eBay Business All-in-One For Dummies, 4th Edition

Chapter 2

Sourcing Merchandise Like a Pro

IN THIS CHAPTER

Taking the mystery out of finding merchandise

Getting the best wholesale deals

Finding unusual (and cheap) deals

I’m often asked, “Where do I find merchandise to sell?” This, of course, is followed by “What can I sell to make the highest profit?” Good questions. But what successful seller has an answer they want to give to the competition? Did Macy’s tell Gimbel’s?

When eBay PowerSellers have a good, solid source of merchandise, they’re not likely to share the name of that source with anyone — nor would any offline retailer. (Think about it a minute.) When I was teaching a class for advanced sellers at eBay Live (an eBay user convention back in the day), I was asked the question in an auditorium-size room filled with PowerSellers. I answered a question with a question: Were there any PowerSellers in the audience who would like to share their sources with the rest of the group? You could have heard a pin drop. So I upped the ante — “I’ll pay anyone $10 for one solid source” — still silence. Business is business.

When someone ...