Something is bugging me in the world of promoting selling used items eBay. There are a lot of YouTube videos and blogs showing shopping "hauls." Videos of people showing huge amounts of merchandise they have purchased to resell. Vans full of junk from yard sales or estate sales. Shopping carts full of clothing and household items at a Goodwill store. There is nothing wrong with using YouTube as an income stream and making a large number of videos in an attempt to make some extra cash. Just be careful whose advice you are taking - you will be the one spending the money on inventory that may not sell.
There is a huge difference between shopping and purchasing massive quantities of stuff to resell, knowing what to choose that will sell, and actually doing the work to sell it. Anybody can go to a Goodwill store, fill up a cart, claim they are going to sell a bunch of cheap merchandise on eBay for big bucks, and make a video about it. What you need to consider is, are they really a successful seller? I've never been one to show my hauls because what you buy does not always correspond to what sells. I don't like to mislead people. eBay offers unlimited opportunities, but let's get real. Many people fail in the resale business because they jump out there and purchase too much stuff without doing the research.
There are many other eBay mentors who have great eBay sales records and are very up front about their store names or eBay user IDs. I respect that. I like to see proof, and if you are just getting into this business or looking to grow your business to include different product lines, I encourage you to look for proof of what sells, rather than just be impressed with how much somebody can buy and the fact that they made a video. A few things you can do:
1. Check out that person's eBay store. Look at their feedback. Are they really selling anything?
2. If their store or eBay ID is not provided, ask for it in the comment section of the blog or YouTube.
3. Research completed listings for yourself and see what really sells.
4. Read the Money Making Mondays thread on my Facebook Group. Our members post items that actually sold, how much they paid for the item and where they found it, and links to the completed listings so everyone can see the actual sale.
I also have a board on Pinterest called, "Yep, I sold this on eBay!" that shows screenshots of my actual sales.
If you aren't sure what sells, download my free eBook, "Cash Hiding in Your Home" which showcases 25 common household items that regularly sell on eBay. The book has screen shots of actual sales, not just ideas.
Just because something is on the internet doesn't mean it is true...oh, and I am a French model.
I like to blog about my thrift store finds because I feel that someone who is reading my blog just might want to buy the item. Granted, it may sit for awhile but I try not to tell my readers they should buy this if in fact I have not sold it in the pass. For example, I blog about a barn theme canister set I found and a few days later it sold for a best offer of $60. I feel if I had not blogged about it, it would still be sitting in my store.
ReplyDeleteYou sure look like one in that picture !!! I am being serious....nice picture.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all that you do
Bob
I'm also a french model....we may have met on the runway at some point lol
ReplyDeleteThis is spot on. I will see new couples at auctions who buy up huge lots of items. I know they just watched a marathon of Storage Wars and see how easy it is to flip items.
ReplyDeleteThen I imagine they go home and sit among a pile of stuff they have no idea how to sell. I usually never see them at auctions again.
Its easy to accumulate. Its the serious sellers who can list it all.