Books, Product Sourcing #1

When I teach people how to sell and make money on eBay the most common question is, "What should I sell?" One answer I give is, "Sell what you know." Do you have a hobby, a job, a passion, a pastime, or love of something? This is something to ponder and out of that you may come up with the answer to the first question. This begins a series of posts on the subject of sourcing, i.e. finding sources for the items that you sell.

When I first had someone tell me to sell what I know, my immediate thought was that there wasn't anything in my hobbies or jobs that I could connect with a product to sell on eBay. Later I did think of one or two things, but I felt no passion for them. Some years later I read something about selling books on eBay and I realized I love books. I've had a passion for books and have collected books for years.

After thinking about and researching this new potential eBay product for a few weeks, I decided that books made sense for me. New books are available in dollar stores, and at clearance sales in book stores, supermarkets, and elsewhere. Are there sources for books where one can make a decent profit margin? Of course! Used books are available at yard sales and estate sales as well as public library book sales.

I did further research and read some papers and books on the subject to learn the ropes of sourcing, choosing, pricing, & shipping. So now I sell mostly used books on eBay, on Half.com, and on Amazon. I don't get rich selling used books, but it is only one of my income streams. The people who can succeed selling one product are few and far between today.

So what is your passion? Tell us a little by leaving a comment.

Dr. eBay