by Stephanie A. Smith

Created on: April 15, 2009   Last Updated: September 13, 2010

For anyone wanting to be an eBay seller, a good place to start getting items is your own home. Most of us have items that we want to get rid of, but we don't have enough for a yard sale, we don't know anyone we can sell them to, and the items are too good to throw away. But what about after these items are sold? How do you get more items for your burgeoning eBay business? It is actually very easy to do.

Auctions are one of the best ways to get items quickly. Here's one idea, you are selling on Ebay, why not also buy there? Many people selling on Ebay are sometimes selling large lots for little money. These lots are great for resale. Also, you can do the same thing with local auctions. Quite a few sellers at many auctions sell large lots of good items as well as single items, most of which, you can get cheap enough to make a profit. You can do this because the sellers are selling to a small population, but on eBay, you are selling to the world. You may not be able to sell everything in the lot you buy individually, but those items can be sold as another lot. Don't buy lots with a lot of junk in them, though, as there is a low probability of being able to sell enough of it to make a profit.

Another favorite place to get items for resale is the flea market. You don't find many lots here, but you can usually get a decent deal on items for resale-especially if you are lucky enough to find someone who doesn't know what they have. Always get into the flea market early-early enough to catch people setting out items-and plan to stay there for a few hours at least, if not the whole day. This is to make sure that you see everything at least once. Always try to wheel and deal with the seller. You won't get a better deal every time, but you will be able to get better deals often enough to make it worth your while, and it never hurts to ask.

Yard sales are like flea markets, but there is only one seller at each location. As with flea markets, try to deal with the sellers. Also, ask the seller if they have certain items that you are looking for specifically. You never know what they may have held back because they thought that the item wouldn't sell, or what that person hasn't even given a thought to selling, but would be willing to sell if there were a buyer. Asking people if they have a certain item works in flea markets, auctions, yardsales, and most everywhere else. It doesn't hurt, and helps often.

You, the eBay seller, can also sell items for other people on consignment.

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