Selling Physical
Products Online

Another way to earn
money online is by selling physical products on sites like Amazon and eBay. While you may not earn enough to make a
living selling your own personal
items (unless you are able to acquire
a lot of goods at low
costs and can turn them around quickly), you can also help others sell their things, thereby earning
yourself a nice little commission in the process.
HOW TO GET STARTED
How do you get started selling? Here are a few simple steps:
Step #1: Find a product to sell. Your first step to making this Internet option work is finding a product to sell. Fortunately, there are several ways to go about it. For instance, you can start by taking a look around your house and seeing what you have that you no longer want or need as selling your unwanted or unused items is a great way to get them out of your house without just sending them to the trash. The key to making a lot of money is to make sure they are still in good, if not excellent condition.
That being
said, some people do sell broken things online as others may be buying them with the intent of fixing them and offering them for resale.
So,
in essence,
nothing is off limits (“one man’s junk is another man’s treasure”) as long as you
are honest and market it accordingly.
A second option
is to frequent yard and garage sales (and swap meets, flea markets, and antique sales), as sometimes
you can find great deals there that
you can resell online. Whether the item you purchased is in great condition already or you have what it
takes to refinish it, you can make a lot of money off other people’s no longer wanted goods.
If you can find a
really good deal at retail or even wholesale stores, you can also buy direct from them and resell the
items at a higher price. Liquidation events,
going out of business sales, and discontinued items are great for this purpose. Just be aware that buying
items with the sole purpose
of resale may require that you
pay tax on them, so you may want to consult with an accountant before
taking that route.
Good items to
consider selling are ones that appeal to a niche market. Hobbyists like to find unique
things online, making
this one area that you can do really well in.
Still not sure
what to sell? EBay has a Selling Inspiration House that can help you “find top-selling items in your
home.” Just pick a room, select an item, and it will tell you
how much they are currently going for
online.
Step #2: Pick
a platform and create an account. Now that you have something to sell, it is time to decide
where it is you want to sell it. Two of the most notable sites are Amazon and
eBay. However, you can also list your item on Craigslist (best for bigger items like cars
and furniture).
Be sure to read
each one carefully so you know up front what is required of you as a seller and how much commission
they will take on the sale. Some charge
you to a subscription fee as well, so you’re going to want to check all of this out prior to signing up.
Whichever one you
choose, you’re going to have to create an account in order to list and get paid. So, pick the one (or ones) that is
best suited for you and the items you
want to get rid of, and provide all of the requested information to create a complete
account.
In order to get
your money from them, you are also going to have to provide payment
information. To keep your bank information private,
you can always create a PayPal account and accept payment that way.
(PayPal does charge fees as well, so
you may have to weigh that into the cost
and whether or not it is worth it given
what you are selling.)
A great way to
figure out which site you prefer is to buy something from it before even placing
your goods for sale. This way you get firsthand
knowledge of how it works from the buyer’s perspective, allowing you to take them into consideration when it comes
to selling your goods online.
Step #3:
Prepare your listing for optimal results. To get good results on your listing, you want to include both
benefits and features of your product. For
example, features of a TV include screen size, resolution, and things like that, whereas benefits are being able to
see the television clearer, having a flat-
screen that doesn’t take up too much room, and being able to see your favorite
sports up close, almost as if you were
there in person.
Your product
description needs to be complete as well. The more information you provide about what it is you’re
selling, the easier it will be for people to
determine if that is what they are looking for. Think like a buyer and
include everything you would want to know if you were making the purchase
yourself.
It helps to be
familiar with jargon that is often used on popular selling sites. For example, BN stands for brand new and VTG means vintage.
HTF represents a hard to find
item and VGC tells the buyer it is in very good condition. If something is unique or distinct about your
product, point it out. The more you
can make your product a “one of a kind,” the greater your chance
of selling it.
Use keywords in
your listing so that your product can be easily found by anyone searching for it. Not sure which ones to use? Consider
what words you would use to search
for the item and just use them. Include the brand if it is likely to make a difference.
Your product
pictures (the more the better) need to be high quality. If they are fuzzy or too far away, you’re
not going to give prospective buyers a good
feeling. Also,
make sure the surrounding environment is good too because people like to buy from others who appear to take care of
their things.
If you’re stuck
on any of these things, look up other people’s listings and use them as templates to write yours. Just be
sure to choose a top seller so that you know how to create
an ad that sells, not one that doesn’t get noticed.
Step #4: Set your price. As far as
price is concerned, this one may take a little
bit of research. Google the item you are selling and see what others are getting
for it. Before pricing yours though, you’ll want to take into consideration
its condition.
Depending on the site you intend to use, you can sell your item via traditional
auction or by set price. Auction means that you sell to the highest bidder (and you may want to set a minimum
price so you don’t practically give
it away) and set price means that you sell it to anyone that wants it for the price
which you are selling it.
If you have a
bunch of smaller items and don’t want to price them for individual sale, you may want to group them together and sell
them as a package. This may also
entice a buyer as they will be getting several things for one standard rate.
An additional tip: some successful sellers offer free shipping as it catches people’s attention. It’s easy enough do as you just have to add this amount to your base price. The one caveat is that shipping isn’t always going to be the same price as it is location dependent. So, you’re going to want to keep this in mind if you choose to take this route.
Step #5: List your product on Amazon or eBay. When you decide to list your product, you’ll want to time your listing so you get the most out of it. For example, if you only have a 10-day window, you may want to post your product on a Thursday so that it appears online for two full weekends, giving you more bangs for your buck.
Another factor to consider is whether your item is seasonal, or in high demand during certain times of the year. If this is the case, you may want to wait to sell it, drawing in the most money possible.
Step #6: Promote your product. Share
your product on your social media sites,
website, in forums, or on any other Internet site you can think of to draw attention to it. You never know. Even
if the people you’re reaching out to
have no interest in it, they might know someone who does and share it with them. It’s a win-win!
Step #7: Make the deal. Once you have a specific buyer, you’re ready to close the deal. This is a great time to confirm things such as price and delivery, as well as answer any questions they may have.
This is also
where you collect payment. It is very important that you do this prior to shipping your item so that you
don’t wind up sending it out and never
getting the money, in return.
Step #8: Deliver your product. You want
to make sure your item arrives in the
same condition it left you in, so you’re going to want to pack it well. Do this by putting in extra padding to avoid
unintentional breakage or damage by the shipping
company. You can even go one step further
and take pictures of your item as it is being
packaged as well as the finished box to show what condition it was in when it left you.
Then ship it according
to the site’s requirements, being sure to get a tracking
number and insurance if you want to be extra safe or the item is worth a lot of money. Having your buyer
sign for it ensures that they received
it, and it protects you from scammers who insist that it never arrived.
Step #9: Grow your product-based
business. In order to survive long-term and
grow on sites like eBay, you need to get good feedback from the people that you sell to. Keep this in mind as
every interaction you have with your customers has the potential to promote your business—or break it.
Staying in good contact
with them every step of the way will help establish a good buyer/seller relationship. Check your email
often and don’t list things while
you’re going to be away for an extended period of time as it could look
bad on you as a seller.
Conclusion
Making money
online is possible and you now have the viable options from which to choose. Try one or try them all
and see which one suits you, your home life,
and your desired
outcome best.
These can be your
hobbies which can produce incomes capable of supporting you and your family easily (such as mobile apps and SEO). But
none of them will work unless you put
the time and effort into them that they require.
There is no such
thing as easy money; there is only becoming more efficient and effective so that it comes to you
faster and with less effort. Hopefully now it will.
Now get out there
and make some money with nothing more than your internet connection!
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