Month: April 2023

There is a lucrative opportunity to sell large items on eBay that are difficult to ship. Let me share an example of how I made the most of such a situation.

I purchased a three-bag lawn mower bagger from a local auction site for $15. However, when I tried to list it on eBay, I realized that shipping through UPS would cost around $500, making it too expensive for potential buyers. Considering that the brand new baggers were selling for about $450 to $500 in stores, and I was asking for $250, the total cost would have exceeded $750.

Feeling unsure about what to do, I initially listed it for local pickup only. However, this turned out to be a mistake as three different buyers ignored the local pickup only condition in my eBay listing.

But then, I received an inquiry from a buyer who was interested in purchasing just the weight kit from the bagger. This gave me the idea to sell the parts individually, and I started researching the values of the pieces. To my surprise, some of the parts were worth almost what I had initially asked for the complete kit. Although shipping some of the larger parts was still expensive, it was within a reasonable range compared to shipping the entire bagger.

I realized that my competitors were unlikely to buy such large and bulky items, which is why I was able to purchase it for $15 in the first place. But by parting it out and selling the pieces individually, I could potentially make five, six, or even seven hundred dollars, instead of just $250. Another advantage of not selling it as a whole unit was that I didn’t have to worry about the risk of having to eat the shipping shipping costs both ways if a buyer claimed ” not as described” and requested a return that eBay would force me to take. This could put me at risk for covering $500 to over $1000 in shipping costs.

In conclusion, due to the high shipping cost and the risk of covering shipping expenses and returns, it made more sense to part out the bagger and sell the pieces individually. This strategy allowed me to make more money than selling it as a whole, as there is a demand for replacement parts on eBay.

When out sourcing items for resale, it’s important to consider if there are parts that can be sold individually, which may be worth more than selling the item as a whole and if that you make iems too large to ship shippable.

When selling items on eBay, it’s crucial to think creatively and explore different options to optimize profitability.

Sourcing at bin stores can be a lucrative way to find products to sell on eBay. In this post, I’ll discuss the types of products you should look for, what you’re likely to find at bin stores, and what products to avoid.

One common type of product you’ll find at bin stores are private label products, which are generic versions of products sold by Amazon sellers under their own brand names. These are often knock-offs or cheaper versions of well-known brands, and while they can be sold on eBay, they usually won’t fetch high prices compared to recognized brands.

Another type of product you may come across are damaged items, which are essentially junk unless you can part out and sell individual pieces. These are often found on the last day of a sale, where bin stores may offer a mystery bag filled with products for a discounted price. While it can be a treasure hunt, these items are typically not worth the effort and are best avoided.

It’s important to be cautious when dealing with products that may be counterfeit. If you come across a large quantity of a particular product in the bins , it could be a sign that it was removed from Amazon for a reason. It’s best to avoid these products, especially if they are popular brand names that actively target online sellers.

Similarly, products that were removed from Amazon due to lack of demand or long-term storage fees may not sell well on eBay either. Additionally, items such as auto parts that have been swapped out with used ones or health and beauty products that are expired or close to expiration are not ideal for resale. However, if you can find products with damaged packaging but intact contents, it can be a profitable find.

Personally, I tend to avoid most items at bin stores, but I am attracted to auto parts and books. However, I also come across odd and unique items that can be worth taking a gamble on. Bin stores can be great sources for brand new or like-new products that have been returned to Amazon.

In conclusion, bin stores can be a worthwhile place to source products for eBay sales, but it’s important to be discerning and avoid damaged, counterfeit, or expired items. Keep an eye out for unique finds and do your research to ensure you’re selling quality products that will fetch a good price on eBay.

In this post, I would like to discuss the topic of free shipping on eBay. Personally, I prefer to use calculated shipping rather than offering free shipping, but I want to share with you some tips on how to ensure you don’t incur losses on shipping if you choose to offer free shipping.

Shipping costs are often one of the biggest expenses for online sellers. Sometimes, the cost of shipping can be higher than the actual cost of the product itself. This can make it challenging for online sellers to remain competitive, especially when compared to companies like Amazon that offer free shipping to Prime members, or when advised by “gurus” to offer free shipping to customers.

If you decide to offer free shipping, it is crucial to accurately estimate the shipping costs, considering the worst case scenario. For instance, I am located in Indiana and the farthest shipping zone for me is the coast of California up to Washington State, then I would include the shipping cost for that zone in my product price. It’s important to note that eBay charges a fee of about 15% on the total purchase amount so you may to adjust your product price to cover this fee. For example, if you sell a $20 item with $10 in item cost and $10 in shipping cost, you will pay a $1.50 fee on the $10 shipping cost, which means you may need to charge around $21.50 to cover the 15% fee on the free shipping part.

It’s also recommended to pre-package your items to accurately determine the size and weight of the package for calculating shipping costs. Although this may require extra effort, it can help you avoid surprises and accurately estimate the shipping costs. If you are unsure about the size or weight, it’s better to overestimate rather than underestimate. For example, if you think the box will be 8x8x8 inches and 10 pounds, you could calculate it as 10x10x10 inches and 12 pounds to avoid any potential discrepancies.

It’s important to understand that offering free shipping requires careful planning and consideration of worst case scenarios to avoid losing profits due to underestimated shipping costs. While some sellers claim that offering free shipping doesn’t significantly impact sales, it’s likely to depend on various factors such as the type of product being sold and the preferences of the buyer. In summary, if you choose to offer free shipping on eBay, ensure that you accurately estimate the shipping costs and account for the eBay fees to protect your profits, and be prepared to prepackage your items to determine accurate size and weight for shipping calculations.

In this post, I want to share one of the mistakes I made when I first started selling, specifically for new sellers or those who have been selling for a while but haven’t taken advantage of this strategy.

When I first started selling on Amazon, I sourced most of my items from Walmart or Big Lots. I would buy items from their shelves and send them to Amazon FBA. However, one day I realized that I was spending more on sales tax each month than I would on a car payment. I had heard of people getting tax exemptions, but I was initially scared to do it. Eventually, I mustered up the courage and went to Walmart to sign up for a sales tax exempt card. It was surprisingly easy to do – all I needed was my state tax ID number for my business, and the service desk took care of it. Soon after, I obtained tax exemptions from other stores like Big Lots, Menards, and Rural King.

I don’t know why I didn’t start using sales tax exemptions sooner, but over time, I realized that it made a significant difference in my bottom line. In Indiana, the tax rate was 7%, so if I paid taxes on items and my competitors didn’t, they had a 7% advantage over me. This could explain why sometimes I couldn’t figure out why my competitors were able to sell items at such low prices.

If you’re new to reselling and have the proper business license and tax ID numbers for your state, don’t be afraid to go to stores and sign up for sales tax exemptions. It can be a bit of a hassle at the checkout, as some cashiers may not be familiar with the process and may need to call customer service for assistance. However, when you’re making a large purchase, the savings can be substantial.

It’s important to note that using sales tax exemptions for your online business is not illegal. You are running a legitimate business, and you are allowed to take advantage of this strategy. Chances are, many of your competitors are already doing it, so don’t miss out on the potential savings.

Have you ever gone to the post office with a bunch of packages to drop off, only to be asked for a scan sheet?

Let me tell you a funny story about what happened to me. I used to ship a lot of packages from my house, around 300 items in one day, and I had a note in my mailbox for the post office lady to pick them up. But it took her over an hour to individually scan all the packages and it filled up her little mail truck. That got me a visit from the local postmaster who told me I couldn’t do that anymore because they didn’t have enough manpower for it. So I started taking my packages to the post office myself, but then they didn’t want to scan them by hand either. They told me I needed a scan sheet, but I had never used one before, so I had to look it up and figure out how to do it.

It turns out that if you ship on Amazon, you can create a scan sheet which is basically a sheet with one master number. When they scan that number, it checks in all the individual packages, so they only have to do one scan. You can also do this with other services like Pirate Ship, eBay, and Etsy, but I found that it doesn’t work with Facebook Marketplace or Mercari. However, a workaround for Mercari is that you can ship on your own and include that number on your scan sheet if you’re using Pirate Ship.

Another thing to note about scan sheets is that if you’ve already printed one out for the day and you have more orders coming in, you can print another scan sheet and it will only include the packages you’ve added after the first one. So you can have multiple scan sheets, which is not a problem compared to individually scanning hundreds of packages. Also, if you ship after hours, you can change the shipping date on Amazon and Pirate Ship to the next day, and it will be included in that day’s scan sheet. However, you don’t want to toss any packages that are not on the scan sheet, as they won’t get scanned until further along in the system.

Using scan sheets can help keep you in good graces with your local postal workers if you’re a high volume shipper, and I personally like using Pirate Ship because I buy all my postage for eBay and Etsy through them and can print them all off on one scan sheet.