Making Money on eBay During a Recession

A recession affects all economic activity, including eBay selling. You may need to change or tweak your product line to survive the recession on eBay. Some items actually sell BETTER during a recession. Check out my eHow article and learn what kinds of items sell better during a recession - some of these are surprising!


How to Make Money on eBay During a Recession

Happy Selling!

eBay Coach Coupon Giveaway - 150 Clipped Coupons

This week I have 150 manufacturer coupons from recent inserts. These are clipped and ready to go. There are some really good ones - BOGO Herbal Essences hair product, $2 off 2 Aussie hair products, $3 off 2 Huggies wipes, $1 off Danimals, and much more.

To enter, just leave a comment below. For extra entries do any of the following:

(Please remember to put an email address in your comment, or make sure it links to a place where I can easily find your email! I need a way to contact you if you win.)

Subscribe to my blog
Follow my blog
Post on your blog
Post on Twitter
Post on Facebook (on your profile or in a group)
Post on MySpace
Post on a forum or group (Facebook, Yahoo Groups, etc.)
Stumble this post
Digg this post

Be sure to leave a comment for each extra that you do, and your email address so I can contact you if you win! Winner will be chosen at random on Tuesday, August 4.

Fall 2009 Seller Update--Changes to PowerSeller Program, Improving search, and More‏

Did you get your email from eBay regarding the big changes? If not, or you haven't had time to read it, most of the changes are very positive and encouraging. I won't go over all of the changes here, but here are what some experts and leaders in the eBay community are saying:

New eBay Program Aims to Reward Good Sellers - Associated Press

eBay Introduces New Top-Rated Seller Program - eBay Ink Blog

eBay Announces September Changes Today - I want to know what YOU Think. - AuctionWally, The Examiner

eBay July 2009 Changes Posted - So What Do You Think? - John Lawson, ColderICE

Also check out the eBay and Beyond podcast from yesterday. Many eBay sellers were listening in as Andy and Usher from eBay answered questions and clarified some of these changes. Click here for the podcast. It is long but informative. Have a listen while you list or ship your items this week.

What am I most excited about? DSRs will only be based on input from domestic (USA) customers - when you are selling on eBay USA. If you are selling on eBay UK or other international sites, this will not be the case. Also, from what we understand, third party template and image hosting services will continue to remain an option, AND, the issue about only allowing 1 photo was a rumor. Yay! We get to keep working with SSB, Garage Sale, Inkfrog, and other third party services.

All of these folks listed above provide great info on eBay selling and I highly recommend you follow them on Twitter. Here is my recommended list:

katskloset

eBayandbeyond

colderice

auctionwally

thesavvyseller

attheboutique

mommytoaaj

auntieem

eBay-Andy

eBay Ink Blog

usherml

It will take a while to digest and understand all of these changes, so just keep reading those blogs and watch the conversations on Twitter.

Happy Selling!



eBay Store Critique - $19.95, Money Back Guarantee

eBay Seller Success Story - Western Electric Vintage Rotary Telephone

I received this email from Michele, also known as AuntieEm out in cyberspace:

“On one of your recent blogs, you had written about vintage telephones. (Click here to see the post.) They day after I read your blog, I was out yard sailing and came across an old turquoise Western Electric telephone. I cleaned it up and then did some research. I found a seller on eBay that had sold 2 phones, almost identical for over $300 each! I saw that he started his out at $59 so I thought I'd be clever and list mine for $58.99 with FREE shipping! Well, needless to say after 2 auctions that ended with no bidders, I decided to put it into my eBay store for $75 or best offer. Well, I didn't have it listed for 5 minutes and I got an offer for $35! I did have to honor the "free shipping", which cost $9.85 for a Priority Mail flat rate box (I actually meant to remove the free shipping from the store listing), but all in all, not too shabby for a $1 yard sale telephone!”

Here is Michele’s listing:



Western Electric Vintage Rotary Phone

Michele’s price: $1
Selling price: $35
Profit before fees: $34

Great sale, Michele! It is always fun to find something you have read about being a good seller - it makes the treasure hunt more fun.

If you have a fun or unique sale you would like to share, please email me your success story at eBaycoach@yahoo.com. I will post it and others can learn from your experience.

Related Articles:

Thrift Store Items to Sell on eBay - Huge List

Vintage Character Sheets

Thrift Store Item to Sell on eBay - Chico's Belts

Chico's is an upscale woman's clothing boutique that offers trendy, fashionable, yet comfortable clothing. You may have seen Debbie Phelps, mom of gold medalist Michael Phelps, wearing Chico's clothing during the Olympics last year. She has collaborated with Chico's to create the Debbie Phelps line.

Chico's belts have always been a good seller for me. They are very unusual and often have intricate or unique metallic embellishments, jewels, or the buckles and clasps come in animal shapes. They are really beautiful. Chico's belts retail in the $60-$80 range - some are over $100. Click here to see the belt section on the Chico's site to get an idea of what they look like.

The great thing is that belts only cost $1 or so at thrift stores, and they are easy to look through, pack, and ship. An easy sale if you can find one. Selling price on eBay can be $50 or more!

Here are a few examples of Chico's belts. All are are in used condition and could have come from thrift stores.


CHICO'S SILVER BELT W/ BRITE COLORFUL BEADED BUCKLE


CHICO'S SILVER BELT W/ ELEGANT JEWEL COVERED LINKS



CHICOS Most Gorgous Belt Glass inlaid designs

Click here to see all completed listings for Chico's belts.

Click here for my comprehensive FREE list of thrift store items to sell on eBay.

Related Articles:

Thrift Store Item to Sell on eBay - Chico's No Tummy Pants

How to Make Money Selling Used Clothing on eBay

How to Take Good Photos of eBay Items

Happy Selling!




What to Buy at Thrift Stores to Resell on eBay for Profit
(Option to get it free!)

What is this eBay Seller Thinking?

An eBay seller wrote a blog post about selling coupons and gave what I think is some really bad advice. Let's think about this for a minute.

Bad tip #1. "First you need to find your product: COUPONS. To find coupons this means that while you are shopping you will keep your eyes open. The coupons are found in the grocers ad sheets and along the isle in front of different products. The coupons usually come in pads so you can pull off as many or as few as you wish. Keep in mind that since coupons are FREE, the number you take doesn't matter as you are not stealing."

WRONG. This behavior is exactly what makes eBay sellers look bad. Don't hoard free stuff to sell it on eBay. Bad Karma here. Find a legitimate source of inventory without taking from others who may actually use it.

Bad tip #2. "Don't bother putting photos on these auctions. Everyone knows what coupons look like and you are just wasting your time."

WRONG. Always put a photo - the first one is free anyway, so you won't be out any money. Coupons can look alike - many times you will have 5 or so coupons for a product line (such as Lysol cleaning products), and each coupon is for a slightly different product, size, or scent. Having the photo reduces the chance of the customer being confused and purchasing the wrong item. Many buyers only look at the photo and title, and don't even read the description. (Sad, but true.) A photo also helps you verify that you are shipping the correct item. Always show a photo of what you are selling.

Bad tip #3. "If you decide to sell coupons often, make sure you have a no return policy so people know they can't buy and return them if they just feel like it."

WRONG. Everything you sell on eBay should come with a fair return policy. So what if the customer wants to return a batch of coupons? (I've never had it happen.) What are you going to be out, like a dollar? Having a return policy puts prospective buyers at ease, increases your sales, increases the number of repeat customers, and most importantly - gives you the opportunity to make the customer happy and get positive feedback.

I am wondering if this author has ever sold anything on eBay.

Click here to read the full article.

Related Articles:

How to Write a Return Policy for eBay Listings

Easy Money on eBay - Sell Whole Grocery Coupon Inserts

Make Money on eBay Selling Grocery Coupons

Happy Selling!

Are You Using Your eBay Packaging as Advertising?

I received this question from a reader:

“I have a question I am trying to get my stuff known on bonzanzle.com due to all the changes that eBay is making. I realize we can't advertise on their site but just wondering if it is ok to send cards to out customers and maybe on our packages we ship out write www. bonanzle.com, do you think this is ok to do?”

Absolutely! Once you sell to a customer on eBay, they become YOUR customer. Many, many sellers use eBay for harvesting new customers and diverting customers to their own website outside of eBay. For some, that is the only reason they are on eBay, they don't even make a profit - they simply harvest customers that will make them money in the future. (Click here for a recent article about diverting your eBay customers to your own website.)

You can use your packaging as an advertising vehicle for your eBay store, your own website, or for your store on another site such as Amazon, Etsy, or Bonanzle. Write your website or store address on boxes, poly mailers, etc. Tape a business card with clear tape to the back of the box or package. Include a business card or flyer insie the box as well. Look at the packaging you receive from businesses (such as the Amazon box in the photo). Don’t they put their website address on their packages? Think about how many pairs of eyes will see a package mailed thru USPS: The mail carrier, sorting clerks, delivery personnel, and others. Each of these people is a potential customer.

You can be marketing to all kinds of people involved in processing, delivering, and even just seeing your package as it makes its way to the final customer.

Here are some examples:

Customers who have eBay orders delivered to their work address. It also has to be handled through their internal mail system. If you have ever worked in a mail room, you know that mail processors look at the packages. “Hmmm, wonder what this is.” Trust me, people are nosey.

Customers who live in apartment buildings, condos, dorms, or other multi-family housing. Other people will see the package or have to pass it on to the final customer.

International customers. Mail personnel processing and delivering mail in other countries will see your web address and might check out your site.

And while we are on the subject of marketing, click here to download a FREE excerpt of how to use Twitter for marketing. More and more eBay sellers are using Twitter to promote their items and their stores.

Related Articles:

Should eBay Sellers Also Have Their Own Website

How to Get Free Business Cards for Your Small Business

How to Capture the eBay Segment of the Online Consumer Market

Happy Selling!

eBay Seller Success Story: Remington Tight Curls

These have been a hot one (no pun intended) on eBay for years. When I first heard about these a couple of years ago, I couldn't figure out what was so special about them until I saw a listing with the word "pageant" in the title.

Blue Remington Tight Curls make the spiral Shirley Temple curls worn by little girls in beauty pageants. Spiral curls are also popular in the competitive cheerleading world. The rollers heat up fast and stay hot for a long time. Pageant Moms love these! They often come to eBay to buy them.

Jessica from the SAHM eBay Facebook Group shared a recent sale with us. Jessica said, "At one of the yard sales I went to today I found my first set of Remington Tight Curls that looks brand new, still in the box with the clips!!! I was SOOO excited! It was like it was just staring at me when I walked up to the sale." And here is her listing:



Remington Tight Curls W/ Box & Original Clips Pageant

Click here to see all completed listings for Remington Tight Curls.

Jessica's Cost: $4
Selling Price: $80
Profit Before Fees: $76

Way to go, Jessica! Great sale!

And here is something interesting - here is just the base for the tight curls, no rollers or clips, that sold for $51:


REMINGTON TIGHT CURLS Hot Roller Base Unit Only H-21SP

So, don't even pass up the warming unit if you see it without the rollers!

Click here for my list of thrift store items to sell on eBay. Want to know about more thrift store finds to sell on eBay? Check out Thrift Store Goldmine, which contains 61 pages of items just like this. You may already have some of these huge money makers in your house, and not even know they are valuable!

Happy Selling!

Professional All-Stars - Which Ones Stuff Sells Best on eBay?

I read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal the selling price of player-specific professional sports merchandise on eBay. According to the article, "From June 5 to July 5, the merchandise of the 64 players originally voted to the 2009 All-Star Game represented nearly $850,000 in sales on eBay, with an average of $13,267 per player." (WSJ, July 15.)

Here is the breakdown of the top 3 players:

1) Derek Jeter, NYY 6,505 items sold, $199,176 total
2) Evan Longoria,TB 2,518 items sold, $86, 182 total
3) Albert Pujols, STL 1,502 items sold, $83,646 total

Keep these names in mind as you are out shopping in thrift stores and come across sports jerseys or other sports paraphernalia.

Happy Selling!

Discontinued Item to Sell on eBay - St. Ives Oil Free Moisturizer

St.Ives is more of an "affordable" brand rather than a designer or upscale brand, but people know what they like. The St. Ives Oil Free Moisturizer has been discontinued. Here is a completed listing for this item:




ST IVES OIL FREE FACIAL MOISTURIZER DISCONTINUED

Look for this item in the usual places: Big Lots, clearance sections of Walgreens, Kroger, Walmart, and other stores.

Click here for a FREE list of other discontinued items to sell on eBay.

Related Articles:

Source for eBay Inventory - Walgreens

How to Get Free Products from CVS to Sell on eBay

How to Make Money on eBay Selling Items from Kroger

Happy Selling!



eBay Store Critique - $19.95, Money Back Guarantee

Open Letter to John Donahoe Regarding Proposed eBay Changes

I have seen some interesting conversations about the proposed eBay item page redesign that I mentioned on my blog yesterday. (Click here to read the post.)

I agree that change can be good or bad, and I am certainly not anti-change or anti-eBay. But, in this case, I think sellers deserve a choice. When something like this happens, we have 3 options:

1) Do nothing.
2) Whine, complain, moan, gripe, and be a helpless victim.
3) Stand together and voice our opinions in a mature way in order to be heard, and try to make a difference.

I choose #3.

Some of you have mentioned that you would like to send a letter to John Donahoe (President and CEO of eBay) and voice your concerns, but you aren't sure what to say or you don't have time to sit down and write a letter. I have crafted a "form" letter that you can copy, paste into WORD or notepad, print, sign, and mail. You can change it, add to it, whatever - it is just a starting point. It will take you less than 5 minutes to print this out and sign it, stick a stamp on it, and drop it in the mail. Maybe if eBay receives enough of these types of letters, they will reconsider. All we can do is try.

This commenter said it well, "I would encourage everyone to write a physical letter and send it snail mail. Ebay needs to get back to their grassroots. They are poisoning the golden goose - us." Without sellers, eBay would have no buyers, and make no money. We deserve a chance to be heard. We are important in determining eBay's bottom line.

Letter to John Donahoe, President and CEO of eBay

John Donahoe, President and CEO
eBay Inc.
2145 Hamilton Avenue
San Jose, California 95125

Dear Mr. Donahoe,

As an eBay seller, it has come to my attention that eBay is considering another item page redesign. It is my understanding that this new design will give sellers very little control over the look and feel of the item page, and may restrict the sellers’ ability to use third party or custom designed templates. As it stands now, sellers can format the description area as we like and add any information about the item that we choose, along with photos of our choosing and video. I personally enjoy having this option.

If I understand the proposed changes correctly, the new version of the item description page will only allow limited content and each section could only contain a single photo or video, with fixed size and placement on the page.

While I understand eBay’s goal of standardizing the item description page, I feel that these changes will limit my ability to create my listings as I choose, and prevent my listings from being unique – a vital element of being a successful eBay seller. I do not want my listings to look like everyone else’s. I enjoy the freedom of using a third party template design service and choosing a template that compliments the item I am selling. One reason I sell on eBay (rather than Amazon or other sites) is because of the flexibility I am allowed to create my item listings, and the competitive edge I gain by having the freedom to be unique. Should this option be removed, I will be very disappointed and may have to move my online ecommerce business elsewhere.

I hope that eBay will reconsider restricting sellers’ ability to design our item pages as we like. This area of creativity is what makes eBay different. Amazon, Etsy, Bonanzle, and other sites dictate the look and feel of its sellers listings. eBay is the only site that allows its sellers any degree of creativity in our selling. Please don’t take that away from us.

Perhaps you can get input from sellers before implementing this change – maybe add a poll to the eBay site or give us the chance to vote. I would like the opportunity to have a choice or a vote in this decision.

Please consider the opinions and desires of eBay sellers before making this change.

Sincerely,



Name

eBay User ID

eBay Store Name


I encourage you to pass this along to other sellers via Twitter, Facebook, your groups and forums, or other sellers that you know. There is strength in numbers. Maybe we can make a difference. All we can do is try!

Happy Selling!

eBay Item Page Redesign - Important Information

The purpose of my blog is to help eBay sellers succeed and make money. It is not to bash eBay - there are enough of those blogs out there. But a change may be coming that is going to affect our ability to compete as sellers on eBay, and I am exercising my first amendment right to express my opinion.

Ina Steiner wrote on her Auction Bytes blog about eBay testing the redesign of the item page. The new design would not allow for third party templates (such as from Seller SourceBook, Auctiva, or any HTML designs, such as a customized page) - but only their own standardized design. This standardized design will not give sellers the ability to be creative on our item listings. In other words,

EVERYONE'S LISTINGS WILL LOOK THE SAME
And do you really want your listings to look like everyone else's? (Click here to read the article on the Auction Bytes blog.) Image from Auction Bytes blog.

Ummm, what? I think this is a horrible idea. Let's face it, third party template designers are in business for a reason, the templates offered by eBay were never appealing. I speak for myself and many others who love SSB and want the freedom to design my listings the way I choose. And what about those of you who have paid big bucks for a custom designed item page? Those may just evaporate. Kiss your investment goodbye. I don't want my listings to look like everyone else's - I want to be different, and unique. And most of all, I want the freedom to choose what my listing looks like, I don't want eBay thinking for me. Another proposed change is the limit of only 1 photo. What? That will only hinder our ability to sell - not being able to show multiple photos of an item. How can we accurately represent our items and effectively sell when we are restricted to only one photo?

If this change does go into effect, think of our friends at SSB, Auctiva, and all of the eBay designers that will have the rug pulled out from under them. This economy is already bad enough - and now these third party template sellers could be out of a job? I can speak for my personal experience with Kristen Rice, the founder of SSB - she has done nothing but be supportive and loyal to eBay since she started her business. She and her team earn their living providing template services for eBay sellers - and this could all evaporate if eBay takes away our choice to use third party template designers.

eBay will no doubt read this post as I have linked to them and they will see the incoming links. Please leave your comments about this change so that eBay can read them and understand how we feel about this potential change.

My comment to eBay: You are only going to lose more sellers with this change - they will leave in droves. WE DON"T WANT IT. We don't want eBay to look like Amazon where every listing looks the same. Let us vote. Send out an email ballot or put a poll on the site where we can vote on this. GIVE THE SELLERS A VOICE, WE DESERVE IT.

As sellers, we should have a vote - we pay our fees every month and are the bread and butter of eBay's operation. We should have a voice, and a choice. Please pass this article along to other sellers, post it on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, and on your groups and forums. Maybe if we speak up, eBay will listen.

If you want to put your opinion into the hands of eBay's CEO, write a letter. Maybe if they get thousands of letters, they will listen. eBay's address:

eBay Inc.
Attn: John Donahoe, President and CEO
2145 Hamilton Avenue
San Jose, California 95125

My letter goes out on Monday.

Thanks for your input!

Easy Money on eBay - Sell Whole Coupon Inserts

Selling grocery coupons on eBay can be a tedious and time consuming process. But, if you get the Sunday paper anyway, and don't use all the coupons, you can just sell the inserts intact. This is so much faster and easier than selling individual coupons since you will only have one listing, one photo, and one item to mail.

I know some sellers who gather up inserts from their friends and neighbors and just sell the whole inserts as a lot. You won't become a millionaire doing this, but it is easy and you can make some extra cash without much effort. Here are a few examples of completed listings for whole grocery coupon inserts:



20 Complete P&G BrandSaver Insert Coupons - July 2009




5 Complete P&G BrandSaver Insert Coupons - 7/5

Click here to see all completed listings for coupon inserts on eBay.

Even if you only profit $10 on a batch of grocery coupon inserts, that is $10 more than you had, and your time investment is about 10 minutes.

Related Articles

Sell Box Tops for Education on eBay

How to Make Money on eBay Selling (Unwanted) Gift Cards

How to Get Free Starbucks Gift Cards to Resell on eBay

Happy Selling!

eBay Coach Take on ProStores - Bad Idea

I received a sales letter from the people at ProStores, basically wanting me to promote their product. If you are not familiar with ProStores, here it is in a nutshell:

"At ProStores, an eBay Company, we enable small- and medium-sized businesses to sell products and services online. We provide our merchants everything they need to set up, design, and manage a customizable virtual storefront at their own Internet domain." (ProStores.com)

Here is my response. I would love your input on this.

"I am not "sold" on the value or purpose of a ProStore. I know of several e-commerce sites that offer the same features and benefits for as low as $19.95 a month. These ecommerce stores offer total flexibility and independence from eBay, which is what people want.

eBay sellers don't see the value in opening another store tied to eBay - and having additional fees and more eBay rules to follow. If they want their own store apart from their current eBay store, they want independence from eBay to run their business by their own rules, not eBay's. As eBay sellers, our hands become more tied every day because of eBay's rules. When eBay took away the seller's right to leave negative feedback for sellers, they lost a huge following and the trust and loyalty of long-time sellers. eBay is slowly taking away the power of its sellers. For some of us, our livelihood depends on eBay - it isn't just a hobby or fun past time. It is how we pay our mortgage. People don't want something else run by eBay that will eventually work against them.

For non-eBay sellers, they may have been burned by eBay and/or Paypal, they don't want to be associated with eBay in any way - for the same reasons as above. (Trust me, I hear this every day.)

I haven't heard of or spoken to a single on-line seller who thinks ProStores is a good idea. Sorry, but that is the consensus out here in the real world. eBay needs to rethink this one. I hope you will forward this to the appropriate person so they know how sellers feel about ProStores."

I would love to hear your opinion on this - whether you agree or disagree. Maybe you can sell me on the concept because I really don't get it.

If you are considering opening your own web store, click here to read my article, "Should eBay Sellers Have Their Own Website?"

Happy Selling!

Tips for Selling Coupons on eBay - Don't Do Auctions

I came across an interesting conversation on one of my SAHM/WAHM forums from moms who buy grocery coupons on eBay. They hate auctions! Here is why.

1) Moms generally know what grocery coupons they want because they are familiar with the inserts, they do the grocery shopping, and it is their "job" to know. They check eBay and search for what they want - baby diapers, tooth whitening toothpaste, allergy medicine, coffee creamer, whatever. They are on a mission to find what they need to get their savings at the grocery store.

2) Moms are busy. They have a million things to do and remember every day. (Can you relate?) They only have limited time to get on the computer/iPhone/Blackberry and buy their grocery coupons. They don't have time to bid on auctions or haggle over the price of a lot of grocery coupons.

3) Moms want their coupons NOW so they can start using them. The life of a grocery coupon is often short - sometimes only 2-3 weeks. Moms want those coupons in their hands ASAP so they can get to the store and start using them. They don't have time to wait for an auction to end in 5 days.

4) Moms are willing to pay MORE for coupons on Buy it Now or Fixed Price rather than hassle with bidding on an auction. One mom said, "Most all coupon sellers charge about the same. It isn't worth my time to look through 50 listings with only a 25 cent price differential. I am willing to pay more on BIN to get what I need faster." For example, say an eBay grocery coupon seller is selling $2 off Claritin coupons, offering 20 in a lot. That is $40 in potential savings, if all the coupons are used. Some moms aren't willing to haggle over $1-$2 - they just want those coupons in their hands NOW so they can start buying the product before the coupons expire.

Related Articles:

Make Money on eBay Selling Grocery Coupons

How to Get Unlimited Free Grocery Coupons

How to Get Free Groceries from Walmart

Happy Selling!

Discontinued Item to Sell on eBay - Kodachrome Film

I was reading Time Magazine and came across an article on Kodachrome film. "After a 74 year run, Kodachrome, the world's first commercially successful color film, was pulled by Eastman Kodak because of the the declining demand." - Time Magazine, July 6, 2009, page 17.

I suppose we have digital cameras to thank for this. Naturally, I went to check eBay and found that Kodachrome products are good sellers - probably collectors gathering them while they still can. There are various listings from camera film, slide film, and more. Here is one listing for 3 rolls of Kodachrome film that sold for $66.00:



3 rolls of Kodachrome 64 (36 exp. 07/2010) slides film

Click here to see all completed listings for Kodachrome film.

Kodak expects the supply to become exhausted by the fall and you might be able to find it in camera shops until them. If you have some Kodachrome lying around, and you aren't too attached to it, you might consider selling it on eBay. This will also be a good item to look for at garage and estate sales. Experts speculate that this item may become highly collectible as it was a huge part of the Baby Boomer's generation. Let me know if you find any!

Click here for a FREE list of other discontinued items to sell on eBay.

Happy Selling!

eBay Customers Provide Valuable Insight into What to Sell

The best source of information for learning what to sell on eBay is your customers. Talk to them. Understand what they want. Figure out what they are doing. They will surprise you.

Case in point. Back when I started selling on eBay UK, Kool-Aid drink mix was one of my best sellers. I couldn't imagine why - let's face it, Kool-Aid isn't all that great. So one day I got an order from a customer in Sweden. She wanted to know if I could send her 200 packets of Kool-Aid in several very specific flavors. She took the liberty of informing me that she is a art teacher and they use Kool-Aid to dye fabric, yarn, and other cloth materials for art projects. The Kool-Aid powder is non-toxic, easy to use, cheap, and if little kids eat it, no harm done - except they might be a little hyper from the sugar. Click here for a crafter's article about how to dye using Kool-Aid.

I was thrilled at this revelation - wow, I had no idea. I was discussing this discovery with my 14 year old daughter (who gets very tired of my eBay stories), and she said: "Duh, mom, everyone at school uses it to dye their hair funky colors.It is cheap and it works and their moms don't have to take them to the salon." Check out this video on "How to Dye Your Hair With Kool-Aid."



Aha! Light bulb came on. So now I had a product that I could market to my overseas customers in a different way. I started listing the Kool-Aid as "non-toxic hair dye" in the hair products section on eBay UK. I also listed it in the art category and found a whole new market for my product!

Moral of the story: Listen to your customers. Ask them questions. Find out what they are up to. You might stumble onto a way to sell an existing product to a whole new group of customers.

Related Articles:

eBay Seller Question: Should I Have My Own Website?

How to Sell on eBay UK

How to Make Money on eBay Selling WalMart Items

Happy Selling!