Do you want to start an eBay business but you don’t know what products to sell? If YES, here are 50 cash cow eBay business ideas you can start. EBay has come a long way and nearly everyone knows that the site has come a long way.
A lot of people make money from eBay on a daily basis. If you have all the necessary knowledge and you have learnt the basic techniques of your business it can be more than a hobby or a part-time business for you, you can actually generate good profit from eBay.
If you are interested in starting a lucrative business on eBay and you lack the required business ideas, then you should make this article yours. This is because the following business ideas are tested and trusted ones that have made millionaire overtime. Here are the top 50 lucrative business ideas you should consider starting on eBay from the comfort of your home.
Best eBay Business ideas
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Power Selling
A power seller is someone who sells high quantity goods that is distributed throughout a limited niche. Being a powerseller on eBay is like being part of an elite group that has special benefits. As a power seller, you are entitled to discounts on shipping services through UPS, unpaid item protection, health insurance scheme, customer support service priority and you can get discounts on final value fees.
Having a power seller badge on your profile will help you attract lots of customers as people will trust your services. Power selling is a highly profitable eBay business idea.
Before you can become a powerseller on eBay, you need to have been a seller for a minimum of 90 days and you require at least 98% positive feedbacks. You are also required to have a minimum sales value of $3,000 over a period of 12 months.
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Used Clothing
Selling of used clothing is a very lucrative business on eBay. You can start selling used clothes on eBay by selling the clothing items you don’t need again. Wash them and check the clothes for holes, marks or defects. Make a list of the items you intend to sell by writing down the size, colour and brand, then give a description of the clothing item and list the defects on it.
By doing this, you will not get a bad feedback from your customers anytime you make a sale when you are honest in the description about the condition of the cloth.
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Wholesale Items
Selling of wholesale items on eBay is a good business opportunity because retailers are always looking for where to buy cheap items. To start this business, you need to open an eBay store to define you as a seller that specializes in wholesale clothing market.
You will also need to get an At-Home Business License so as to legitimize yourself as a business owner. Invest in a mannequin to use to display your outfits and a camera to take pictures with.
To get clothing to buy at affordable prices for your eBay store so as to make good profit, you should consider getting clothes from consignment stores that have quality merchandise and find out when they have their end of season sales as these are the best times to buy quality merchandise.
The quality of the merchandise is what you will use to drive traffic to your store, just make sure that the clothes are authentic and are in good condition.
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Luxury Items
You can make a lot of money by selling a couple of luxury item on eBay. To sell luxury items on eBay, it is important to list the items properly and ensure that the buyers are trustworthy. After taking the photo of the item you wish to sell, you can take a photo of the certificate of authenticity of the item you want to sell if you have it and send it with the shipment when you get a buyer for the product.
To let your customers know your product is genuine, make sure you take photos of the product’s distinguishing features to prove its authenticity.
You can sell cars on eBay using eBay Motors, which is an auction platform for connecting car owners and buyers all over the world. To begin to sell cars with eBay Motors, you need to sign up on the platform by creating a username so that you can publish your car’s information such as the vehicle’s VIN number and other basic information about the car.
Then you need to put up close-up pictures of the car from different angles for interested buyers to view. You require a lot of money to start a car business but if you do not have enough capital, you can look for people that want to sell off their cars and make an agreement on the commission you will get if you sell their cars for them.
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Book Seller
You can start out as a bookseller by selling books you already own on eBay. To get more books for your business, you can go to local thrift stores or garage sales to buy books. To get more money from your book sales, buy books that are still in good condition to sell and sell books that are out of print or rare.
List your book under the book category and put the picture of the book as most people like to see a picture of the book they are buying. Describe your book in detail and make sure that the books are in good shape so that you do not tarnish your reputation as a bookseller.
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Collectible Toys
You can start selling collectible toys by selling your own collection of old toys. A lot of people come on eBay to search for all kinds of toys especially if they had a favourite while growing up. There are different kinds of toys you can sell such as star wars action toys, educational toys, board games, stuffed animals, toy trains and toy cars.
Once you know the kind of toys you want to sell, then you need to attract buyers with the right keywords when listing your products. State the important characteristics like the brand, model number, colour and the age range and make sure you take great photos of the toys for potential customers to view.
An eBay consultant is one who has in depth knowledge about trading on eBay and trains small business owners how to use eBay to sell their goods and services.
To get more work for your business as an eBay consultant, you can set up meetings with people that are not currently using the eBay platform and let them know how it can help grow their business and the benefits that they can get from it.
Some of the things an eBay consultant teaches include how to list your goods for sale using any of the eBay’s seller options, how to attract customers for products, how to promote auctions, the requirements for taking online payments and process and how to fulfill orders.
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Auto Parts
To be an auto parts dealer on eBay, you can start the business by selling off the car parts you have in your possession. To get more auto parts for your business as it grows, you can get from junk yards or look for deals on craigslist.
Take pictures of the auto parts in a room with lots of natural light with a good camera so that the pictures can look more natural. Make sure you have pictures of all the different sides of the item including stickers and part numbers. Make sure you inspect and test all the parts you sell before shipping to the customer to avoid negative feedback if the product is bad.
Drop shipping involves signing up on e-commerce websites and online stores to promote their products just as if the product belongs to you. If a sale is made, the seller ships directly to the buyer and you earn a commission on the sales made.
Drop shipping is allowed on eBay as long as the seller can guarantee that the item will get to the buyer within 30 days of the end of that listing. As a seller using the drop shipping service, you are responsible for the item being sold and the satisfaction of your customers.
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Auctions
You can auction your goods on eBay for people to come and place their bids for it. You can then sell the goods off to the highest bidder. This way you might get more money for the goods you put up for sale.
To auction your goods on eBay, make sure you research what similar items have sold for before you list yours, give an honest description of the product, put up a good photograph and give a realistic figure of how much you expect to get for the item.
If you know how to make fashionable handmade jewellery, you can make good sales on eBay. Well-crafted and beautiful designs are pleasing to people and can attract customers for your business.
Give an honest description of the materials that you used to make jewellery so that your customers will know the kind of jewellery they are receiving. Take good pictures and when you eventually make a sale, use good packaging for the jewellery and label it as fragile to prevent it from getting damaged before getting to the customer.
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Used Watches
People love buying good watches and are willing to pay a decent amount of money for used watches in good condition. To start selling watches on eBay, clean out the watches and have them in good working order, replace rusty parts.
Let a watch seller help you evaluate the watch to find out if it is an antique or rare watch. Take pictures of all the side of the watch and upload it. You can also include a spare battery in the listing of the watch to attract customers. When you eventually make a sale, pack the watch properly so that it does not get damaged in the course of shipping.
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Affiliate Marketing
There are lucrative online affiliate businesses available on eBay with lots of products at your disposal. To become an affiliate marketer, you have to sign up on online stores to promote other people’s goods and earn commissions for the goods.
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Sales Promoter
A sales promoter shares information about discounts, offer and coupons that are available on eBay on their own website and gets an income from the subscription that people pay to become a member of their website.
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Blogging
A blogger is a person who writes articles to promote products on eBay. You can start a blog on any niche you are interested in and post the links to where customers can get the items to buy on eBay.
Items that are already on sale on eBay from other websites can be advertised on your blog and when customers clicks on the ad, they are directed back to eBay to see the item that is listed for sale. If the item is bought, you get paid a commission on the sale of the item.
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E-books Seller
You can become an e-book seller on eBay by putting your ideas into words and selling them as e-books. E-books are one of the fastest selling commodities on eBay because it is easy to get information on a subject at the click of a mouse.
People are ready to part with some money in exchange for ready-made information on the internet instead of going out to search for a printed book. Selling of ebooks is a very lucrative business and you can make 100% profits apart from the fees eBay charges you.
You also do not need to write the e-books as most of them come with resell rights. It is better to write your own book though, so as to make it unique because a lot of e-book sellers are trying to sell the same e-book you are also trying to sell, this way you can make more money.
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Antique Items
An antique seller on eBay is involved in selling old items. You can start this business on eBay by selling old items that you inherited or you can buy old items from your friends. You can also search for antiques wherever you can find it. You also need to carry out some research so as to describe the items you are going to list properly.
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Exchange Services
An Exchange service is a business you can start on eBay for people who want to exchange certain items.
If you are an artist that makes good paintings, you can make a good business out if it on eBay. There are people who love art work and will love to buy them online. You don’t have to be famous to be able to sell paintings, as long as the paintings are nice, you will get customers for your art business.
Describe your paintings properly by choosing the right keyword to use in your title so as to attract potential customers. Include all the information that potential buyers will likely want to know like the type of painting, the size and the material that was used to make it.
Use a high resolution camera to take good photographs from different angles before uploading it. Make sure you wrap the painting properly and if possible use extra padding before sending it to your customer so that it doesn’t get damaged in transit.
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Used Phones
This is a very flourishing business on eBay. A lot of service providers carry versions of their own popular cell phone models and most times the phones are locked and they can only be used on their networks. The millions of subscribers they have that already hold service contracts always search eBay for phones that are compatible with their providers.
If you want to sell a phone, make sure that the phone is in good working order; additionally you should check if the phone is legitimate before listing it. Buyers will like to ask you a lot of questions concerning the phones you have for sale, so you can prepare a list of frequently asked questions for your buyers to save time.
Use keywords correctly in your title to attract potential customers and give detailed description about the phones such as the camera spec, storage space and RAM. Take good pictures of the phone and upload it and try not to use random pictures you see online.
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Cosmetics
To sell cosmetics on eBay, you need to research who the wholesalers are so that you can get good sources for your cosmetics.
This is necessary so that your customers don’t complain that you are selling them junk. You can also join wholesale forums to get a good source for your products. Don’t buy or sell used cosmetics for your business because it is unhygienic and can cause more harm to your business.
You can start selling baby clothes on eBay if you have clothes that your children have outgrown. To increase your inventory, you can get more baby clothes from thrift stores and garage sales for your baby clothes business on eBay.
Take pictures with a good camera and upload it to show the condition of the items you have for sale. Give detailed description about the baby clothes like the size, brand and the colour. Check the clothes for any defects and list it in your description so that the customer knows what they are buying upfront.
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Sports Memorabilia
You can start collecting memorabilia and rare autographs in order to sell it on eBay because sports fan like buying memorabilia that feature their favourite players or team. To get more sports memorabilia for your business on eBay, check out garage sales and look through craigslist for more items.
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Women Shoes
If you want to start selling shoes on eBay, you can start by putting up your own used shoes for sale. To get more products for your shoe business at good prices, visit second hand stores for quality shoes you can sell at a profit. Clean the shoes and give a detailed description such as the designer, the colour and the size of the shoe. Take pictures with good quality to show the condition of the shoes.
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DVD
DVD’s are very popular and sell a lot on eBay. The business is about volume, therefore for you to make a profit; you need to make a lot of sales. As a result of this, you need to get your DVD’s very cheap. To get cheap DVD, check out flea markets and garage sales.
You need a good reputation if you plan to make money on selling DVD’s on eBay so make sure you keep your customers satisfied so that you can get positive feedback.
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Movie Memorabilia
Movie memorabilia sells on eBay because some fans can go to any length to lay their hands upon a piece of movie memorabilia. To get movie memorabilia for your eBay business, check out anywhere you can get used goods maybe you can come across memorabilia that has valuable movie history.
If you are good in designing, you can put it to good use by designing custom-shirts and putting them up for sale on eBay.
Make samples of the t-shirts with your design in different sizes and colours. Do a calculation of how long it will take you to create a t-shirt design when a customer wants to order so that you can include this information in your product listing.
Take different photographs of your t-shirt designs and upload it on eBay. Take photographs of folded t-shirts, unfolded t-shirts and of someone putting on the t-shirt so that your customers can see how well it fits when worn. You can then list your products for sale on eBay.
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Holiday Decorations
If you have a lot of holiday decorations at your disposal, you can start selling it on eBay because people are always looking to buy no matter what time of the year it is.
To get more merchandise for your business, you can ask your family and friends to let you have their unwanted decorations. Another good source for getting holiday decorations is also to go to garage sales to stock up on your supplies.
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Hair Accessories
If you are very creative, you can start a thriving business selling hair accessories. You can make different styles and designs of accessories; you can also design hair accessories for sports team and for festive seasons. You can decide to make accessories for only little girls or include grown up accessories in your design.
Take quality pictures of the different styles of hair accessories you have in good light. Give detailed description stating the colours available and the styles so that potential customers can make a decision on the designs they like.
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Used Electronics
You might have electronics that you have tucked away somewhere in your house with the hope of using them again. You can easily start a used electronics business with this on eBay and get good money for it instead of allowing it to depreciate slowly wherever you might have stored it.
Check out garage sales to get more electronics for your business on eBay. Test the electronics to ensure that they are working and in good condition and also out this information in the product description so that you do not get negative feedback from customers.
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Perfumes
If you want to start selling perfumes on eBay, it is a simple process, but have it at the back of your mind that there are some restrictions on the type of perfume you can sell. For instance if you want to sell a perfume that has been opened but unused, it must be stated in the information you give to your customers.
Make sure that all the pieces that come with your perfume such as the inner spray cap, outer spray cap and original box are complete so that the market value of the perfume is not lowered because of any missing piece.
Put the picture of the perfume in its present condition whether it is still sealed or if it has been used. Put a description of the scent of the perfume since the customer will not have the opportunity to test it before buying. Indicate if there is any defect on the bottle.
If you make a successful sale, make sure you pack the perfume well in a good box and used bubble wrap to cover it so that the perfume does not break before it gets to its destination.
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Designer Bags
Selling designer bags is a lucrative business on eBay; this is because authentic designer bags have a high resale value especially if they are not badly used. Before you list your products, make sure that you have verified that the bag is authentic.
Do this by going to a local retail store to get expert advice. If you sell fake bags, it can damage your reputation and you can get banned from eBay. Take good photographs of the bags from different angles and make sure you show worn areas if you are selling used designer handbag. When you are listing, make sure you put in related keywords and give a detailed description.
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Motorcycles
If you can want to sell motorcycles on eBay, you can make a success of the business if you follow some basic rules. Make sure you take good pictures of the motorcycle from different angles and all sides. Put lots of close ups photos to highlight the best features of the motorcycle and to show the worn parts on the vehicle.
Write an accurate title for your listing and do not put irrelevant information so that eBay does not cancel the listing altogether. Give a detailed description to convince buyers to buy your motorcycles.
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Vinyl Records
If you have a large collection of old records, you can use this to start a vinyl record business on eBay. Vinyl record has a wide appeal for collectors and you can make some extra money by selling them off. You can get more records from garage sales for your business and if you place adverts, you will be able to get from people with private record collectors.
Write an accurate description of the condition of your records and put clear photos alongside. When you make a sale and you are shipping the records to your customer, make sure you pack it well. Use an album box to pack it and give it extra padding by using bubble wraps because vinyl records are very fragile.
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Wedding Gowns
If you are interested in selling wedding gowns on eBay, it is a lucrative business and you can sell new and used wedding gowns. All you need to do is to indicate if the gown is new or used.
Give an accurate description of the wedding gown including the right size and the material it is made of. Take a good photograph of the gown from all sides showing the bodice, the side, the back and the train. Put a fair price so as not to chase potential customers away with ridiculous pricing.
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Sunglasses
You can sell used sunglasses on eBay if you want to reduce your collection of sunglasses and also sell new sunglasses. Regular and designer sunglasses can be sold successfully using this platform. If you are posting used sunglasses for sale, you have to put up information about the make of the sunglasses and any distinguishing feature about it.
Put the measurement of the sunglasses in the description. In your description, include the colour and shape of the frame and the colour of the lens. Take photos of the front, the arms and any identifying marks on the frame in natural light.
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Exercise Equipment
If you have exercise equipment that are lying in your house when you had that sudden urge to lose weight, you can turn in a good profit by selling it on eBay. Bring out your old exercise equipment and clean them well so that you can command a good price when you list it for sale on eBay.
When listing the equipment, make sure you describe any blemish it has and state if it has any defective electrical part and worn out parts. Put up pictures of the equipment from different angles to help it sell faster.
There is a high demand for wigs and extensions these days as most women want to make alterations to the way their hair look by having fuller and longer hair.
You can tap into this market segment by selling these items. If you are going to be selling hair, try and see if you can get Remy hair for your eBay business as it is the most sought after because of its good quality. Find out what country the hair is from because hair enthusiasts have their favourite.
Give a detailed description of the type of hair you are selling by indicating the number of grams in it and the length of the hair. Indicate if the hair has been used or if it is new. Pack the hair in a clear and sealed package before selling to customers and make a policy not to accept a returned package if the seal has been broken.
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Sculpture and Carvings
Sculptures and carvings of different shapes and sizes are in high demand and eBay is a perfect place to sell this. Different sculptures can be made from bronze, marble, stone, wood or any other materials.
Give a detailed description of the items and other additional information such as the country where they originated from and its current condition, if there is a certificate of authenticity, mention it. Take photographs in good light before posting to help attract potential customers.
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Photographs
You can sell different types of photographs such as digital photograph and traditional photographs on eBay. The photographs can also be sold in different formats such as e-books and printed photographs. Purchase a domain name and hosting services and get a website built for your business. If you can’t get a website now, you can get an eBay store in the meantime.
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Hats
Hats are very easy to sell on eBay if you can take good photographs of them. Apart from good photographs, there are other things that you need to do to make your hats command a good price. Clean the hat properly so that the dirt does not show in the picture. You can buy a baby brush to scrub off the dust.
Give a detailed description of the hat, stating the colour and its condition. Include the size of the hat. When you make a sale, make sure you pack the hat in a box before shipping so that the hat doesn’t get crushed before getting to its destination.
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Wallets
You can sell different types of wallets such as designer wallet, vintage wallets and used wallets on eBay. If you are selling used wallets make sure you clean it properly before posting the pictures and state if there is any blemish on it in the description. For new wallets, state the colours available and the designer of the wallet in your description.
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Belts
You can make a lot of money selling belts on eBay depending on the brand or the material used in making the belt. You can sell both new and used belts as there is a high demand for them.
List the belt with the right keywords and give a detailed description of the belt you have for sale stating the colour, the material used and the size. To get more belts for your business, check out thrift stores and consignment stores that sell used clothing.
Home décor like bedding and window treatment can be a bit difficult to sell on eBay; this is because it can be hard to get exact photos of the colour and texture. You can rise above this challenge by giving adequate descriptions of the items as best as you can.
In describing colours, equate it to a colour in nature like forest green. You can also offer a refund policy because physical colours of home décor items can be different from what is seen in photos.
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Laptops
Selling of laptops whether used or new is a thriving business on eBay. Before you list a used laptop for sale on eBay, remove all personal information, documents and downloads from it.
Get the manuals and installation discs that came with the laptop. When listing the laptop, include relevant information such as the manufacturer of the laptop, how much memory it has and the year it was manufactured. Put up pictures of the laptop while open, when closed and when it is functional.
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Software
Selling of software is a very good business to dabble into because it is a digital item that doesn’t take up physical space. Once payment has been made, the software can be shipped digitally to your customers.
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Key Rings
If you want to sell keyrings on eBay, you can sell used ones and new ones. You can also sell luxury key rings which will fetch you more money than the regular ones. Give detailed description about the key rings you have for sale and post pictures to show your potential customers the type of key rings you have for sale.
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Golf Clubs
To be able to sell golf clubs successfully on eBay, you should be able to give an honest and accurate description of the item; you don’t need to give lengthy descriptions. Customers are also particular about information on the condition of the golf clubs and like to see a real picture instead of stock photography.
Gift baskets are a great way to bundle products and selling it on eBay is quite easy. Before you start this business, have an idea about the products you want in your basket and go for a basket size that can comfortably hold the products.
Make sure you anchor your product well so that it doesn’t shift when it is being transported. Use shrink wrap or cello wrap to contain what you have in the basket and use a bow or ribbon to hold the plastic wrap in place. Take pictures of the gift basket from different angles and let it show all the gifts in the basket to make it attractive to potential customers.
These business ideas are profitable ones on eBay. You can start anyone of it that you are interested in and you will be surprised to see that people are willing to buy what you have for sale especially if you follow the right guidelines for selling items on eBay.