I am obsessed with eBay! It hits just about every facet of my life. Like may may others on eBay, I too am a powerseller. I do not have a wholesale connection, or an endless supply of new items. I make a nice monthly income by selling good old fashioned used items. I mean, the kind anyone can pick up, in any state, in any town. It's about hard work, having an eye for things, and doing a LOT of research. I am not an expert in any category, but I have learned many things about many topics. Anybody can do it, the information is all right there on eBay, it's just a matter of finding it. These ideas may not work for everyone, but they work for me.

Where does my 'stock' come from? Yard sales, Goodwills, thrift stores, and auctions. I go to just about every sale listed in our local paper, every weekend. I live in a small town of about 9000 people, so there aren't even that many to go to. Usually we are finished before breakfast! I read the ads ads the night before, and decide which ones may have goods that I might want. If I have been there before, if falls to the bottom of the list. If they have it often, it falls even lower. If they are new to yard sales, or an estate sale, I try to go there first. I also try to BE there first. It is true that the early bird gets the worm.

Once there, what the heck do you look for to buy? If it's popular at Walmart right now, stay away from it. That being said, I DO shop the clearance aisle at Walmart.  Most recently I made a few dollars on some clearanced Nemo sheets.  I didn't get rich on them, but it was worth my time to pick them up!   If it's something that's made to be a collectible, stay away from it. What do I mean by that? Dale Earnhardt Sr. collectibles were mass produced after his death. Unless you know exactly what you are looking at, shy away from it. Or run to a computer, look it up on eBay, and then buy it, so you aren't stuck with something that you can't sell. Even things like Elvis and Beatles records are not the high seller that you would think they would be, unless it's that rare one that's hard to find.  

With that in mind, look for the odd things. The older things. Things with logos, or brands, or cartoon characters. Unusual things. Or, do a lot of research on a few topics, and only look for items that fit into those categories. I am no expert on Barbies, but I know an old one when I see it. If I can buy it for 1.00, I can then spend three hours on the computer finding out exactly what kind it is, what markings to look for, and where to start the auction. Again, if it looks like something my daughter would play with, I shy away from it unless I KNOW what it is, or unless I can jump on a computer quickly and check.

I quickly learned that Zoodles was a great brand for kids clothing. I also learned about designs and how the tags are marked, and about piling. Then there is always the matching socks and hairbows, etc.. I read other people's auctions that were selling them to see how they were listing them. I learned that Gymboree clothes are also great. I figured out quickly that there are lines of clothing produced each year, and if I knew what line an item came from, I had a much better chance of selling it. Unfortunately, I also learned that the clothes my kids wore, were not big sellers by themselves. Luckily, Old Navy and the Gap sell well when sold in a lot of clothing in a particular size. All of this came from again looking everything up on eBay first, before I ever listed the first item.

I have also figured out that sometimes when something ISN'T on eBay, it's could be because noone else has it. For example, we went to a yard sale and spent .50 on a chipped little olive jar with a smiling cartoon type face on the side. I let it sit forever, because it had a chip, and also because I could never see one on eBay. Finally from much persuasion from my husband (after all HE found the dish), I put it on eBay. He lets me know all about it now, since it sold for over fifty dollars. Turns out it was a rare Holt Howard vintage Olive jar container. I had never seen one before, so I was scared to take a chance.

Another odd thing was some older motorcycle racing newspapers. We actually found them in a neighbor's garbage! I listed them (I was getting smarter now..) even though I couldn't find anything like them on eBay. Bidders got into a bidding war on them, and in the end they sold for over $200.00. Turns out they were racing papers for the ascot racers in the '60s, and one of the racers wanted to show his kids what he used to do, since he was featured in several of the pictures!

When there are no sales in the winter, I shop indoors. Goodwill and thrift stores offer a wealth of supplies, even though I pay more for it. Same idea goes here, but just check everything twice before you buy. I have several higher end women's clothing brands that I look for, as well as brands for men. I don't worry too much about the sizing, but larger sizes sell better. Guess we all can't be a size four. I know I'm not! If you find a brand you haven't heard of, but the quality looks nice, again, run home, check the brand out, and then buy it for the first time. Or, quickly call a friend who has computer access and tell them to look it up! Once you know it's a keeper, you can add it to your list of brands to look for. I keep a cheat sheet index card in my purse so I can remember if I like a brand or not.

 My mother in law bought an old picture in a frame at a yard sale, just because she liked it. Her first experience on eBay ended with a $100 sale of this picture. Not because of the picture itself, but because of the vintage frame it was in. Now she is always looking at frames to find another one to sell!

On my list of things to buy, I also have what NOT to buy. I tend to get hooked by dish sets. I know better than to buy them, but I do anyway. Consequently, I have several older sets, that although they are nice to look at, noone wants them. Why? Because they are too heavy to ship. I do well with the accessory pieces, but have problems with the dish sets themselves. This is my experience, but others who KNOW what to look for, do much better. It's all in the research, Remember to not fall in to the trap of buying what you like and hoping someone else will too. Know what the hot topics are before you even go out to buy something.

Having mentioned Walmart earlier, I also check out the local Home Depot clearance items, and even the local 'mom and pop' stores, where everything is kind of old and dusty.  Again, I am following the idea of something unusual, even though it is still 'brand new' so to speak. 

Last Christmas, I listed a few choice PS2 and game system accessory pieces that my local Walmart had.  I marked them up a few dollars, and made sure my fees were covered.  I didn't get rich on them, but I did make money.  I also checked out the hot toys that were hard to find.  Again, my local Walmart had a few.  I  bought them straight off the shelf, marked them up a bit, and sold them.  I didn't make a mint on this, but I did get to eat out a few times off the proceeds!!

One final hint, when checking things out, make sure you are spelling the item correctly in your search, and that you search BOTH completed items and items that are now running. Check out steiff stuffed animals and stieff stuffed animals. Big difference in how you spell the brand name. I know, since I once made this mistake. Another example: Carole Little clothing actually has an E on the end of Carole, and Holt Howard is NOT Hold Howard! Other eBayers make money from finding misspelled auctions, buying the items cheaply, and then reselling them for a profit by just correcting the spelling! If you don't find it in your first search, get a broader range, and just start looking at the pictures to narrow it down. That's how I once figured out what a vintage plate was. Going from 'pink plate' to 'vintage pink plate' to 'pastel pink' to finally figure out that 'LuRay pink pastel dinner plate' was where I needed to be.