What Sells On eBay?
What sells on eBay? What are the best selling items on eBay? Those are always the first questions new sellers ask. The maddening thing is that there's no real answer besides “everything!” The more research you do, the more you'll understand what I mean.
The real question you need to ask yourself isn't “What sells on eBay?” Instead, ask “ "What should you sell on eBay?” There are many sellers that sell a little of this and a little of that, and it works for them.
I prefer to sell to a “niche market” that I'm interested in.
Learn more about choosing your niche market here.
Selling items that I like and use makes working more fun. And earning money while having fun is one of the perks of working for yourself! Sell whatever you choose. It's a matter of personal preference.
There's several ways to learn what sells on eBay. Lets start with the most obvious and the least expensive... lets research on the eBay site itself.
First, take some time and become familiar with the site and the different product categories. Ebay's a massive internet market place. After 7 years there myself, there's places I still haven't discovered! Set aside a few hours, get comfortable and start exploring the site. Don't forget to take notes!
Learn what sells on eBay... on eBay!
Once you're on the eBay home page, you'll see a list of categories. Find one that interests you and click on that word. If you already buy things on eBay, explore those catagories and others that interest you.
- Look at the competition. First, lets see what info's available by looking at listings. On the left side of the next page there should be a list of subcatagories with a number besides each. That number tells you how many listings are in each subcatagory right now. (The niche I sell in always has several thousand listings. That's a LOT of competition!)
Now look at starting prices. Note if there are bids on the items. Are there multiple bidders? A bidding war? Click on the listing itself to get a better look at that particular auction. Some sellers use a visible counter to see how many viewers the item has had. That can help you gauge if it's a "hot item" on eBay.
- Take eBay's "pulse". The next place to go to see what sells on eBay is called the “Pulse.” This shows the most watched items on the entire site. This can give you an idea about the best selling items on eBay.
Go back to the main page with all of the categories. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page. Look for the line of links that's second from the bottom. Click on the link called "Buy Hub". This takes you to another page- scroll to the bottom again. Click on the link that says “eBay pulse.”
The Pulse shows you the hot selling items on eBay.
- The most watched items on eBay by category.
- The most popular stores in each category. (Your potential competition!)
- The most frequently searched words and phrases.
- The most popular products or items.
Again, take your time and wander around in this area. I hope you're taking notes while you're doing these searches trying to discover best selling items on eBay.You didn't need to be an eBay member or signed in to try the two previous ideas. The next two ideas require you to be a signed-in member.
- Look at the records of already completed (ended) listings. Once you've selected a category, you're on a page with listings. On the left side of the page it says “Refine search.” Scroll down the “Preferences.” Look for “completed listings” and check the box. A new page comes up that shows all of the completed listings. You'll see if the item sold or not, and for how much. This is valuable information if you're trying to decide both what sells on eBay AND if you can make a profit by selling it.
- Ebay forums or discussion boards This next tip is simple.... lurk and learn. There are A LOT of different forums on eBay. You don't have to sign-in to read the boards... only if you want to leave a comment. Choose a forum that sounds interesting and click that link. You'll see many topics ... choose one that interests you. Then just quietly read and learn. People talk about all kinds of things. How sales have been. What the hot selling items on eBay are. Sources. Yes, you're eavesdropping. It's okay... just listen and learn.
Terapeak
The previous ways to see what sells on eBay were free, except for your time and patience. This last one is Terapeak. It's a company (endorsed by eBay) dedicated to researching what sells on eBay. Terapeak gives you the numbers... all you need to do is analyze them.
After you become a paid member of Terapeak, you can research specific sellers (the competition) and see what they're selling & how they're doing. Find our what the best selling items on eBay really are! You get 90 days of actual eBay sales history to analyze.
Membership is monthly or yearly. If you're serious about having your own eBay business, you'd be crazy not to invest in this tool. At the very least, buy one or two months membership while you're researching your eBay niche market.
Knowing what sells on eBay will help you succeed as a seller. Knowing what the best selling items on eBay are will help you make better decisions about what items to sell. It helps you know how much to pay for what you sell, and how to set a price.
So do your own free research or buy & use the information provided by Terapeak. Find out now what sells on eBay and become an eBay success story!
Starting An eBay Business from What Sells on eBay
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