Ebay is the quickest and easiest way to make extra money on the side. In today's lesson, I'm sharing the exact items I sell on eBay to make $500-$1000 a month for over 15 years now. By the end of this post, you'll uncover what to sell on eBay to make easy money so that you too can have a thriving side hustle.
We all know I love a good side hustle, but little did I know that the 15-year old in me would start a side hustle that I'd still be doing 16 years later! I now make $500 a month selling items on ebay and yet, I only spend a few minutes a month doing it!
It's just passive income, yet I still get excited when I hear the “cha-ching” notification on my phone, telling me that someone has purchased an item. It's an easy side hustle that all of us should continue to do our entire lives. This is free money in my opinion and I'm going to share exactly what to sell on eBay to make easy money that probably isn't something you've read before!
I was 15 years old when I started my eBay account. At the time, I would take objects I had collected from donations for my garage sales and sell them at a higher profit on eBay. I was able to make extra spending money at the time to pay for movies, shopping, etc. However, I saved most of it to later pay for textbooks in college, etc. (I was one of those that had to pay for my own college. Let's not talk about it. I'm still bitter.)
Now, I still use ebay to this day! I just genuinely love the site and find it to be an amazing side hustle. In fact, my friends tease me about it because I'll sell items for double their value within 24 hours. Many of them have asked me to teach them my ways, so I figured I'd also share my eBay secrets with my wonderful readers!
Related Articles:
- How to Make Money on eBay: 26 Tips to Maximize Your Profit
- Poshmark vs EBay: Which Makes You the Most Money?
- 17 Reasons Selling on EBay Will Make You the Most Profit
P.S. One of my tips you'll absolutely love because you'll not only make money, you'll get products for FREE!!
Alright, let’s get down to business and discuss what items I sell on eBay to make easy money quickly and how you can too!
9 Things to Sell on eBay to Make Easy Money
What do I sell that makes me $500 a month? This is probably not what you think it’s going to be.
This isn’t like Amazon Fulfillment sellers or anything like that. After all, the key to a side hustle is not putting much time into it, right? You can always put more effort into it, but I do eBay because I enjoy it and just want to make money on the side.
Below is a list of some of the ways I find products to post for sale on eBay.
1.) Go Through Your Closet!
This should be obvious, but DUH ladies. Let's start here.
We all have items just sitting in our closet with tags still on them or even just clothes we never wear! We gain or lose weight. The trends change. The skinny mirror at the store was super misleading. It happens. Don’t beat yourself up about it and don’t just bring it to Goodwill (unless you want to because you're a kind soul). There are benefits to that as well (tax break, anyone!?).
Go through your closet and pull out all the clothes you don’t wear or ones that have tags that you won’t wear. This is a great starting place.
Branded items (especially) sell for quite a bit even if they are worn. For example, I buy many of my clothes brand new on ebay with tags from other girls’ closets or from people that found them on sale somewhere. I’ll buy brand new designer items for a fraction of the cost. I’ll often wear the clothes for a year or two and then resell them on ebay again for the same price I bought it for or more (even as a pre-worn item).
Next, go through your items and look at each one carefully. Ask yourself, “Does this item bring me joy?” If it does, great! Back in the closet she goes.
If it doesn't bring you joy or you have to lose 10 pounds to fit in it or it only has one top that goes with it, just get rid of it. Rip the bandaid. I shouldn't say get rid of it. Put it in the eBay pile, of course.
Hint: I have a favorite trick for items I'm not sure I want to depart with.
Not sure you want to depart from an item?
No problem! We've all been there. In fact, I'm always there! Here's a trick.
Post the item on eBay. No obligations. No commitment to get rid of it. Heck, you can even leave it in your closet in case you want to wear it.
Then, if the item sells, ask yourself if you would purchase that item today for the amount the buyer is paying you. This is a really good way for me to determine how badly I want an item.
For example: Let's say I have a pink top I'm not sure I'm ready to depart with. I post it on eBay. A buyer purchases it for $30. Now, after eBay fees, I'd be looking at a profit of $26.70. I can always cancel the order (although don't do it too much so that the eBay police don't get mad). I then decide whether I would go to the store today to purchase that top for $26.70. If I would, then I'll cancel the order. If I wouldn't, now I feel good about getting rid of the item out of my home because I've made money on it!
The morale of the story here is go through your clothes you won’t wear and instead of taking them to Goodwill, post them on ebay!
You’d be surprised what items sell quickly!
2.) Sell Coupons
You know those coupons that come in your mailbox every day? (I’m talking the old school real mailbox that USPS delivers to.) Did you know you can sell those on ebay and people will buy them? This means, you can ALSO buy them on ebay!
Think about the time when you were on Wayfair wanting to purchase something and remembered that you saw a coupon weeks ago, but you threw it out. You’re buying a $100 or more item and a 10% off coupon would be awesome, right? Well, you can actually buy the coupon on ebay for usually around $1 or so! So, you pay $1 for the coupon, that will save you $10! Win, win!
You can sell those coupons as well. Take the coupons from your mailbox, the coupons from the newspaper, even coupons online, and sell them on ebay! People are paying for convenience and time saved.
For example, I do a lot of home DIY so I practically live at Lowe’s. I’ll be there buying paint and it ends up adding up to a larger purchase than I expect. I know if I wait a month, I’ll probably see a coupon somewhere, but I don’t have the time to wait, so I hop on ebay and buy a $1 coupon that will save me $20 on a $100 purchase. Sold! I saved $19!
Some of the coupons I buy are $3-$5, but depending on what I’m buying, it still helps me save money so I’m in! You can do the same thing and help other shoppers like myself get deals in their local stores or online stores! Everyone wins here!
3.) Keep an Eye Out for Good Ebay Deals to Resell
I have my buying searches set up to where it alerts me if an item in my criteria gets posted for a certain price point. For example, I love a certain brand of dresses and I know they typically retail for anywhere from $150-$350. I often buy them on ebay for $50-$70 brand new with tags for myself to wear. When I'm ready to sell them, I list them for the same price point or more and explain that they've been well taken care of from a good home.
I market the product well, take nice pictures, ensure the buyer of the condition it’s in, and get a better price than I paid for it, even after wearing it for a few years. Brands like this don’t make the same thing forever so once the print is gone, it’s gone. This gives the item future value. Many other brands operate the same way!
An example of success with good marketing: My boyfriend was selling a Nespresso Coffee Maker on Craigslist for 6 months. It wasn’t selling and he didn’t even get any inquiries. He was selling it for $300. He then lowered it to $100. Still no takers. I offered to put it on Ebay for him.
I simply researched the item for 3 minutes (see #4) and then posted it for $975. Within an hour, I had 7 watchers (see #16) and by the end of the day, I had 2 offers. I could have raised the price and gotten hundreds of dollars more for the item pretty easily if we wanted to wait, but my boyfriend was ecstatic and couldn’t believe it. He was so happy, he just wanted to take the offer of $950 because he wanted it out of his house quickly. We sold it that night and shipped it the next morning. That’s a perfect example of marketing at it’s finest.
Anyway, I set up my ebay search so that it tells me if someone posts an item with my criteria for under $30. If the item is in good condition, I’ll buy it, wear it a few times, and then resell it used for $74.99. It’s fun for me because I get to wear the brand of dresses I love and get to make money at the same time. I basically see some items in my closet as a revolving closet. Plus, I’m making money on every transaction! Win, win!
4.) Source Products from Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Homegoods, Nordstrom Rack, and Ross
Since this is just a fun side hustle, I don’t make an effort to put time into sourcing product. However, I know plenty of people that do make a full living off of selling on ebay. They go to retail stores to find great deals and sell the items online.
For me, I just enjoy doing it and think it’s fun to hear my “cha ching” notification go off on my phone. (My boyfriend is now trained to know that means someone bought something so we both smile and get excited to see what was bought.) When I go to stores like Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Homegoods, Nordstrom Rack and Ross for my own personal items, I always keep an eye out for good deals. You want to make sure things are fairly light to keep shipping costs low.
I usually take a look at the purse/wallet section as well as the jewelry section. If I see something of good value that I can sell (clearance items are the best because they are extra marked off), I’ll buy it and put it on ebay. If it doesn’t sell in 30 days, I’ll either hold onto it longer, drop the price, or just return the item to the store.
For example, I bought a Marc Jacobs watch for $59 at TJ Maxx. I listed the watch on Ebay that night and sold it for $150 by the next morning. I didn’t go out of my way to go to the store. Instead, I had just walked by the jewelry counter on the way to the checkout of my personal items, saw a pretty watch, saw the retail price, and grabbed it on my way to checkout. It took me 2 minutes to post it on ebay and I made $90 by the morning. It’s easy. The watch retailed for $250 so the buyer that bought it was also getting a good deal.
If I’m in the clothing section, I’ll keep an eye out for designer jeans and branded workout clothes to sell. Other popular ebay items have been men’s jerseys, women’s face creams and cosmetics (I find Kate Somerville products there all the time), shoes, and small home items. This leads me to my next suggestion…
5.) Sell GiftCards you Aren't Going to Use
Do you ever go through your wallet and find old gift cards to places you don't shop at? I certainly do! I post them on EBay and get usually about 85-90% of the value of the giftcard, sometimes even more like 97%! To me, that's money I wouldn't have had anyways since I would have never shopped at that store.
You can also do the same thing for yourself and save a buck by buying a giftcard on EBay at a discount for yourself! Knowledge is power, right? Everyone wins!
6.) Online Sales of Designer Branded Items
You know how stores like Nordstrom, Ulta, Sephora and Macy’s will have sales? Well, that’s also a great time to buy well-priced items, cosmetics, perfume, etc to sell on ebay! I personally love buying up sale items from my favorite retail store online. I post the products on ebay a few weeks later (once the sale is over) and make extra money!
For example, a dress from a favorite designer store retails for $150-$300. I buy them on sale for $59 and resell them on Ebay for $100. The buyer wins as they get to buy that dress weeks later for cheaper than retail and most likely, they didn’t even know about the sale so they got a great deal! I don’t go out of my way to look for deals, but if I happen to see them, I’ll get some extra products for ebay!
The store above often has great sales on purses, cosmetics, clothing, etc. Always take a few extra minutes online to see if there are good deals to be had to help other buyers a few weeks later while putting dollars back in your pocket!
7.) Free Products/Giveaways
This one is more subjective because it depends on the situation that’s presented to you. Usually this category is something you just walk into. However, keep it in mind, because free products are obviously the best products to sell on ebay. If your friends or family are getting rid of items in their closet or homes, offer to take it off their hands for them! Often, people just give their items to Goodwill. You might as well list what you think can sell and then take the rest to Goodwill for them!
Sometimes you’re just in a unique situation where you win something at an event or they have leftover of something and ask if you want the rest. I was once given 2 boxes of a favorite lotion. It was one of my favorite products so I agreed to take it off their hands for my own personal use. However, I quickly found that 40 bottles of lotion would last me like 10 years. I decided to post them on ebay for $20 a bottle. When I saw them selling so quickly, I posted all 40 and made $800! I realize this is rare, but I’ve won things through my company that I’ve resold too. The opportunities are endless!
8.) Trader Joes, Costco, and Other Specialty Stores
This is one of my favorite ways to make extra money on ebay. You’ve got to think outside of the box. Did you know Trader Joes is only in certain areas of the US and (by the way) their products ROCK!? They’re also not in Canada. People familiar with the Trader Joe’s products will pay top dollar to get those products if they don’t have the store in their area.
I mean, come on, I’d even pay an arm and a leg for cookie butter!! AM I RIGHT!?!?
Other people will too! Since they don’t have a store near them, they will pay more for these products. Actually, years ago at Trader Joe’s, cookie butter was flying off the shelves because people figured out that they could sell the $2.95 jar on ebay for $25-$30!! For months, Trader Joe’s couldn’t keep their shelves stocked and eventually had to remove the product from the shelves just to get a handle on what was happening. (I was deprived for a bit as that is my favorite treat in the entire world!) I believe they got a handle on it and now have a clause on the product so that it can’t be re-sold, but I’m not really sure.
Next time you’re at Trader Joe’s, take a look around the aisles for non-perishable items that are Trader Joe’s branded. Then take a look on ebay to see if others are selling it. If they are, that means there’s most likely a market for it. Now, I don’t recommend hoarding the shelves as if people do that, it will be shut down. However, grab a couple extra things here and there to sell on ebay to make a couple extra dollars.
Costco is another store that not everyone has access to due to their membership fee and the fact that they aren’t in every city. You can keep Kirkland-branded products to sell or just deeply discounted products that people want. They used to have these amazing resort-like bath towels there. They retail for $50 each. At Costco, they were $9. I bought a bunch for my home and rentals, buy I could have sold them on ebay! Some of their food items can sell for quite a bit on ebay as well! Think of stores that aren’t easily accessible to source products from. Too bad In-n-Out doesn’t have something we could sell on ebay. Otherwise, we’d be millionaires! =P
9.) Garage Sales
Like I mentioned, I do ebay for fun. I don’t like to see my Lululemon clothes just go to Goodwill so I sell them for $40 a shirt and $60 for the leggings. That’s why I sell on ebay. It’s free money essentially that would have gone to waste.
Since I don't do EBay as a full time side hustle, I don't go to garage sales. However, you totally could and I bet you’d see the best profit from items from garage sales!! People sell anything and everything at garage sales for really cheap prices. The thing to keep in mind is that they want it out of their house so their deals are insane! You can get all designer items for $1!! I’d recommend going to nice neighborhoods and scoping out what they have. Look for small items that you know have value that people online won’t mind used. Grab some girl friends, get coffees, and go together! It’s a fun thing to do on a Saturday morning before the men even wake up!
I hope my post gave you some good ideas for making money on ebay! Remember, you can do as much or as little as you want, but the key to a side hustle is to have fun!!! I LOVE listing on ebay and I see it as money that would have been going in the trashbin. It’s rewarding and a great little side-hustle!
In part 2 of our ebay lesson, I’ll teach you what I write in my posts to market my listings the best to get top dollar!
Recommended: Part 2 here: How to Make More Money on Ebay!! (Secret Tricks!)
Related Articles:
- How to Make Money on eBay: 26 Tips to Maximize Your Profit
- Poshmark vs EBay: Which Makes You the Most Money?
- 17 Reasons Selling on EBay Will Make You the Most Profit
Good luck and have fun!!! =)
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