How to Make Money on Ebay

Well, now that I've got two little ones at home I'm trying to find opportunities to work from home. Something I've recently gotten into is selling things on Ebay. I thought I'd put together some info on how to make money doing this, in case anyone was interested.

Step 1: Create your Ebay Account

Step 2: Sign up for a Paypal account. This is the easiest way to receive and spend money online and a must when working with Ebay.

Step 3: Gather some inventory. I recently went to a local consignment store when they had all their clearance on sale for $1. I bought about 30 things and have been putting those items on Ebay. I only purchased name brand items that I felt confident would sell (Chicos, Ann Taylor LOFT, Paige, Banana Republic etc)

Step 4: List your items on Ebay. Depending on the item, some are listed individually and others are a lot of items (such as 4 pairs of dress pants all in the same size). If an item was new with the tags still on it, or a really high name brand (Such as the Paige jeans) I will list those things individually. It usually takes me about 15 minutes to list an item, this includes taking and uploading any pictures.

Step 5: Sell it!. Each listing lasts for about 5 days. I offer free shipping on all of my items to draw in more buyers. It doesn't cost any money to list an item on Ebay, it only costs if the item sells.

Step 6: Ship it. You can order flat rate boxes and envelopes from USPS to be delivered to your home for free. You can also schedule USPS to come to your house and pick up your packages (When they drop off your mail) for free. I didn't realize this until recently. In the past, I've gone to the post office to mail the packages and hated it, now things are so much better. I simply place my item in the flat rate box, attach the mailing label (that you can print off and pay for through Ebay/Paypal) on your computer and then hand it to the mailman. You never need to leave the house!

So, here's an example of an item I sold recently:

1 Pair of Paige Jeans: purchased at the consignment store for( $1.06)
Sold on Ebay for $19.99
Ebay fees ($2.00)
Shipping Fees ($5.25)

Total Profit Made: $11.68
Total Time spent: 30 minutes

So, if you have the inventory to do 10 or so of these things in a week, that's not too shabby as far as extra income goes right? You would make about $100 and would only spend about 5 hours each week working.

If you'd like to see my other Ebay listings click HERE