some sellers who also shop at Target or other brick and mortar stores who stock up when an item is clearanced which is good except when there are listings saturated with the same item. This creates a lot of competition.

Whatever you sell be sure to take good pictures and be accurate with descriptions. A big pet peeve of mine is when a seller says "good condition" in their listing and then I get the item with stains and spots all over. Please be honest.

OP, I will PM you a link to a site which asks for a membership fee, but is one of the best helpful sites out there for selling clothes on ebay.

GL!