Greetings. I'm an eBay PowerSeller. This guide started out as a  thread in the PowerSellers Newsgroup. Here's my list of selling sources for eBay Sellers. I begin with the beginner basics and end with PowerSeller secrets:

  The very first items you can sell on eBay are your used items or unwanted gifts.  You should be very confident selling an item you have used, and this will help you easily describe its benefits and you will be able to answer any questions about it easily. For example, maybe sell baby clothes your last child has outgrown, or golf clubs you can no longer use, your stamp collection you are ready to part with. 

Next, you can sell for friends and family members. These should be strong family ties, like your mom, who will handle it okay if the auction does not go as well as planned.

  Curbmart (fancy way of saying trash picking, or dumpster diving).  Take your van out on trash day and drive slowly. 

Go knock on doors of local Churches and businesses. Give them your business card. Tell them you will list their stuff for auction and what percentage you will charge. To learn more: check out the ebay Trading Assistant Discussion boards.

  Clearance aisles at any store. Don't be afraid to ask for the manager. Tell them you will take it all  (for a larger discount).

eBay has wholesale and lot auctions. Buy a case of something, then auction them off individually.

Go to store and museum grand openings and other Free-to-The-Public Promotional events. Those freebies add up and are often collectibles. For example, P&G had a Nascar Racing Car in my local grocery store parking lot. I don't follow Nascar, so normally I would pass this opportunity. But I took my little brother over and we got free caps, diecast cars and Tide coupons. I'm pretty sure each item went for ten bucks on eBay (except the Tide coupons- I used them).  

Google these words: closeouts, liquidations, liquidators, fire sales, surplus, salvage, auctions, overruns, overstock, bankruptcies, pallets and government auctions.

Look for Going-Out-of-Business sales, Sheriff sales, Storage Unit sales at public auctions.

The general concensus is that Dropshippers must be chosen wisely. You get the eBay feedback based on their performance, so you wanna make sure they share your high standards. The biggest problem seems to be when an item is out of stock. Other pitfalls are: returns, insurance claims for broken items, delivery confirmation, and what happens if they go bankrupt. Most experienced sellers will advise you to not sell anything unless you have it on hand or have a good backup plan. But if you are adventurous, Google: Dropshippers.

  Factory Outlet stores.  Call your local travel agency to take a tour bus there.

  Buddy up with a small local business owner.   They might be willing to split the cost of ordering wholesale with you. For example: they usually buy 1 case of pickles for sixty dollars. Their supplier sells 2 cases for one hundred dollars. If you each buy one case, the price is only fifty dollars per case. Even if there is no money savings, he might be getting some type of points from his supplier for placing larger orders.

  Buy post-season, place in storage, then sell pre-season. After Christmas, Hallmark stores sell their leftover ornaments at 50% off. By February, they are selling them at 75% off.  Halloween costumes at an outlet store in November are practically free. Bathing suits are heavily discounted in July, and baseball gloves can be found in clearance aisles once football season starts. This needs a little research and also careful storage.  But not always. If it is spring here, it is not in Australia. And, as the lovely lady illustrates- some people do wear bikinis in snow.

  Local flea markets, church bazaars, and yard sales. One man's junk is another's treasure. Try to focus on what you know and research collectibles at the local library. 

Make crafts to sell. Knit, paint, tile, glue, bead, string, sew- have fun.

Read local classifieds for items wanted or items for sale. Moving and Divorce sales might be good for either picking up a bargain to re-sell or to sell your services as a Trading Assistant. Research how to pack and ship larger items so that you do not limit your sales area to local pickup only. 

Craigslist is a dot com. It has a section advertising free items. That's a pretty good price to re-sell. From the main site you can click on your city and find local items. They are often larger items they want you to pick up or items offered by the environmentally aware looking to recycle.

Grab your Sunday paper ads and note the items that are free, after rebate. Denture cream, keyboard, batteries, and Office Supply items are popular "free after rebate" in the Computer stores and Pharmacy circulars. Make a list and hit one store on your way home from work each night. Be sure to get your money back through rebates. After a couple of months you can start grouping the stuff together and make gift baskets or sell in large quantities.

Put an ad in the paper advertising your services to do free cleanouts of basements, garages, vacant apartments or estates. You take a lot of stuff to the dump, and keep what you can re-sell. 

Get a business license at city hall. Next thing you know, you are on a mailing list and suppliers are mailing you catalogs, begging you to buy their stuff.

Join a Retail Association, join the better Business Bureau, and Small Business Association. Call your local convention centers or Google: Trade Show Calendars. Network with other entrepreneurs and get on mailing lists.
 
To find wholesale merchandise, go to your local library to find a set of reference books called: The Thomas Registry. It looks like a set of encyclopedias and has a list of every American manufacturer and distributor. The "ThomasRegional" also has a dot com site and a Global index of international manufacturers and suppliers.

  Meditate. Seriously, the power is within. Like, when you got married and you couldn't find a cake topper that expressed your personality or body type. You aren't alone; design and create what you wanted/needed- and now sell it to other brides.

When your kids were little, what you wouldn't have done for "this or that." Meditate some more- figure out how to create "this or that." Help those busy young moms.

Every find something in the mall that you are tickled with? Wished you found it sooner? Can't believe it's so simple and makes your life so much better and how come everyone doesn't have one? There is this famous guy who felt that way about an electric razor he liked. He bought the company and started selling them with a huge marketing campaign: "I liked the product so much, I bought the company." You don't have to buy the company- just a few cases of the product and share them with your eBay friends 

  Are you the one everyone in the family turns to for a handmade scarf or dress or art deco frame? Time to turn your gifts into a business.

Anyone walk into your house and ooh and aaahhhh over something clever you displayed, improved upon, used in an unusual way, turned into a lamp, lacquered, upgraded? Time to start selling what they are smelling.

Meditate and try to recall when you said "there must be a better way," or "I can make this," or "does everyone know how great this item is?" Then follow through. Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. I learned that on the Cash Cab show last night. 
 
Almost forgot- everything nowadays has an 800 number or website address on the package. When you are browsing stores, flip the item over, jot down the info and call the company. Ask them for a catalog, or how to order, and what is their minimum purchase and what they require for you to buy from them. Then meet their requirements. 
 
Most manufacturers will mail you a free sample. Call them all up and ask for some. 
 
Subscribe to a Tightwad newsletter or gazette or lurk in usenet for Penny Pinching groups that have FREE stuff lists. Sell your service of coupon clipping (I think, if I understand the rules correctly, you can't sell coupons, but you can sell your service- charge for the time it took you to collect or cut-out coupons).

Also, say you buy SugarShakes Cereal (made up name)and they have "proof of purchase," or whatever thingees/points printed on the box. Stick an empty coffee can in the pantry and drop the proofs of purchase in the can. After a year or two, send in the proof of purchases for a SpongeBob blowup chair (random item for illustration) and sell it on eBay. The trick is to have the can full of Proof-of-Purchases when a merchandise giveaway is offered.
 
Thrift stores, like The Salvation Army or Goodwill have e-commerce web sites, as well as brick and mortar stores.

Public Domain stuff can be copied and sold. Burn CDs or type up manuals or books. Make sure there is no copyright first. Must be in the public domain.
 
Pieces of things and broken stuff. One man's broken cup is another's mosaic tile package. Your monopoly game, missing half the pieces might be the pieces someone else with half of a game needs. A local upscale gift shop I visit makes jewelry out of old typewriter keys.

There's a dot com called FleamarketGuide  so you can find flea markets wherever you go.

  Okay, so you venture out to eBay Japan, use a language translation tool, only to discover the wholesaler won't ship outside of Japan. Have no fear, Deputy Dog is here, LOL.
Yup, the service you need is called a Deputy Service. They will bid for you and arrange shipping to you.  Google: Country name plus Deputy Service.

A popular source known to many PowerSellers:  Google these words: QVC/Vendor Information/Liquidation

My store: Polar Express Gifts