Become an Amazon and eBay Seller
Amazon has become a mainstream place for people to sell used and new goods on it – almost in the same vein as eBay once was. The difference is, there’s no bidding – you set a price and that’s what you’ll get (along with shipping).
Both of these are viable options for you, and you can make some quick holiday cash by learning the ins and outs of Amazon and eBay to help you flip goods that you already own or find in your local area.
Setting Up an Amazon Seller Account
To start selling on Amazon, you need your business name and a credit card on file as well as a phone number and your tax ID information. This is how you register as a professional business if you plan to do this long-term. It costs $39.99 a month to sell on Amazon plus a percentage of the sale.
You can also sign up to be an individual seller on Amazon if you have fewer than 40 items to list (but this won’t generate the most money for your holiday cash needs). If you choose this option, you just pay $0.99 per sale plus other selling fees that are added on – but you don’t pay if it doesn’t sell.
You can store your items with Amazon if you don’t want to bother with storing and shipping and when a new order comes in, they will pick it, pack it and ship it to your paying customer!
You can run special ads on Amazon to get more exposure for your products. You’re paying for each click that gets generated through your ad. But these are extras you don’t really need in the beginning when you’re just getting started.
As you start selling, customers will leave you feedback ratings and if you provide excellent service, your sales will increase – because you’ll be seen as a trustworthy seller. You get paid fourteen days after the sales, when your account “settles.”
Setting Up an eBay Seller Account
Anyone can sell on eBay, but instead of paying only if your item sells, you’re going to be paying fees to list your products – whether or not they sell. So you want to make sure it has a good chance before you start randomly listing a bunch of items on the site.
To open an account, all you need to do is confirm your name and address as well as a good phone number they can reach you at. You’ll need to set up some sort of payment method for them to charge you fees and they like it when you get your PayPal account verified for them.
You’ll want to take a lot of time crafting your listing until you get the hang of it. Buyers like to know the details, what condition the product is in – and they love seeing pictures of the item before they bid.
When the auction closes (or someone uses your Buy It Now feature), you need to be the one communicating with the buyer, making sure payment is sent and your item is shipped.
Finding Products to Sell on eBay and Amazon
You might have to get prior approval to sell certain things on Amazon. You can’t just put anything and everything on the site. For example, clothes can’t be used – they have to be new, and you need approval to begin selling.
On Amazon, textbook season is a big seller – and it conveniently comes right before the holiday season – perfect for you! You can either take textbooks from your own children who don’t need them anymore, or scout local booksellers for some cheap deals and flip them on the Amazon site.
The actual season lasts from the middle of July through the middle of October. It revs up again from December to February. These are the peak seasons when college kids are buying their textbooks for courses.
Many eBay and Amazon sellers make it a point of visiting local thrift stores to see what kinds of bargains they can get to resell items online. Some even venture outside of their local area to go on treasure-hunting trips and scour farther out for some viable items to sell.
If you want to know what products are considered evergreen in terms of how hot they are, they include:
· Computers and laptops
· Cell phones
· Cameras
· Clothing and accessories
· Books
· Music
· Jewelry
· Toys
That’s only a small sampling of items that tend to sell well on eBay and Amazon. There are many others – and it pays to stay tuned to the news and see what’s trending and poised to be a big seller this holiday season so you can add to your extra holiday cash coffers.
How to Price Your Products for Sale
Pricing is all based on the condition of your items and what kind of competition there is for it on the two sites. You first want to gauge the condition of your item. Is it like new? In very good condition? Acceptable?
You want to make it worth selling on one of the sites, but you don’t want to overprice it to your target audience because there will be a competitor ready to snag the sale.
Around Christmastime, there are many Amazon sellers who are able to find products locally that are sold out elsewhere and make a pretty penny – especially for top toys that are every kid’s “must have” list.
Which Is Better – eBay or Amazon?
Both of these sites are now household names, so you can’t argue that one is better known that another. However, most people going to Amazon are usually looking for a new version of the product – and if that can’t be found, they will go to a used option.
You don’t have to sell used items on Amazon – yours can be new, too. And it’s a great place to take advantage of the holiday shopping that goes on right around the fall and winter season.
Amazon attracts tons of buyers during the holiday season – especially for books and DVD collections. They also handle the payment process, whereas you’re responsible for that via eBay.
Because sellers rely so heavily on feedback, it’s a plus that eBay constantly provides reminder to buyers to leave feedback. Amazon doesn’t do that – it’s up to the customer to remember to leave it, and unfortunately, unless they have a negative experience, they usually don’t.
One person who has sold on both eBay and Amazon noted that the customer service task is heavier for you on eBay. People ask more questions. But on Amazon, questions are rare.