Starting an eBay Business

Drop shipping VS. Wholesale

Starting an eBay business is very involved. More so, than most people think. If you haven't already, go back and read Page 1 on starting with eBay.

Now that we have covered what not to sell, lets talk about what you should sell. You want to pick categories of items that are already HOT! Do not go for something obscure that only 5% of the population would know about...go for something that most people are interested in or have at least has heard of. For your eBay business, you will want to target an audience, for example, Webkinz (electronic pets) are hot right now, so your target audience would be elementary and junior high aged children (both boys and girls). Or you may be interested in selling automobile parts, which would make your target audience may be predominantly males, ages 16-50, for example. If you know who you are selling to, it will be much easier to actually sell.

Here is a list of the most popular search categories online:

· Antiques

· Dolls & bears

· Travel

· Art

· Books

· CD's

· DVD's

· Automotive parts

· Consumer electronics

· Computers

· Office supply

· Travel

· Books

· Gifts

· Software

· Apparel & accessories

· Tickets

· Coins

· Stamps

· Toys & hobbies

· Jewelry & watches

In order to give you a better idea of what types of items your eBay business should sell, we have compiled a list of great niche ideas, and they are as follows:

Antique Reproductions Apparel & Accessories Appliances Art Reproductions As Seen On TV Automotive Parts & Accessories Baby Products Bags/Backpacks Baskets Bathroom Accessories Batteries Beads Beauty & Barber Supplies Binoculars Books Brassware Briefcases Calculators Cameras & Supplies Camping Equip & Accessories Candles Candy/Confectionery Caps/Headwear Cellular Products & Acc. Ceramics (kitchenware) Christmas Items Cigarette Lighters Cleaning Products Clocks Closeouts Collectibles Computer Parts & Supplies Convenience Store Items Cookware Cosmetics Crafts & Hobby Items Crystal Cutlery Novelties Office Supplies Organizers & Planners Outerwear Paintball Games Supplies Paints & Painting Supplies Party Supplies Perfumes & Fragrances Pet Products Pewter Items Picture Frames Plasticware Plush Toys Porcelain Posters Potpourri Vitamins Wallets

Decorative Accessories Dollar Store Items Dolls Domestics Electronics Figurines Flags Floral & Supplies Food Products/Snacks Footwear Framed Prints/Pictures Fund Raising Items Garden Products Gemstones Giftware Gloves Greeting Cards Hair Accessories Handbags Hardware Health & Beauty Herbal Products Home Furnishings Hosiery Houseware Inflatables Jewelry Key rings/Chains Knives (Kitchen) Knives (Sporting) Lamps/Lighting Leather Goods Licensed Products Lingerie Luggage Magnets Military Surplus Mirrors Musical Boxes Pottery Replica Arms & Armor Rugs & Mats Safety & Security Products School Supplies Shopping Bags Smoking Accessories Sporting Goods/ Sportswear Stationery Stickers & Decals Store Displays Sunglasses & Accessories T-Shirts Tapestries/Quilts Tools Toys Watches

Now that we have covered what to sell, we need to discuss where you will get your items from. Dropshipping is a great way to start your eBay business because it minimizes risk. Not only do you not have to pay upfront for the goods, but you don't have to bother with shipping the item either. It is a quick and easy way to get yourself out there, and begin getting customer feedback. The drawback would be that you will not be able to compete as much as you would probably like to with the other sellers out there. When you are using dropshipping, you must use their given prices as your starting point, but you must also add in any drop ship fees, listing fees, and shipping costs associated with the product.

However, if you decide to go with wholesale items that you purchase first in bulk, you have much more control over shipping costs, pricing etc. There really is no right or wrong answer with an eBay business...it is just what ever you are comfortable with. You will notice there are powersellers in each category, so it is really up to you. We recommend using wholesale if you are comfortable with that, and can afford to shell out the cash first. You will increase your profit margin many times over, and also have unique photographs to post, and not the same ones other people might be using also.