I received the following email from a reader:
"Do you think not living by a Goodwill Outlet is working against me? I mean can I still sell on eBay without having a Goodwill Outlet store close by? I mean sometimes I find it hard to find things to resell at Goodwill and Savers. Yard sales are seasonal. Savers is so over priced I cry when I leave. The regular Goodwill store is ok but I feel as though what is left over wont sell that well that's why there left behind. My nearest goodwill outlet is about 1 hour 15 minutes away and the last time I went didn't find too much and kind of thought twice about my drive being worth it. I mean is it crazy for me to drive that far to maybe leave empty-handed? I am starting to wonder if selling on Ebay is for me anymore."
Having access to an outlet certainly helps with getting inventory cheaper. It is all about what you pay for inventory.
I understand about overpriced items at stores - it can be hard. However, I wouldn't assume that what is leftover in GW is not sellable. Everyone is looking for different things. The people ahead of you may have been looking for books and toys and you are looking at clothes. They are constantly adding new things to the sales floor, so you may be the first person to see something. One person's trash is another person's treasure. You aren't buying every single item from a thrift store that has value on eBay, so why assume everyone else is?
Also, it may be what you are selling. To survive on eBay I am a firm believer that you must diversify. The more you know about different things, the better picker you will be. Think about it. If you specialize and just sell dolls or purses, you may be walking past literally hundreds of items that you could turn a profit on. You just have to study, study, study and learn what to look for. It is constantly changing. I am selling things this year that I never heard of or never tried last year at this time.
One thing you can do is use Facebook Buy Sell groups, or the Let Go app and buy stuff other people are selling locally.
You can also put ads on Craigslist that you buy certain items. Something like, "Downsizing? We buy your used stuff." Then see what you get.
It is very important to change your mentality to one of abundance from one of scarcity. It may seem that there isn't anything to sell, but maybe there are other ways you can go about it.
And eBay isn't for everyone forever. Some people burn out and decide it isn't working for them. Things change, sometimes it is time to move on and try something different.
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