How do you get started as a seller on eBay?

So what do you sell on eBay?
7 ways to get you started

Thousands of people start selling on eBay every day. Many want to start their own business. Most fail - but why?

It all seems so simple. Just get some products, put them on eBay, sit back and collect the money. What could be easier? What could possibly go wrong?

Well, quite a lot actually. It may look straightforward, and believe it or not it is sometimes as easy at that, but most of the time all sorts of other things happen and then it gets tricky.

One reason for failing is that some people try to get too big too soon. Way too big. A quick look at the people who ARE selling lots of items will show that most of them are eBay PowerSellers, and the majority of them have spent a lot of years (and a lot of money) building up their customer base and reputations.

Nobody plans to fail, but many fail to plan.

This perhaps the single most important reason business's go under. To be successful you have to work to a plan, and this is just as important with eBay as with any other business. You need to start small and work your way up.

Here are 7 ways to get off the ground with eBay.

1. Find a nice small 'niche' market.
2. Choose a good quality product. Stick with one product to start with.
3. Source from a reputable wholesale supplier. You'll need to re-order if it sells well.
4. Do your sums on all your outgoing costs.
5. Work out a competitive selling price.
6. Write a keyword rich title and listing with good description and digital photo.
7. List on eBay's Multiple Quantity 30 day 'Buy It Now' listing.

If you've done your homework correctly and the product is a good seller, you won't have time to sit back and watch the sales come in - you'll be too busy getting the orders delivered on time!

To start with only order a small batch of the product, until you know it sells well. You may love the item, but that doesn't mean everyone else will. Once you see the product is selling you need to think about ordering the next batch.

So what are the best products to sell? The best advice is to start with something you know. The more you know about a product the more you can talk about it. Tell everyone how good the product is. If you've bought it and used it yourself, tell them. Be enthusiastic when you write your description, it can be infectious.

There really are hundreds and hundreds of small but profitable 'niche' markets on eBay. Anything from hand made arts and crafts to antique collectables and old postcards. Just about any sort of hobby or special interest can be found on eBay, so before deciding on a product, spend some time going through the categories. I think you will be amazed at what you find.

If you're still not sure where to start or what to do, this may help. I came across a smashing book a while ago that will help you get started easily. This book by Amanda O'Brien leaves nothing out and is extremely easy to follow. If you really want to know how it's done, then this book is for you.

To discover top quality reliable wholesale suppliers, it's worth checking out this Wholesale Suppliers Directory. By joining with a low lifetime membership fee, you will have access to thousands and thousands of pre-selected wholesale suppliers.

For more tips and tricks about the world of eBay, please look through the rest of this blog, and also visit http://smartauctionprofits.blogspot.com/.