I am new to this whole auction thing. So don't know much, but am keen to learn!
Basically, I have run out of things to sell online. I have already cleaned out my house and a few neighbors' houses!!! Picked up a few items at yard sales and offline auctions too.
Where else can I find goods to resell? Anyone got any crazy ideas to share with everyone else? We could all benefit.
posted on October 29, 2000 12:53:56 AM
LOL Boy! No one else has touched your question! LOL Sorry to keep laughing at you, but this is a dog eat dog business, and NOBODY wants to share their secrets! I am a small seller and seem to do ok by picking thru thrift stores, close-out stores and have looked into wholesalers online. Good luck, and I hate to say it, this may be your only reply! There are too many sellers and not enought buyers at this stage of the game!
posted on October 29, 2000 01:18:06 AM
If you have 5 or 6 years I might be able to give you a crash course on how to identify stuff and what has value and what doesn't. After that you'll have to do a lot of research and watch the markets for what is selling and what isn't selling. It runs in cycles.
As to where I get the stuff....well...if you won't think I am rude for not telling, I won't think you are rude for asking.
As a general rule people who post to this Board simply do not ask what anyone sells or their sources. There are posters here who have been around for a long time and I have no idea of their eBay id, or what they sell or where they get their stuff and I would never dream of asking.
We have all worked long and hard to learn what we know and to find sources for what we sell. It isn't as easy as it looks.
posted on October 29, 2000 01:30:00 AM
Gotta agree with pineyhurst, as it was said so much more succinctly than what I popped off above. Eventually all steady eBay sellers find "sources" and we use them until they dry up (which we hope they will not)! It is work and trial-and-error when starting out. If you can find a nitch ... good for you. A lot of us started out by cleaning out our closets and attics, too. Some of us already had a offline business to draw from. My mother got into selling on eBay because she saw me do it, and then she realized she had access to a "source" she wouldn't share with me! So, NO, its not a secret, but if you were to ask 100 eBay sellers to their faces, "Where do you get your items for selling on eBay?", 80% would be vague about it and some others would be downright snappy! Trade secrets are just that, and to ask about them, as we say Down South: "Dear, its just not DONE!"
posted on October 29, 2000 01:34:24 AM
Shoplifting works best for me. I look for stores that have close proximity to a wooded area and overweight security guards. As long as my knees hold out and I still can sprint this has worked best for me. I'm limited to light weight items, but with postage rates what they are that isn't a disadvantage.
posted on October 29, 2000 04:53:47 AM
#1 Hang around Senior Centers, make lots of new friends, and wait.
#2 Dumpster Diving. "One man's trash is another man's auction item"
#3 Visit a neighboring town, apply for a library card and ...
#4 According to Tom Bosley, SMC has some fine merchandise an you can become very wealthy selling it. It's fun and easy, and anybody can do it.
#5 Buy it on Ebay and sell it on Yahoo, Buy it on Amazon and sell it on Ebay, ...
#6 WalMart !!! There are thousands of marketable products available at Walmart. All of the people that don't live near a Walmart (47 at last count) will gobble this stuff up.
#7 When visiting grandma and grandpa, be sure to admire all their possessions out loud. (they are more likely to will them to someone that apreciates them) Take them to fun places to help build your bond with them. Take them mountain climbing, swimming at the beach, motorcross racing, and hang gliding. Before you know it, you will have lots of things to sell on Ebay.
#8 Make your own antiques. Buy stuff, put it in storage, and wait. Eventually it will become valuable.
#9 Beanie Babies, Pokemon, and Furbies are really hot right now. Don't worry about the price, buy all you can find.
#10 What about that shirt you're wearing ? That's gotta be worth at least a buck. Sell it.
posted on October 29, 2000 05:19:47 AM
Hi rvlawrence,
I have found items in all of the above. [Edited to say not Mrjims, thank god.] But, I will no longer go to garage sales in my
metro area. It isn't worth the time or aggravation putting up with rude "pickers" and having my car or myself almost creamed by a mad driver bolting for the next sale. If I go by one, I might stop but don't actively search them out. Just my humble opinion, [JMHO] of course!
I love shopping antique stores & old book stores for items in my areas. I may not always make a huge profit, but it works for me. You just have to be knowledgeable in a few fields and shop the stores/booths whose dealers are not. I shop one guy who makes regular visits to a nearby state attending estate sales. I can't travel right now. But, I know that he picks up a lot of items I want to sell and sort of tosses them aside in a messy area of his store. I consider him my "picker." I have quite a lot of his merchandise waiting to list. He does my traveling–works for me!
I sell for other people and sometimes sell items I don't really care about. Not much fun. But, creating an auction for a great widget or something you'd love to own is fantastic! I feel good about it and love it when a book gets to a prof or student doing university research or to someone who has been trying to find the widget for years!
At an antique store recently I found three items packaged together for 3.00. They were in an area that I knew something about. The three will probably sell for $ 70 to $80. The seller is great in her/his area of expertise, probably just didn't care to research these items.
Don't be afraid to put something out that might not be perfect! Just be honest. I recently bought a comic book that someone listed as a "mess." It was! It was missing almost all the pages and the rest were cut up. But, it had a great late 50's cover. It hangs near my computer and is worth every penny of the 6.00 I paid for it. I was the only bidder.
If you sell vintage items, surround yourself with a great research library. Since last fall I have collected a large number of volumes so I don't have to constantly be going to one of our libraries or large bookstores.
Well, this is more than you ask for I know. I hope you will like Ebay! I started selling in March but have made money and have met some great people. I was in retailing for years–-this is better.
If I wanted to start and didn't know what to sell or where to get it, I would definitely do a self inventory. List all your
interests.... maybe horses, cats, metal detecting, stamp collecting, mystery books,
your area's history, cooking or archery. See if you can't find something from your list to research. You'll be suprised what finds you, while you are looking for things to sell! I started looking for items a year ago...and have a small storage facility full now. Above all, take time to research!
[Geesh, I sound like an Ebay teacher.]
Good luck!
LabRat4GMOS
[ edited by labrat4gmos on Oct 29, 2000 05:22 AM ]
<p>
Your #10 reply is about what my husband feels. It made me laugh out loud.
When he see me coming he leaves the room.
<p> Since it,hopefull, will not be raining today, I am going to go hunting. I would never tell people where I hunt. Last, time I did my profit was 50%. Not bad for a newbie.
<p> I do not hide from anyone. I am not that paranoid I guess. If someone wants to look at my auctions on ebay, go for it. Maybe you will bid. Then I can do the happy dance again.
<p>Good Luck to everyone it what you try to accomplish.
<p>
posted on October 29, 2000 06:48:09 AM
you guys...first I say sell a product you know..with me it is golf shirts new and gently used...I find them on sale at discount stores..thrift stores in winter...I do like the hunt..This summer I did findmens sweaters so they are starting to sell. Preppylady
posted on October 29, 2000 03:02:17 PM
COME TO MY HOUSE I have a room and a barn full of wonderful (I think) 'stuff.' A little bit of everything and a lot of some things. Had two grandmothers and a great aunt who saved EVERYTHING!! I have a stress related illness and can't run very many auctions at a time. I want it GONE! So .. if you live in Maine, come shop at my house ... LOL! I'll share .. to a point!
~~~~~~~~~
I have a memory like a steel trap .. unfortunately it's rusted shut!
[ edited by tuition44years on Oct 29, 2000 03:06 PM ]
posted on October 29, 2000 03:34:26 PMtuition44years Can I come even if I don't live there?
My brother owns a trucking company (I am gonna warn him about macandjan and company ), so we can just load it all up and make you all comfy in your newfound space!
posted on October 29, 2000 04:27:35 PMmacandjan"uaru - If you want to shuck those limitations jacking a whole truck load at a time beats what you can carry. Rather than have an ugly confrontation you wait at a truck stop and haul outa there while the driver is having dinner. It is wise to have storeage space rented ahead of time to unload out of view of major streets."
Its times like this when I understand the difference between a PowerSeller and myself. Thanks for the business tip. It makes my shoplifting inventory pale in comparison.
posted on October 29, 2000 04:28:50 PM
Have at it labbie! I'd love to be able to 'find' the dining room table by Thanksgiving .. especially since I'm having 10+ guests for dinner!
______
I have a memory like a steel trap .. unfortunately it's rusted shut!
posted on October 29, 2000 09:54:08 PM"I am new to this whole auction thing. So don't know much, but am keen to learn!"
Oh, really? Then what's up with that "How to source..." course written by a self-proclaimed expert? Or were you just fishing for some more tips for Volume 2??
), so we can just load it all up and make you all comfy in your newfound space! 
