Easy Ways to Make Money Quick on eBay

Posted by Ally Chan on February 12, 2009

I know some of you want to jump right on to eBay and want to get into the big pool and earn some cash when the global economy is walking down. I commend you for this type of spirit but urge you to look at the big picture. Sure, we can find small deals to make a couple hundred easy dollars a week, but wouldn’t you rather focus your time on making the BIG deals that could bring you thousands of dollars for years to come? I hope you understand what I’m trying to say. With that said, I understand how it is sometimes to be strapped for money. Bills to pay, unexpected expense, etc. For this reason, this post is all about easy and fast ways to make money on eBay.

1. Selling Unwanted Items In Your House

I know this method seems obvious but honestly I believe it is not utilized as much as it could be by many business minded people. Walk into any of your friend or family member’s house and I guarantee you can find items in their garage or closet that could be sold for immediate cash on eBay. Chances are the owners of the items have not used these items in years and have no plans to use them in the future. Why not sell them! If you’re friend does not have an eBay account, even better! Tell him you will sell it for him for a percentage and you will take care of listing, taking pictures, communicating with buyers, and shipping the item. If you’re friend is smart, he will happily oblige knowing that if he does not have you sell the item, chances are it will get thrown away or just collect more and more dust.

2. Buy underpriced items on Craigslist, Sell on eBay

I actually created this method in my days as a college student out of utter desperation. I couldn’t afford to eat, take my girlfriend out, or do anything! My parents said “Get a job!” but I being the stubborn entrepreneur I am said “No way! I’ll find something to do on my own!” and I did. I started to realize that sellers on Craigslist are COMPLETELY different then sellers on eBay.

How are eBay and Craigslist different? (In Malaysia www.Mudah.com.my is just like Craigslist)

• Craigslist sellers are local
• Craigslist sellers NEED the cash much more then the sellers on eBay
• Craigslist sellers ONLY want cash (no PayPal fees!)
• Craigslist sellers ALWAYS want a quick sale
• Craigslist sellers are EASY to negotiate with
• Craigslist can be compared to a newspaper classified, while eBay is an auction marketplace.

What I started to realize is that many times there are items listed on Craigslist such as cell phones, PDAs, digital cameras, laptops, and computers that can be bought for much below what they are selling for on eBay.

Here are the steps to making quick cash using the power of Craigslist and eBay:

• Locate an in-demand electronic item on Craigslist
• Search eBay completed auctions to see what the item is selling for on average on eBay
• Call the seller on Craigslist and tell him you are willing to pay $X amount of dollars for the item. Be sure to tell him you can meet him today and you can pay cash. (very important to mention)
• Only make deals that will bring you $30-$40 profit or more
• Sell the item on eBay
• Find more and more deals

Now this method isn’t going to make you rich, but I can honestly say this method brought me $500 or more CASH in a week of really looking for deals. Every once in a while you are going to not get as much profit as you expected and then there will be other times where you hit the jackpot.

A couple of words of caution, a market place like Craigslist can bring out some very shady individuals. Always meet the person in a public place such as a mall, gas station, or fast food restaurant. Never invite the seller into your home or meet them at their home. Always look the item over very carefully before purchasing. There have been times I have walked away from deals simply because the condition the seller described the item over the phone does not match the description when I see the item in person. Yes, it’s very frustrating, but just walk away and tell the seller you are sorry.

That’s it guys. If you need to make quick cash, this is my favorite way of succeeding using eBay and Craigslist. I achieved most of my profit and success by performing this method in the cell phone category.

3. Sell items in SEASON

I hesitated putting this section in the “quick cash” chapter because I know many sellers that have turned their “in season” auction business into six figures a year businesses. The whole concept is selling homemade items for what’s going on in the world right now. Okay, first, let’s go over what I mean by selling “in season” items. By positioning yourself in “hot, current markets” you can really bank quick money.

If it’s nearing NFL Super Bowl time why not sell t-shirts, stickers, sweatshirts, tickets to the game, and more?

If it’s nearing political season, why not sell bumper stickers for all the candidates?

If it’s nearing baseball season, why not sell t-shirts for everyone’s favorite team?

Get the drift? Good!

Market’s change guys and the smart marketers are the ones that adapt to changing markets.

You can get setup with a homemade t-shirt press for less than $300 dollars and you can find many sources online to get bulk t-shirts, bumper stickers, and much more.

Here’s an excellent resource many of my friends and I use to keep up to date on the latest technology in the custom t-shirt printing industry:

http://www.t-shirtforums.com

A quick search on eBay or Google can put you in touch with many places to buy a t-shirt press and materials for your business. Use Teflon transfer paper! I’ve tried many different types of print technology and have had the best success with Teflon. Mingle around in the forum above and get a full education in custom t-shirts before you even think about selling on eBay.

Be creative and you can do VERY well selling custom homemade items on eBay. The business of custom created items can be very time consuming and labor involved. For this reason, I suggest hiring an employee or taking on a partner once you get this business up and going and understand exactly how it works. That’s what I did and it has allowed me to focus on bigger and better things while I still have that constant cash flow coming in.

To Your MMO Success,