HOW TO EARN A REGULAR INCOME ON EBAY

Anyone that knows me knows I love selling on EBay! It is by far, one of the easiest ways that I have found to make money over the years. It is such a simple platform to get started on and I believe anybody who puts their mind to it can earn a regular income on eBay.

There are lots of ways to profit from eBay and today I want to talk about the different things you can sell to make money yourself. Some people earn just a few pounds a week and others make thousands per month. Whether you want to earn just a little bit extra in your spare time, or build a successful business, there is something for everyone by selling on eBay.

Here are some ideas of things you could sell to make a regular income…..

Handmade Crafts

There are lots of people profiting on eBay from selling their handmade arts and crafts and I am one of them! I have been selling my own crafts on eBay for a few years and now earn a regular income from it. Here are some ideas of things you can make and sell, many of which I have done myself so I know you can make money from these ideas….

• Personalised poems or greeting cards
• Party and wedding invitations
• Personalised wedding table plans, favours and thank you cards
• Buy collectable, retro or unusual postcards and frame them to sell as pictures either singularly or in sets
• Create beautiful silk and foam flower bouquets for weddings and events (I made all my own wedding flowers and it’s really not as difficult as you might think).

Related: 65 Craft Ideas to Make Money

• Paint and decorate items such as:
  • Jewellery boxes
  • Signs
  • Door stops
  • Christmas Eve boxes
  • Ceramic mugs
  • Wine glasses
  • Plant pots
  • Wall clocks
• TOP TIP: PERSONALISED ITEMS SELL PARTICULARLY WELL.
• Sew items such as:
  • Cushions or cushion covers (it is also possible to make these without sewing too but i’ll maybe cover that in another post)!
  • Padded heart door hangers
  • Fabric door stops
  • Make up bags
  • Peg bags
  • Tissue holders
  • Clothes and accessories for dolls
  • Eye masks
  • Garland, bunting and christmas decorations
  • Shopping Bags
• TOP TIP: ITEMS MADE WITH LAURA ASHLEY AND CATH KIDSTON FABRIC ARE POPULAR (You can purchase fabric at a reasonable price here)

Related: How to Increase Your Ebay Sales and Income

Gifts

The one thing that is constant all year round is special occasions. Whether it’s Birthdays, New Babies, Weddings, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or Valentines Day, the gift industry is always booming, so why not create your own unique gifts. Here are some ideas of things you might create:

• Baby hampers for new arrivals – buy some baskets, lots of baby essentials and place them inside and finish with a cuddly toy and pink or blue bow!
• New Parent Kit – could include a new parent book and other bits and pieces to help them in the early days.
• Why not take the headache out of party planning for parents by creating ready-made party bags – you can buy party bags and goodies in bulk on eBay!
• Hen night and Stag night packs – I’ll leave the contents up to your imagination!
• Wedding Day survival kit – help the new bride enjoy her morning getting ready by providing a wedding candle (Yankee candle do a lovely Wedding Day Candle) together with some essential pamper items.
• Pamper Hampers (there might be a business name in there too!) – buy your baskets and fill with beautiful smellies or maybe include spa vouchers.

Sell Your Unwanted Items

We’ve all got a surplus of ‘stuff’ around the house. Sometimes you don’t realise just how much until you have a clear out. Why not set some time aside to de-clutter your home, you’ll be surprised at how good it makes you feel not to mention the extra money you can make. If you struggle with decluttering, you can read my post “How to Declutter Your Home Fast” here.

I keep a box in my office all the time and regularly declutter and put things in it to sell. That way I’ve always got a little pile of eBay ‘stock’.

• TOP TIP: DECLUTTER REGULARLY AND FILL A BOX WITH ITEMS TO SELL.

Produce Your Own Products

Many entrepreneurs make a nice little income through producing their very own products. At first. it may sound daunting but why not think about what you could create for yourself. Here are just a couple of thoughts:

• Make your own soap or other beauty products
• Write a book and self publish (not tackled this one yet, but a definite goal of mine)
• Invent something
• TOP TIP: YOU CAN BUY CONTAINERS AND LABELS FOR BEAUTY PRODUCTS ON EBAY.

Related: How to Make Money on Fiverr in the UK and Beyond

Buy From Retailers and Sell for Profit

I love this one and it’s really straight forward. You simply buy from a retailer and sell on Ebay. You can wait for Sales and Discounts and stock up on items to make extra money, or simply buy things at the standard price that you know will still bring in a profit.

Another way to get your products cheaper is by getting cashback on your purchases.

The downside to this way of making money is it can be time consuming.  I did it for a while but did find it took up a lot of my time. However, I did prove to myself that you could make good money this way. There are many people making full-time incomes from doing exactly this!

Good shops to buy stock from are Poundland, Home Bargains, Wilkos or Poundstretcher but I have also found that home items from TKMax, The Range, Dunelm and even Argos sell well too! If you live close enough to a store to keep an eye on stock levels and collect items then you can do this without holding stock but be careful not to receive an order you can’t fulfill.

When I was doing this I once had an order and when I went to buy the item there weren’t any left on the shelf so I had a 20 mile return journey to get hold of one which completely swallowed up my profit. Once you get your business going you will know what is popular so could maybe keep a few stock items.

The trick here is to do your research and have a look on eBay to see what sells.

Related: 6 Simple Ways to Increase Your e-Bay Sales and Income

Buy Off Ebay and Resell on eBay

Each day there are 1000’s of items listed on eBay, many of which are listed by people who don’t have the time or interest to research the worth, take decent photographs or list at the most profitable time. So, here is your opportunity. I have found lots of items on eBay at a bargain price by searching during the day. There are less people bidding during the day so the items sell for less! You buy it for less, then sell for more, simple.

Also, search for items that are photographed badly, these gather less interest so you can buy the item, take a brilliant photograph and sell on at a profit.

You can also search under ‘job-lots’ to buy items in bulk at a cheaper price. For the best prices search Ebay shops in China and Hong Kong.

If you love to work on-line, you can read how I make money blogging here.

Buy Second Hand to Sell on eBay

If you have an eye for what’s popular and what’s not, then this one is for you. It’s something easy to do if maybe you have a baby and want something flexible where you can take your baby along. Charity shops and car boots hold little treasures just waiting to be found. If you like shopping, then this is a great little money earner, but be careful not to spend all your money on yourself, remember the goal is to make a profit on eBay!

• TOP TIP: LADIES LARGER SIZE BRANDED CLOTHES, VINTAGE/RETRO ITEMS, AND GOOD QUALITY CHILDRENS TOYS ARE A GOOD START.

Buying from charity shops to make a profit can sometimes pose questions and start a debate as to whether this is morally right.  I think this is a personal choice and you can read the debate to help make up your own mind here.

Buy From Wholesalers

Other items I have found that sell well are children’s accessories. I have had success selling school bags in particular, but there is a whole world of items you can sell by buying from Wholesalers.  You can read my post “How to Find the Best Wholesalers here.

Do Your Research First

Research research research is the trick with eBay. To see what is selling, do your research first and try something, if it doesn’t work, change it, amend it, try something new but don’t give up and you WILL succeed on eBay!

I hope this has given you a few ideas of how YOU could earn a regular income on eBay too.

Did you find this post useful? Has it got you thinking? Are there any other ideas you can add?

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

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Make an Extra £100 This Week

I’m taking part in the Money Making Madness Linky hosted by Charlotte Burns from Lotty Earns, Emma Bradley from Mum’s Savvy Savings, Emma Drew from EmmaDrew.Info and Lynn from Mrs Mummy Penny.