"Ebay can be a great way to earn supplemental income as a stay at home mom. Nowadays, you can do everything from your home; list items, gather postage materials, have packages picked up by the post office. All that remains is acquiring items to sell!
A very common source of eBay items is local garage sales. Often, sellers simply do not know how much their items are worth. Either that, or they do not want to take the time to set up an eBay account and sell themselves.
The opportunities are there for the taking. But there are some methods of shopping garage sales for eBay finds that will make your profits soar.
Don't mention eBay
The cardinal rule in garage sale, yard sale, or estate sale eBay hunting is to never mention the word eBay. If you have small children with you, make sure they understand this as well.
If you go into a garage sale and get chatty with the seller, telling him or her what you intend to do with their items, suddenly the items are more valuable to them. If a seller thinks you are going to resell the stuff to someone else, then they figure they are not charging enough!
Buyers who scream eBay are more likely to be given higher prices, with less chance of bartering a better price. Your best option is to remain nonchalant about the entire transaction, and if asked what you are going to do with an item, lie.
Yes, you heard me. Lie. Keep your kids home with daddy if you are concerned that they will witness this, but whatever you do, don't tell the sellers you're going to resell it!
The only reason you would ever tell someone that you sell on eBay at a garage sale is if they have some high quality, high priced item that you cannot afford. You may decide to offer them your services as a trading assistant.
Dress casually
When going garage saling, you want to make sure you blend in completely. Leave your designer clothes, purses and shoes at home. Drive the work truck instead of your new hybrid.
Look like you're poor. Wear exercise outfits, old t-shirts, dirty tennis shoes. Your goal is to psychologically tell the seller that you cannot afford an item.
This may seem silly, but the next time you go to a garage sale, hang out for a few minutes and look at the other customers. You'll find that prices are higher for well dressed people.
Group your items
If you are at a really good garage sale, and want to buy several items, ask the seller how much each item costs as you become interested in it. Then, if the price is reasonable, put it in a pile and do not say a word to the seller. Simply put the item in a pile and continue to scout the sale.
After you have completed your perusal of the sale, make one offer for all the items you have in your pile. This way, if you are lowballing the seller somewhat, he doesn't know which item is the one he is offering the biggest discount for.
For example, let's say that the seller is emotionally attached to a bowling ball. Note: you would never want to sell a bowling ball on eBay; it's too heavy; this is for example purposes only. So he's attached to the bowling ball and wants $20.
You want the bowling ball, 10 articles of clothing at $1 each, and a pair of snow skies for $20. You make one offer of $25 for everything. The seller, who was firm at $20 for his emotionally attached bowling ball, can justify to himself that he gave you the remaining items for only $5.
This way, everyone wins! Garage sales can be a fun way to find merchandise to resell on eBay if you know the right tips. Happy shopping!"
Thanks Rayven Perkins for the great tips!
Sarah Shipley
Taylor's Corner Children's Clothing
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