If you’ve sold on eBay for a little while, pretty soon the question will come up, “What do I sell?” You need to think about what product category you want to sell in. Since there are thousands of categories, you have many options to choose from.

Back just a few short years ago, I was getting started. I didn’t know what I wanted to sell. How did I decide? Well, let me tell you a bit about me. I’m a gadget geek. I know what electronics are going to come out before they do. I watch the gadget blogs. I keep tabs on what Apple is doing, and know when they are going to upgrade their iPhones. It’s a hobby of mine.

It wasn’t hard to go from my gadget hobby to selling gadgets on eBay. I sold my PlayStation 2. I sold a Gameboy and some computer games. It was easy because I knew electronics was my forte. After I ran out of things to sell around the house, I found an electronics wholesaler. They had webcams and computer accessories, and we still sell those to this day.

How does this story help you? Ask yourself… what do you like? Selling what you like will make your research and product buying a whole lot easier. Remember that whatever product category you choose to sell in, you’ll be spending a lot of time working and figuring out what to sell. If you sell the types of products that you’re already interested in, then the “work” of talking to suppliers and researching will be easier. (An added bonus is that if you sell what you like, you can always have one for yourself.))

Let’s say you’re just getting started on eBay and you have an idea. Let’s say that it doesn’t work out the way you hoped. The great thing about eBay is that nothing is set in stone. If you have an idea (or no idea at all) that’s ok. The main thing is to get started. You can always change direction later, but you have to start moving first. Choose an eBay category that you think you can sell in.

Think about an airplane taking off from an airport. Does it always take off in the exact direction that it will end up? No. Most planes take off not pointed in the direction they eventually want to go, but when they are in the air, the pilot can make course adjustments. This applies to your business as well. Don’t worry if you take off in a different direction than you want to go. The main point when you’re a beginner is to get off the ground, and you do this by selling whatever you can at first. Once you’re in the air, then you can change the direction you’re going.

To reiterate: the most important thing you can do when you get started is to build momentum. Don’t travel in 15 directions at once. Just start by selling items around your house. Then, once you’ve run out of household items to sell, pick an eBay niche. Don’t stress about it, just try something based on your hobbies.

Jesse Holmes is an expert eBay Powerseller, author, speaker and consultant. He is willing to show you how to make money on eBay with his easy to follow eBay 101 Start Up Kit, but only for a limited time. Go now for instant free access!

Where do I get profitable products? That’s the big question when selling on eBay, and it might seem like the hardest question to answer. Maybe you’ve been frustrated when you have found products from a ‘drop shipper’ and found that the items sell on eBay for less than the ‘wholesale price’ that you could buy them for.

It’s not the best business model to sell stuff for less than you pay for it, unless you absolutely positively know that you are going to be able to get more business from that customer to offset your losses. But that’s pretty advanced stuff if you’re just getting started selling on eBay, and in no way should you tell everyone that I gave you a reason to sell items for less than you pay for them.

Make sure that you don’t fall into the ‘drop shipping’ trap. I’ve wasted hours hoping to find a good product in a drop-shippers’ catalog without success. Yes, they have products that you can sell on eBay, but the key (as we just said) is selling them profitably. Most drop shippers just aren’t profitable for you an eBay seller.

The real way to make money on eBay is to analyze what the big sellers are doing. How are they profitably moving inventory? You’ll soon discover that selling eBay is very different than selling on most sites. Yes, people are looking for a great deal, but there’s more you need to consider.

Let’s say you are looking for something specific. You go on eBay and look around for the best price. Yet, that seller looks untrustworthy. You’ll probably buy from another seller, even if the price is a bit higher because of the “trust” factor.

Some people think that if they are the cheapest price on eBay, that will guarantee them maximum sales. While that might be true in the short-term, chances are that their profit margins will be so small that they won’t be in business for long. Remember that you’re in business to provide an experience for your customer. This includes a great product at a good price. Also, it means that you make a reasonable profit.

So how do you enter a competitive market and earn peoples business when it seems that everyone just wants the lowest price?

There are a few different ways. One of them is to make sure that your listing stands out from the crowd on more things than just price. Draw your customer’s eyes away from the price tag by taking amazing pictures. Make sure that you have the most relevant keywords in your listing title to maximize your listing traffic. However you can, get people to click on your listing. Once you do that, you’ll have a better chance of selling to that customer.

Once they land on your listing, yes your feedback has much to do with trust, but also the professionalism of your listing. You need to position yourself in a way that shows you are a trustworthy quality seller who is dedicated to providing the best customer experience.

How do you do this? Have a nice looking listing template, professional and clear policies, original pictures of your item, and a clear description that isn’t just jargon ripped off of the manufacturers website.

If you’ve bought on eBay, maybe you can remember the feeling of wondering whether the seller is legitimate or not. The gut feeling of whether you could trust them with your money. You don’t want other buyers having doubts when they come to your eBay listing. While some people are always skeptical and won’t trust anyone, most people understand what a reputable seller looks like. The bottom line is that buyers do business with someone that they trust.

The first-impression carries the most weight. If you can set yourself apart from the crowd from the first time that people see you, then you’ll have a competitive edge to selling on eBay.

Jesse Holmes is the designer of the free eBay 101 Start Up Kit. In this step by step video kit he will show you exactly how to sell on eBay quickly and easily! Get your exclusive free copy while supplies last.

Let’s say you could have an entire business in a box. What if someone gave you every tool you needed, all the software, the website, the merchant account, and most importantly, millions of customers ready to buy what you sell. Would you be interested? How much would you pay for that “instant” business. Hundreds or maybe even thousands of dollars?

The fact is that’s what eBay is. It’s the fastest and easiest way to have a web presence today and start making money online before the end of the week. You can literally have a complete eBay business structure set up that is selling products online in 30 minutes.

eBay is huge. In 2008, over $60 billion dollars in total merchandise was traded on eBay, and there are almost 90 million active members worldwide on eBay. Do you think one of those people want what you’re selling? With $2,000 worth of goods being traded every single second, do you still think eBay a viable marketplace?

The real question is, how can you be a successful seller on eBay? Of the thousands of people that have sold on eBay, only a select few have massive success. While you might hear lots of stories about eBay millionaires, it’s a small percentage of those who have tried.

Why is that? The main reason is because the average person goes on eBay and instantly thinks that eBay will make them right overnight. Sorry to tell you, but that’s not how business works. Building a business is a process that requires learning certain skills. You need to know how to provide a great product or service for your customer. The sellers who are making it big online are those who are focused on the customer first.

But don’t think to yourself that the people that are making money on eBay are any different than you, or somehow they’re entitled to it and you’re not. Yes there are things you will need to learn, but remember everyone starts at the beginning and nobody is born an Olympic athlete.

One of the great advantages to selling on eBay is that there is so little risk to get started. You don’t have to hire a dozen employees and rent a warehouse. You don’t have to raise thousands of dollars in capital.

All you really need is a computer, an internet connection and a digital camera. Other than that, there isn’t much else. Of course you’re going to need products to sell, but if you find good products from the very start, you can easily buy inventory and keep the cash moving through your business.

Business truly is changing today. The barriers to enter a market are quickly diminishing, and you can start being your own boss quicker than ever before. You’re going to see a huge influx in people wanting to make money online soon, and you don’t want to get left behind.

With everything you need to get started easily at your fingertips, why don’t you have a successful eBay business yet? Get away from the skeptics and naysayers, and start learning and implementing training from people that are already successful on eBay.

Jesse Holmes is the creator of the free eBay 101 Start Up Kit. In this step by step video kit he will show you exactly how to sell on eBay quickly and easily! Get your exclusive free copy while supplies last.

So you want to start an eBay business? That’s awesome because I think that eBay is the fastest and easiest way to get started selling online. No other website can even come close to the $60 billion in sales that happened on eBay in 2008.

When you’re just getting started online, it’s important not to be an island. Sure you can run a massively successful eBay business from your home, but you’re going to have to connect with other “real” businesses in order to make the profits you want.

The best way to get what you want in life is to help other people get what they want. From the moment you start your business, you need to remember that you are only in business as long as you’re helping your customers. What’s the quickest way to see if you’re helping enough people? Check how much money you have in your bank account. If your bank balance is low, then you’re not helping many people. If you want to grow your bank balance, you need to help more people.

So how do you help and connect with people? One main thing you need to do is get out in the community. Make sure you’re seen and people know what you do. Talk with local store owners. Make sure you always have your business cards with you, and give them out whenever you can. Let everyone know that you sell on eBay, not just your firends and family.

The more you get connected with people in your community, the more opportunities you have for you to help them (and them to help you). Think about businesses that you could help. Could you help them sell excess inventory? Are there other local businesses that need help to sell their products online? What about individuals that may need their antiques sold? When you start looking around, you’ll see opportunities all around you.

So what’s the bottom line? The more connections you have, the more people you help. The more people you help, the more successful you’ll become.

Jesse Holmes is an expert eBay Powerseller, author, speaker and consultant. He is willing to take you step by step and show you how to sell on eBay with his easy to follow eBay 101 Start Up Kit, but only for a limited time. Go now for exclusive free access!

Some people have decent eBay businesses pulling in good weekly profits and they aren’t interested in making more money. This information is not for those people. For everyone else who wants to grow their eBay business bigger and much more profitable, here are some simple things you can put into action immediately that will fatten your wallet and increase profit margins.

1) Building a list of past customers. If they purchased from you in the past there’s a good chance they will buy from you again. Send them emails of special offers, new inventory, or rare items in stock. All you need to do is get their emails out of PayPal and into an autoresponder.

2) eBay’s Publisher Network. eBay will send you money if someone buys an item on eBay after clicking through your link. Use this with tip #1 and you can really see some great results.

3) Checking your pricing. You should stay on top of your pricing once a week or so and adjust your prices to compete the changing marketplace. Many businesses will take a cut on their margins to turn over inventory quicker and increase cash flow.

4) Clearing out old inventory. Sometimes I hold on to inventory for too long by not budging on my profit margins or lowering pricing. This inventory takes up shelf space, ties up capital, and hinders cash flow. Get it out, get your cash back, and get some new stock.

5) Watching your pennies. With a few simple tricks we have reduced our listing fees by 60-80% because of eBay’s new policies. We can get the same amount of sales by putting many items in one listing and optimizing that listing for ‘Best Match’. We also have found that using 30 day or good till canceled listing durations help in lowering fees. With just those few changes we have lowered our eBay fee invoices from over $1500 to under $300.

Jesse Holmes is an eBay PowerSeller and Entrepreneur who has been making money on eBay for over 3 years. Before you start selling on eBay, don’t miss his excellent free eBay Business Start Up Kit, showing you step by step how to learn to sell on eBay.

When first learning how to sell on eBay, there’s one thing I can think of that attributed greatly to our success…

It was in our first year of “business” – meaning that we spent tons of time and money trying to learn how to start our eBay business, but still never had one.

(Isn’t it funny how determined you can be to get started at something, and how you can learn everything about a subject… but it doesn’t matter until you actually get started with it?)

We were learning from some top experts everything we could ever want about starting an eBay business, but we never took action to get started. We kept procrastinating and learning more and more without actually doing what was taught.

That’s such a big barrier today with many people looking to get started making money online. Learning about the topic and hearing other people’s success stories gives you the feeling that you’re actually moving forward and making progress towards your ultimate goal, even though you haven’t put in the work necessary to achieve that goal.

Let me tell you how we went from just learning to a profitable $3,000 a month eBay business in less than 60 days.

What was it? Well, our mentors created a contest. They said that the first person who could sell $1,000 in one month would win a cash prize.

I’m not saying that entering a contest is going to make you successful. It’s much more than that. It wasn’t about winning the prize or even what we were going to do with the prize money once we won. It was just a goal with a tangible outcome that we believed in and were determined to hit.

We went for it. We were determined to be the first to sell $1,000 in a month. We suddenly were accomplishing more than we ever thought possible. We pulled out all the stops. We accomplished more in that month than we had in the previous 6 months combined. Did we win the contest? Unfortunately we didn’t, but that didn’t matter as much when we saw how much we could accomplish.

What surprised us is that we did more than we ever thought we could. We were very close to hitting that $1,000 sales number in our first month. The next month, we sold $3,000! So it only took 60 days to go from making $0 to selling $3,000 per month.

So what does this mean for someone who wants to learn how to sell?

Well, if you’ve been struggling to get an eBay business going, there’s one thing you need to do. Yes, you need to keep researching and learning, but the main thing you need to do is commit. It’s amazing what you can achieve when you truly commit. When you believe that starting an eBay business will change your life and provide you with a passive income in spite of the present economy, nothing will stop you.

It’s not going to happen in an instant. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. You need to find the proper step by step training by someone who has been there and laid the groundwork for you, and you need to follow them to the letter.

But if you’re looking close, success leaves footprints. If you follow in the footsteps of someone who is already making money online, you’ll be a success too.

Jesse Holmes is an eBay PowerSeller who has been selling on eBay for over 3 years. Before you start an eBay business, make sure you check out his recently updated free eBay 101 Start Up Kit, showing you step by step how to make money on eBay.

Let’s say you’re just getting started on eBay. You’ve opened up your account and now you’re looking for something to sell. If you’ve already followed our advice to sell the stuff around your house you may be wondering what to sell next. Sure, your attic and closets may be clean, and you’ve gotten rid of the clutter, but now what?

The bottom line is that your success on eBay is directly related to the products you have to sell. If you don’t have any products to sell, then you don’t have an eBay business. How would you like a never-ending supply of products?

If so, the answer is simple – become an eBay Trading Assistant. What is this, you ask? Well in a nutshell, a Trading Assistant is someone who helps other people get their items sold on eBay. So if you have an Aunt Gertrude who wants her old porcelain figurines sold on eBay, she can go to you to get them sold. You take the pictures, you write the titles and descriptions, You do everything to “assist” your Aunt Gertrude to sell.

Now since your Aunt Gertrude is family, you would probably do this for free for her. Yet for neighbors in your community, you could do the same thing but charge them a small fee to do it, either a commission on the sale price, or a fixed fee. Or, if you found someone with a lot of products to sell, you could buy their products and resell them yourself.

It’s really that simple to have an unlimited supply of products. Everyone you can think of has something extra cluttering up their house. Why not help them get rid of it (and help yourself in the process)? eBay estimates that most people have over $1000 worth of items around the house that are being unused. You can easily see that tapping into this for just a few people will keep you busy for weeks to come.

Ok, so you do want to be a Trading Assistant. There are two ways to do it. First, you can do it the “official way” by registering on eBay. This will advertise you in eBay’s official “Trading Assistant Directory.” However, to be put in their directory, you need to be aware of a few things. First, you need to have 100 feedback ratings, with 98% of them positive. Also, you need to have sold 10 items in the previous 3 months. Your eBay account must also be in good standings. For the official details visit eBay at www.tradingassistant.com

If you don’t meet eBay’s requirements, however, don’t let that discourage you. You can still be a Trading Assistant “unofficially.” eBay can’t stop you from helping other people sell on eBay. The only real difference between being “offical” or “unofficial” is whether or not you can use eBay’s official Trading Assistant logo and be listed in the directory of Trading Assistants (so others can go onto eBay and find you). But regardless of whether you choose to be official or not, it’s always up to you to find who you can help.

Here are some suggestions how you can promote yourself as a Trading Assistant. One key ingredient is to get the word out. Talk to your friends and neighbors. Ask if they have anything to sell on eBay. The more people that know you are the guy (or gal) to go to for help for selling on eBay, then the more successful you’ll be. Another idea is to post flyers around town saying that you’ll sell their stuff on eBay. Consider putting a classified ad in the paper as well.

There really is no end of products you can sell on eBay. With a little ingenuity, you can be the “go-to” person that takes care of everything eBay related.

Jesse Holmes is an eBay PowerSeller and Entrepreneur who has been making money on eBay for more than 3 years. Before you start selling on eBay, you need to check out his excellent free eBay Business Start Up Kit, showing you step by step how to learn to sell on eBay.

You’ve worked for a company for many years. Now, you can enjoy your retirement. Have you found it difficult to go from being busy to not working? Do you have a collection of antiques that you’ve collected over the years? Or, maybe you have a hobby that you enjoy. Maybe you’ve heard about people who take their hobbies and their antiques and put them on eBay. Have you ever wondered if you could do this too?

The answer is yes. The eBay website is a great platform for you to take your antiques, your hobby, or whatever you want and put it online. You can sell virtually anything on eBay… and you’ve probably heard the news stores about the crazy items that look like famous figures. Yet regardless of the ‘quirkiness’ of eBay, it remains a trading platform that allows anyone to sell to millions of customers worldwide.

If you’re retired, eBay can be a great business for you. Why? Because you can do it at your own pace and from your own home. You set the terms… you decide what to sell. You can decide how much money you want to make and decide how much time you want to spend. You don’t have to spend an entire day in front of the computer if you don’t want to.

Another idea is to work on your eBay business with your family members. Do you have some grandchildren looking to start making some extra money? Why not help them get started by letting them sell your stuff on eBay?

Are you worried you won’t have the technical skills or tools to sell on eBay? Well, with eBay, as long as you have a computer, a digital camera, a bit of time, and a desire to learn, you should have no problem selling on eBay. Yes, there are things you’ll need to know how to do like upload pictures from your digital camera to your computer. You’ll need to know how to use the eBay website.

Jesse Holmes is an eBay PowerSeller who has been making money on eBay for more than 3 years. Before you start to sell on eBay, don’t miss his excellent free eBay Business Start Up Kit, showing you step by step how to learn to sell on eBay.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced eBay seller. All levels of experience must follow three basic product sourcing models to sell on eBay.

First, you could sell for other people as an eBay Trading Assistant. An eBay Trading Assistant is someone who sells products on behalf of other people in the community. You earn a commission on the products you sell, and if people know that you’ll sell their stuff on eBay, there will be no end of products for you.

Second, you can sell many one of a kind or unique items. For example, maybe you specialize in selling antiques. Every item is unique, and every item needs new pictures and descriptions. If you choose this product sourcing model, there are a few benefits. One of these benefits is that you’ll hopefully get to sell to a group of people who can’t wait to see what you’ll list next. You can really build a following of people naturally and easily. For example, let’s say you sold Native American hand-carved figurines. If you had a following of people who collected these, they would be waiting on the edge of their seats to see what you’ll list next. There’s excitement and anticipation there.

One of the main disadvantages of selling unique items is the fact that it is more time consuming than selling items in bulk. For example, if every item is one-of-a-kind, then there’s no way you can buy a bulk load with multiple quantities. You’ll have to make individual listings for every item, and thus become more efficient at making those listings. Don’t get bogged down if you choose this method. Streamline what you do, so you can effectively juggle time between finding products and selling them on eBay.

Last, let’s consider the third model, which is to buy inventory in bulk. This is the model that many eBay powersellers have found to work the best. Why? Well the main benefit is that you save a lot of time and energy in creating the listings. You only need to take the pictures and write the description once, even if you have hundreds or thousands of the same item for sale. You’ll save a ton of time over creating listings for unique items. The great thing is that once you’ve made the listing, then you’re done! You put the energy in once and get paid multiple times. One disadvantage of this method is that you might have to compete against other sellers who have recognized this too. Items that sell well tend to have a bit of competition. That’s why learning the skills to sell on eBay are vital. But once you’ve learned, you’ll be making money on eBay in no time.

Jesse Holmes is an eBay PowerSeller and Entrepreneur who has been making money on eBay for more than 3 years. Before you start to sell on eBay, make sure you check out his excellent free eBay Business Start Up Kit, showing you step by step how to learn to sell on eBay.

When new people are coming to eBay, often they focus on how to make a listing and understanding how eBay works. However one very important topic that many people miss is how to take good pictures. You could have a perfect description of your item, but if you have a bad picture, then your item likely won’t sell. If your item does sell, it will be for much less than you could have sold it for if you had a good picture.

While descriptions are important, they work along with taking good pictures. If you do not have good pictures, your buyers will not be able to tell if you’re telling the truth about your item. Not only do the pictures show the condition of your item, but they give an impression of what the item is to your buyer. A picture can also be used to show the size of an item. Although you can write the dimensions in the description, it’s easier for your buyer to see a size comparison and a pitcher. For example, smaller items can be placed next to a ruler. Larger items can be put next to other larger objects in order to show a comparison of size.

If you want to have a very successful eBay business, you should know how to take great pictures. If you don’t include pictures in your auctions, you might as well consider your listing fees wasted. There is nothing more important than having a good picture, because it shows what your buyer is actually getting. It shows what your item looks like, its condition, and its size. It also helps your buyer to trust you, because they know that you are putting the extra time and effort into your auction to take great pictures.

As you grow your eBay business, you might want to consider buying a high quality digital camera. You also might want to invest in a photo editing program such as Photoshop. Photo editing programs help you stand out from the crowd because they can make your pictures appear like they were taken by a professional.

Here’s a closing tip on taking pictures. When you do take pictures, make sure that you take them from as many angles as you can. The more pictures you can provide your customers, the more they will be able to trust you. This will have a direct impact on your sales.

Jesse Holmes is an eBay PowerSeller who has been making money on eBay for over 3 years. Before you start to sell on eBay, make sure you check out his excellent free eBay Business Start Up Kit, showing you step by step how to learn to sell on eBay.