Here’s a Great Way to Make a Living on Ebay Even If You Have No Items to Sell

Let’s look at how you do it. You work as an intermediary. You find items that are available on the internet at a discount, and you list them on eBay as if you are the seller, yourself. Not to worry. There’s nothing unethical about this. In fact, it’s becoming very common these days. You should think of it like this. You’re offering a needed service to people who aren’t very talented with internet research. You’re finding inventory that they couldn’t find without any help. Now, there’s a little risk involved with this technique, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

There are many businesses where you can discover truly outstanding deals on any number of items. Some common websites to look are the Amazon.com marketplace, alternate auction sites (besides eBay), dropshippers, and online wholesalers. Once you find a great deal, you need to do a little research to find out what the value is on eBay. You can do a quick search of closed listings to see how much people are paying for the particular item you’ve found. Once you’ve confirmed that there’s a solid market for the item you’ve found, you list the item on eBay. You can use a stock photo of the item for your listing. These can usually be found on the original manufacturer’s web page.

When the item sells on eBay, you’ll get an email notification. Next, place an order for the actual item from your source. In some cases, depending on the source, you can have the product packed by your source so that it appears to have come directly from you. This is especially true in the case of dropshippers. Otherwise, you’ll need to have the item shipped directly to you; then you can ship the item to your customer. This incurs some shipping costs, and it takes longer for your customer to get the merchandise.

I said there may be some risk involved. The risk is to your eBay feedback score, which is essentially your reputation. You assume this risk by promising someone else’s item, and you’ll suffer if the item is not available when it comes time to deliver to your buyer. So, to protect yourself, you should only list items that are in good supply. Do not ever try to sell an item from a source that only has a few available. When a customer places an order with you, and you discover that the item is out of stock with your supplier, you’ll have to find another source quickly.

Probably, the best way to manage this risk is to use a dropshipper and to actually buy some inventory from the dropshipper, who then sets the inventory aside for you. When the merchandise sells, the dropshipper packages the item and ships it for you. This virtually guarantees that you’ll never receive an order only to find that your supplier is out of stock. Though, there’s a little risk with this method as well. Once you buy the item, you own it, even though it’s sitting in the dropshipper’s warehouse, and if the market price drops for that item, you’re out of luck. You may have to sell the product at a loss.

So, both methods come with their risks. You’ll have to decide which one you’re most comfortable with. As long as you’re deliberate, you’ll do well. And you’ll make some great money on eBay, while never stocking any products