Millions of would-be entrepreneurs want to sell things on eBay. EBay is the #1 home-business opportunity in the world right now, so it's natural that many are eager to find highly profitable items for re-sale on eBay. However, it's important to know that there are certain items that can't be sold. Here are a dozen of them ...
Some items are copyright infringement and can actually land a seller in federal prison:
1. Knock offs of music, TV shows or movies. The "bootleg" movies, for example, are often made by guys who sneak a movie camera into a newly-released movie where presumably, they crouch behind a seat and make a crummy copy. There is a large production of these counterfeit items in Asia where US laws have no power.
2. Software and computer games can likewise be copied and their sale is illegal by all US laws.
Naturally, the items above may be sold if you have a copy that you purchased legitimately and no longer want.
3, The so-called "replica" market for handbags, designer sunglasses and clothing is definitely forbidden although these items are often sold in physical stores around the US. Ironically, when attending eBay Live In New Orleans in 2004, we found a store in one of their famous markets selling replica purses that were not allowed on eBay.
4. Lazy and less-than-honest sellers often steal copyrighted material from other sellers. This has happened to me many times and eBay has a program called VERO (Verified Rights Owner) that will remove offending auctions, although there seems to be no penalty attached to the seller, which is unfortunate.
5. Alcoholic beverage sales are not allowed although a beverage "container', especially those of wine, may be sold for its value.
6. Cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco or coupons for such items are not permitted on eBay.com.
The EBay rules for collectible tobacco and alcohol containers are the same:
* The value of the item is in the collectible packaging, not in the wine/tobacco itself.
* The listing description should state that the package has not been opened, but that the twine/tobacco within is not for consumption.
* The collectible tobacco packaging must not be available at any retail outlet, and packaging must have a value that substantially exceeds the current retail price of that wine/tobacco product in the package.
* Sellers must take steps to ensure that the buyer of these collectibles is at least 18 years of age
7. Firearms are strictly regulated by US law and may not be sold on eBay.
8. Satellite and cable TV descramblers are forbidden by the Federal Trade Commission.
9. Animals and wildlife products may not be sold, which includes stuffed birds and pelts from endangered species. There are limited sales of ivory, tortoise shell, marine products and other items relating to animals. This area is quite complex and any would-be seller needs to thoroughly understand the various laws before getting involved in these sales.
10. Event tickets have state-by-state laws that make their sale complex. Some states, for instance, forbid anyone to make more than a few dollars in profit (or no profit at all) on the resale of tickets. For instance, Florida law states that tickets can be resold at no more than face value plus $1. In such states, these regulations apply only to buyers and sellers located in the same state as the actual event, meaning if a seller lives in Florida, he can't profit from ticket sales to Florida events. However, if he lives in any of the other 39 states, this restriction doesn't apply.
11. Listing a catalog of items that a seller offers for sale is forbidden. The only catalogs legally sold on eBay are collectible kinds, such as an old Sears Roebuck or Montgomery Ward's catalog that is memorabilia and doesn't offer current merchandise for sale.
12. Raffles and prizes are 100% prohibited. According to eBay, such promotions are highly regulated and may be unlawful in many states.
There are other kinds of merchandise that a seller may not sell on eBay, so carefully check eBay rules before listing anything. It's much better to know the rules in advance of spending money that can't be recouped.
Items That Sell On Ebay
That's why even on eBay people would rather go for those items that are selling like hot pancakes, so hot that they almost burn!
Basically, eBay categorize these items as "hot" whenever it obtains bids more than 30. Then after, eBay would classify them as "hot items". There are a lot of items that are already considered hot on eBay, though; things vary depending on what category these items fall. So, to know which things are considered hot items on eBay, here are some of them to give new customers an idea:
1. Domain names.
Because of the escalating development of the Internet these days, more and more people are getting "hooked-up" on the Net. That's why domain names sell like hot cakes on eBay. To-date, a domain name that has only three letters on it got 109 bids. That is really a hot number considering the usual number of bids that go around eBay.
2. Computers and other high-tech gadgets.
Still an information technology aftermath, more people go rage whenever they see computers, mobile phones, PDAs, laptop or notebooks, and digital camcorders are being sold on eBay. It seems that everybody just wants to be wired and hooked-up with the latest gadgets these days.
3. Jewelries.
And to think that most of the buyers are not just women. Jewelries especially if it has diamonds in it are so popular and in-demand. But people must consider when mulling over on this items - they are just too hot to handle.
4. Books.
Books also are also hot items on eBay these days especially those that fall on the interest of young adults like the Harry Potter series, The DaVinci Code, and those that are geared to give tips and tricks to businessmen and entrepreneurs.
5. Clothes.
Clothes sell hot too, and it's the fad that keep them reaching the top rank in the hot items category on eBay. And because brand names do matter nowadays, more people are vying on items that are branded. Some of these items also include perfumes and other garments.
These are just a few of the hot items being sold on eBay. This just goes to show that eBay is, indeed, the best place to get most from a bargain especially if the items are in-demand on eBay.
Both Rishabh Bathla & Nicky Pilkington are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.