eBay Business Ideas

eBay business ideas to set you up for success as an eBay entrepreneur.

Getting started as an eBay seller is an easy process. Find out how at Starting an eBay Business. However finding the right stuff to sell is more difficult. One of the biggest challenges to a profitable eBay business is to find the products that are both popular and profitable. Once you have exhausted your personal belongings and selling items you have around the home it is time to move on to finding new sources of merchandise. Here are some great ideas for selling on eBay.

• Find a niche. eBay business ideas for success focus on the seller finding good niche items that sell well. Focus on your areas of interest so that you know something about the products you are selling. If you have no knowledge of what you are selling you won't be able to answer buyer questions or create good listings. Make a list of potential niches related to these interests. Then use the resources available on eBay to research the demand and profitability of these niche items.
• Find out what buyers want. You can find out what buyers want by using some of the available eBay resources for sellers. eBay Pulse is a daily list of current trends and popular searches in each category. It allows you to find out the top searched items in any given category. More eBay business ideas for what to sell can be found by taking a virtual tour through the eBay house, click on items in each room and find out how often that item sells on eBay.
• Find items that are not too expensive to buy. Start off with less expensive items that are relatively easy to package and ship. Your initial inventory should not cost you a fortune. Start small and build your eBay business. Once you have decided on the type of items you are going to sell list a couple of these items on eBay and test the product out. The listing fees are very low so you can run a couple of trials without much cost. Once you have tested the demand for your items you can look at ways of sourcing the items in greater volumes.

Here are some eBay business ideas for items to sell.

• Books. Do you enjoy reading and browsing through books stores? Selling books is an easy category to start an eBay business in. Books can be found everywhere and are inexpensive to obtain and can more easily be sold for a profit. You can pick up used books at garage sales or a flea market for as little as 25 cents and resell them on eBay for as much as $10. Non-fiction books seem to sell better than fiction. Books on subjects like Art, History, Cooking, How to books, Medical and Health related books, Self help books and Sports books are some of the more popular non fiction categories. Books should be in good condition with no visible damage. Paperbacks are cheaper to ship than hardbacks. If you type the ISBN number, found on the back of most books, into your eBay listing form eBay will do a search for the book. If the book is the correct one then eBay fills in the rest of the listing form for you including a photo of the book. Creating a listing doesn't get any easier!


• Clothing and accessories. Are you passionate about fashion? Clothing and accessories is a huge category of items but you can easily find a niche within the category. Vintage wear is one of the most popular areas on eBay. These are fashion and accessories that are no longer made and are in big demand as they are not easy to find. Find out about vintage wear by reading relevant books. Learn how to recognize genuine vintage wear from the style, fabric, label and sewing method. This way you can find good bargains when you go hunting for your merchandise. Estate sales are a good source for vintage wear. You can find out about estate sales in the classified section of your local newspaper.
  Secondhand maternity wear is also a big seller. Buyers find it much more economical to purchase slightly used clothing in good condition to wear during a pregnancy than to pay top dollar for new clothes for just a few months' use. Used maternity wear is usually in good condition because it is worn for such a short time. Sourcing used maternity wear is not difficult - leave flyers at birthing and parenting classes, local birthing centers and immunization clinics offering to buy maternity wear that is no longer needed.


• Sports memorabilia. If you are a sports enthusiast this might be the right niche market for you. There are millions of eBay shoppers looking for sports memorablia from all levels and divisions in a wide variety of sports. Popular items in this category of eBay business ideas include football team apparel and souvenirs like NFL pins and key chains to team banners and flags. NFL posters and penants also sell well. Souvenir baseball equipment such as bats and helmets as well as MLB jerseys and caps are also favorites. NBA jerseys and jackets, photos and posters sell well. NASCAR fan clothing and souvenirs, as well as Formula 1 items are popular with racing enthusiasts. Soccer is enjoying increasing popularity in the U.S. and soccer shirts and jerseys and signed balls are in big demand. Other sports memorabilia include PGA souvenirs such as golf balls and pins, tennis souvenirs from the Grand Slam events, and boxing memorabilia such as boxing program and posters. Check your items for any markings, dates and titles which will help you to attract buyers. Authenticated sports memorabilia inspires confidence from buyers.

Starting a business on eBay requires careful planning and research. Find out more about selling on eBay using these guides.

About an eBay home business

How to start as a seller on eBay

What to sell on eBay

Pricing your products for eBay

How to sell on eBay

Making money on eBay - what you need to know

Become an eBay entrepreneur and make money from home

Use the search box to find what you are looking for.