Expanding an eBay Business?

dh1998

Recently asked a similar question on Yahoo Answers but I realized that wasn't exactly the best place to go. I am a reseller on eBay and I resell authentic luxury bags (mainly Louis Vuitton). Most of my items are just lucky finds from thrift stores. Over the past 2 years, I've sold a little over $100k in inventory, but I would like to begin selling for other people (i.e. a trade in business/consignment). I want to sell other individuals' designer items (mainly bags, wallets, certain jewelry) quickly and take a percentage of final sale price as my fee. I'm not trying to work with top designers directly. What I want is to sell items for individual people. Almost all of my listings are auctions so they're usually sold within 7 days. Any tips on how to facilitate a business model like this? How do I build a reputation and get people to trust me? Again, I have been selling for 2 years so I am relatively familiar with the selling process. I am currently a freshman in college and my free time is limited but I really want to do this. I have two eBay accounts, but I don't have an extremely high amount of reviews (my volume is low, but the average item price is high which is why I've done so much in sales). Mind you, money is not the main motivator for this project but recently taking on student debt has motivated me to work harder towards attempting to get this set into action. I genuinely enjoy what I do and would really enjoy expanding and managing more inventory. Any ideas on how I should go about getting started on this? How do I target my audience and build a reputation for myself outside of eBay? How would I differentiate myself from others in order to make potential customers choose me as their seller?

Charlie P

If your area has a Craigslist that may be a good place to start. Also, you are at college so there are others who I'm sure could use a few extra bucks and would happily keep an eye and ear out for you in regards to opportunities. Maybe offer them a 10% finders fee, but I would have them send you a pic and a price before they buy so that they aren't bringing you items that you can't turn a profit on or even worse lose money on. Lastly, facebook groups are great for finding items and connecting with people who have the items to sell.

These ideas are based on the assumption that you are needing to stay local to keep it from needing to be sent to you prior to it being listed and sold.

I hope you find some bit of information that helps you on your path.

PatriciaTaylor

You can promote your business on social media to connect with the potential customers. You can post pictures of your store and items on Instagram and Pinterest. Many big brands this technique to grow the customers and fans.
You can simply boost your online presence through social media marketing.