5 New Things I Learned to Sell on eBay in 2016

Time for my annual post about what I learned this year! Here are some of my sales from 2016.  I am posting these to illustrate what is possible as well as emphasize that to keep your business growing, it is important to keep learning year after year. Building an eBay business isn't about the rare big scores, it is about consistency, commitment, and flexibility. 

1. Snow Globes
I never tried snow globes before, but saw many people posting their success with them on the Money Making Mondays threads in my Facebook group. I always avoided them because I thought the shipping would be a hassle. Boy was I missing out! Here are a few of my sales this year. I still have the highly coveted Little Mermaid Symphony Under the Sea snow globe that sells for $300 (found it at a yard sale, new in box for $30!) Had lots of low offers but the right buyer will come. I sold these snow globes this year:

 Little Mermaid Snow Globe $10 at yard sale, sold for $125

Hallmark Frosty Friends Snow Globe $3 at Goodwill, sold for $149

Shalom Snow Globe $2 at Goodwill, sold for $28 on BO

2. Rugs. This is another item I hadn't really looked at but they sell well and are easy to ship.

Found this Capel rug at a garage sale for $6. It was lying on the lady's driveway with a bunch of other rugs. Sold for full price of $124.97 and shipped to Montana, to a lovely log cabin.

$3 at Goodwill, sold for $29.97. Not huge, but plenty of sellers overlook these.

3. Kavu bags. I only found one of these but look for them everywhere. The killer is when you are in Goodwill and the shoppers are wearing them!

$3 at Goodwill, sold for $59.97. Check out my blog post about this brand.

 

4. Tennis dresses worn by famous athletes. I didn't realize there was a connection between a particular tennis dress worn in a tournament and eBay prices. But fans will pay big bucks for a specific dress that their favorite player wore in a tournament. I found these two:

Nike Maria Sharapova tennis dress, $6 at Goodwill, took Best Offer of $60.

Nike Maria Sharapova tennis dress, $6 at Goodwill, took Best Offer of $70. Learn more about selling expensive tennis dresses here.

5. Hats. The magic here is how cheap you can get them. Goodwill's prices on hats are not low enough to turn a profit, so I look for these at other thrift stores or garage sales. Just look for cool or interesting logos, they will sell. All of these cost $1 or less and sold for $20-$25. You can get a Styrofoam head at a beauty supply store or a craft store for about $4. Good margins on hats!

The key to a sustainable eBay business is continued education. Keep learning how to use the resources around you to make money from the comfort of home. I have been selling since 2003 and learn something new every day.

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