Have you ever wondered where people get the things that they sell on eBay or Half.com? Have you ever stalked an item on eBay? My wife used to desperately want a crystal Tiffany’s iconic blue box. For weeks, I stalked the item on eBay in order to get it for her for Christmas one year. I was barely able to find it in time. I almost had to pay full price for the crystal box.
Have you ever seen items in stores that you know are selling for a higher price on eBay? Have you ever seen items on a website that you know sell for a higher price on eBay? You can profit on that difference in price parity. It is called arbitrage.
What Is Arbitrage?
Arbitrage is usually talked about in currency circles of finance and economics. There are often times when different countries’ currencies are not priced correctly. Let me give you a simple example. If the United States’ dollar is worth 1.5 Canadian dollars and one US dollar is worth ten Mexican Pesos, if a Canadian dollar does not equal 15 Mexican pesos, then there is a currency arbitrage. If a Canadian dollar was worth 20 Mexican pesos, investors could trade US dollars for Canadian dollars, transfer them to Mexican pesos, and then trade them back to US dollars and earn a profit because all of the currencies are not equally valued. This is called arbitrage. Currency traders have sophisticated computer programs that automatically trade currencies and take advantage of any pricing imperfections in order to make a profit.
eBay Arbitrage Can Help You Make Money
The same principles can be applied to buying and selling items on eBay and eBay’s sister company, Half.com. There are often times when you can find items around your local neighborhood or on websites that you frequent that can be sold for a profit on eBay. I have found items on websites that I know sell for higher prices on eBay.
I have also seen items in local stores that I have known sell for a higher price on eBay. The key is targeting a specific type of item or category and becoming extremely familiar with that item or group of items.
Three Items I Found Price Disparity With
I love smoking cigars and gambling (you are just learning a lot about me today!). So, one day, I saw these poker chip cigar lighters. I found that if you searched for “poker chip lighters wholesale lot” on eBay that you could find people selling 24 of them in a lot very cheaply.
I also found that if you sold them individually that you could sell them for a huge markup. It was awesome! I have also sold old Enron stock certificates right after the company’s melt down on eBay. I found a website that sold them fairly cheaply right after the company’s collapse, and they had not adjusted their prices fast enough to keep up with me purchasing the shares.
After about a month of me buying and selling the old shares on eBay, the company that I was buying from caught on and raised their prices exorbitantly. Another example of price disparity that I have taken advantage of is in DVDs that have gone out of print. If you can find a place that sells the DVDs, or books too for that matter, there can be a great resell potential on eBay as well.
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Top 3 Great Places To Find Items To Sell On eBay
One of the best ways to find extra money to either pay down your debts, save for something special like a vacation or increase your income is by selling things on eBay. eBay has turned into a huge business for budding entrepreneurs and also for people trying to simply make ends meet every month. Despite its relative youth, eBay has grown into a huge e-commerce force to deal with. In 2010, over $62 billion dollars worth of items were sold on eBay.
The website has over 94 million active users across the world who are buying and selling eBay items at a rapid pace. So, eBay is a great venue for everyone down to the lowest level seller whether you are a budding business person or just someone cleaning out the garage for a few extra dollars to help you make ends meet.
But, one of the hardest things for people who are just starting out on eBay is finding eBay items to sell on the website. It does not have to be a nightmare to find eBay items for you to sell. There are tons of eBay items all around if you just know where to look.
Find eBay Items In Your Own Home
Everyone has a closet or a garage full of stuff that would make great eBay items to sell on the website. If you move around a lot, you may still have boxes of household items that you have not unpacked. If you haven’t used an item after a year, it is a good bet that you do not need it after all and it will make a great eBay item to sell on the website.
Another great idea that my wife had a while ago was for me to sell our huge collection of DVDs, CDs, books, and video games. At one point, I had every season of CSI and other television shows on DVD, for example. But, how many times do I sit down and actually watch Seasons One or Two? Not very often.
These DVDs and others can bring in a lot of money on sites like eBay or Half.com which eBay purchased a few years ago and now runs. If you have never checked out Half.com, you are really missing out on a great website and venue to sell some unwanted DVDs, CDs, books, and video games that you probably just have lying around the house.
Find eBay Items At Yard Sales
One of the best sources of eBay items to sell on the website come from yard sales, flea markets, and swap meets. It will really serve you well if you narrow your focus on what you buy and sell.
You should consider becoming an expert in a certain item, certain time period, or other very specific detail. Then, you will be able to find and recognize items that are selling at yard sales and flea markets at a discount than what you can turn around and sell them for on eBay.
Find Regular Priced Items Selling Higher On eBay
Finally, the best and most unique place to find eBay items to sell is right on the shelves of stores that you frequent or on websites that you visit. I have had a lot of luck finding items that I care about or personally collect selling in a retail store for a lot less than I know that it sells for on eBay. There are several types of items that I collect and ultimately “stalk” on eBay. So, when I find them in a store, I end up buying several so I can add them to the eBay items I sell on the website. You should always be on the lookout for these pricing differences.
There are deals on items that you can find all around you that you can eventually sell on eBay. Like purchasing a home or an investment, one of the keys to making a great profit is when you purchase your eBay items, not when you sell them on eBay. Remember the age old adage of buying low and selling high. That is the key to success on eBay and adding income to your budget.
You can find items in your local area that sell for less than what you can purchase them on eBay for. The hardest part is recognizing them. You have to constantly be on the lookout for items where you can practice eBay arbitrage. You should constantly be thinking about whether or not you can sell items for more on eBay after you purchase them in your local area.
Some of the best places or things to sell are what you know and understand the best. Have you found things that you can resell on eBay that you can buy cheaply and resell for a higher price?
If only this can be done with gasoline. There is quite an arbitrage from state to state.
That’s a great point. I think that transportation costs from refinery to wholesaler to gas station has a lot to do with that price disparity.
I bet you could probably do this between state lines just as easily with provincial lines here in Canada. I know that alcohol is taxed a lot more in some provinces. If you live close to the border you can stock up and sell on the other side. Actually, in Alberta they don’t have PST so for larger items, you can easily sell it for more in your own province.
Great post. It’s a very clever strategy. Keep in mind the fees associated with selling on ebay (including paypal) and shipping cost. It does require a lot of work on seller’s part for packing and shipping. Always use delivery confirmation or else you could end up refunding everything. I once bought a box of magic the gathering cards at local yard sale for $2 which I ended up selling them for $50 on ebay.
In addition to buying in lots you can try to find items that are selling at the wrong time. I used to buy coin operated game machines that finished during the day and then sold them to finish at night.
Looking for items to sell on eBay can be hard considering that most sellers carry the same items. I use a tool called DSM Tool to help me in this area. It also helps to evaluate your niche throughout the year to check its relevance in the market.