Finding the
best products to sell on eBay is trickier than simply
stating "selling (fill in the blank) will guarantee you
success." As a matter of fact, a large percentage of the
auctions that end with no sales are the result of
thinking that "if only I could find THE RIGHT product,
sales will come pouring in automatically."
In reality, there are plenty of sellers who sell the
hottest products on eBay who earn next to nothing for
all their work. The question isn't "What are the best
products to sell on eBay?" The real question is "What
are your best products to sell on eBay?"
Finding products to sell in the wrong way
Looking for a magic product that will automatically sell
well for anyone usually results in prospective sellers
checking out the best selling eBay products on the eBay
Pulse and then trying to find someone who'll sell those
products to them wholesale.
Usually, the only "wholesalers" those prospective eBay
sellers find are scammers who call themselves
distributors, but charge such high "wholesale" prices
that the seller will be lucky just to break even.
And even if
they avoid the scammers and find a legitimate
distributor for products, (such as through the Worldwide
Brands or Hienote manufacturer and distributor
directories) they hunt randomly until some product
catches their eye and they decide to sell that product
on eBay without the least bit of research.
So they either wind up buying Louis Vuitton handbags at
much higher than they should just because they're one of
the best selling products on eBay (whether the seller
has ever heard of Louis Vuitton or not), or they sell
something on the basis of impulse.
But those kinds of product decisions are where a lot of
those "no-sale" auctions come from. So how do you find
best selling products to sell on eBay—products that
actually sell?
Step 1—look at yourself
Find products that are close to your heart—not just
products that you think others will find cool. Ask
yourself these questions:
What do I like to do in my spare time?
What do I like to collect?
What do I like to read about?
What are my favorite hobbies?
What do people tell me I do really well?
What do I know a lot about?
Once you've determined what you enjoy and know about,
limit yourself to products within those areas. The more
knowledge and passion you have about your products the
more effective you'll be in selling them. Someone whose
passion is about backpacking will not communicate as
effectively with the Louis Vuitton crowd as they will
with other avid backpackers. You always sell best the
things that are part of who you are.
Step 2: Look for problems your target audience has
Once you narrow your search to the areas you know and
love, think of all the problems the people who love the
same things need solved. This again, is easier in an
area you know and love than in a totally unfamiliar one.
What needs do they have? What problems do they face?
Don't worry about products at this point. The problems
you identify will lead you to thinking about what they
need to solve those problems. And the things they need
to solve those problems will be your best products to
sell on eBay.
Step 3: Check out your competition
Having developed a list of problems, solutions and
potential products, you now are ready to research those
products. If you have some specific product types in
mind, search for them on eBay (or any whatever auction
site you plan to use).
How many auctions do you find? How closely related are
the products offered there to your products? Click on a
few auctions similar to the products you want to offer.
Then do the most important research step, the step that
most unsuccessful eBay sellers never do.
Log in to your eBay account
Do a search for the keywords that describe your product
In the Search Options on the left side of the page, put
a check mark in the Completed Listings box
Click the Show Items button
Your search results will change from active auctions to
completed auctions. Scroll down the page and see how the
products you're considering have done. Have a good
percentage of them sold? Then you have a promising
product to sell on eBay. Take note at the typical
selling price and charge right ahead into finding a
supplier for your product.
If auctions for that product show only a small
scattering of sales, check out other product ideas until
you hit on a winner, or look for other keywords by which
your product can be found and repeat the same check
there.
You definitely want to know if your potential product is
selling before you go through the effort to find a
supplier. I'm constantly amazed by the number of eBay
sellers who choose the same products that too many
people already are selling on eBay, almost guaranteeing
themselves failure.
What if your research shows up nothing? Then switch to
plan 2.
Check eBay's own What's Hot page. Click on the Hot Items
by Category link and you'll see a list of best selling
categories on eBay. See what's selling in the categories
that are dear to you. The Hot Items by Category report
is a great brainstorming tool when you get stuck
researching what products to sell.
And hey, don't be afraid to go to plan 3, either. If
there are problems out there that you have a solution
for that no one else is providing, create your own. Info
products are huge on eBay. And if you can provide a
solution to a common problem in your niche, you'll have
the whole field all to yourself.
And don't feel intimidated by the idea of creating an
info product. It's easier than you think, and you're
welcome to find out more about creating you own info
product and download a free ebook to help you do it, if
that's the to get your best product for eBay.
Step 4: Find your suppliers
Now that you've found your best products to sell, you're
ready to find suppliers. You can go the long, tedious
way of searching the Internet and contacting potential
suppliers to ask if they'll sell wholesale to you, but
there are tools that can make your searching much
easier.
If you'd like to sell on eBay through drop shipping
arrangements click
this link to know more about how drop shipping
works.
Final thoughts
The key to finding the best products to sell on eBay
lies in finding products that best suit your interests
and best solve the problems that people who have those
same interests have.
There is no magic product that will ensure your success.
But by following these four steps, you can put yourself
in a position where you'll enjoy what you're doing and
have products that you know people will buy. And that's
a pretty good starting point for success.