Billions of dollars worth of products are sold on eBay and other online merchants every year. Where are people getting all these items to sell? Surely, they've emptied their closets and garages by now. Even if they have, finding stuff to sell online is still relatively easy. Several sources are available for those who want to make a little or a lot of cash selling online.
Home Stuff
Not all garages have been cleared of junk. Weekend garage sales are still popular places to find items to sell. Sales in higher income areas tend to net more quality items like designer clothes, high end furniture, and antiques. However, don't neglect an average Joe garage sale; one never knows what unique items will be unearthed regardless of the neighborhood. Go to these sales toward the end of the day. Homeowners will be more inclined to sell you merchandise at rock bottom prices rather than having to pack up unsold items.
Look through your own garage and closets to find items to sell online. You may be harboring old clothes, books, Cds, and toys that will bring in a few bucks online. Offer to rid your friends and family of their unwanted junk by selling on consignment. You sell their stuff and keep %25 of the profits. Local retailers may also agree to let you sell their overstocks and returned merchandise on consignment as well.
Buy Online, Sell Online
Finding stuff to sell online is as easy as buying it from the same online source. eBay is an excellent place to find everything from antiques to huge lots of merchandise that you can buy and resell at a profit.
Locate other online sources by using search terms such as wholesale liquidators, closeout dealers, and drop-ship services. These same sources can also be found in print media including the Yellow Pages and classified ads in newspapers, trade magazines, and free weeklies.
Auction Action
Unclaimed, slightly damaged, and repossessed merchandise can be purchased at freight claims and government auctions. Check the Yellow Pages for contact information and newspaper classified section for upcoming sales.
There's a storage unit operation on every corner these days. The storage company auctions off the contents of unpaid rental units. Although the contents are sold sight unseen, there's probably enough sale worthy items inside to let you break even.
Garage Sales: You can find a dozen yard sales in any given city in the US every Saturday. You must get up early to beat the "early birds". I have found that name brand clothes at yard sales, used or new always sell. If you have found something that you are unsure whether it will sell or not, buy it if it is cheap.
Thrift Stores: Thrift stores are always a good place to find items to sell. A good place to look is the end of town where the wealthy donate their stuff. They usually do not have time to have a yard sale and it is just easier to drop off their stuff at the thrift store. You can find overstock items from Target at Goodwill. They are usually all together on a rack right inside the door.
Friends & Family: I have had friends and family give me their stuff to sell for them. I could make a business just doing this and some people have. Either the stuff is given to me and they say keep what ever you can get for it, or they say that they will split the profit with me.
Retail Stores: If you love to shop than this should be an easy route. I often find items 50% and 75% off that will sell. I bought a bottle of shampoo for $1.33 at the mall once and it sold for $33.00.
Online: You can find wholesale prices on the internet, sometimes you may have to buy it in bulk in order to get the wholesale price.
Your house: You would be surprised at what you have in your own home that you call junk that is someone else's treasure. I had a set of perfume that I paid $5.00 for on clearance. It sat in my house unused for years. I sold it for over $50.00.
Auctions: You can go to a local auction and buy stuff that will sell. I purchased a vacation at an auction for $800.00 that I decided to use but I easily could have sold it for $3000.00.
If you have a Blackberry and you are out shopping you can look the item up on your phone to see if it will sell or not. Or you can call someone at home and have them look it up for you. Type in the item you are searching for and when your listings come up scroll down and on the left hand side there is a box that you can check that says "completed". It will bring up all of the auctions that have closed using your key word term. All of the amounts in green have sold and the amounts in red have not sold. You can arrange them in order from highest price or most recently closed auctions. This should give you an idea if the item will sell or not.
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