eBay: The Missing Manual

Sell for Others

You know how to move items on eBay—how to write good auction descriptions, set a price, and take enticing photos. There are plenty of people out there who'd love to pay you for those skills.

A 2004 Nielsen survey found that the average American household has more than $2, 200 worth of unused stuff lying around: computers, cell phones, cameras, jewelry, and more. (That was the purchase price; the secondhand items in decent condition are probably worth about a thousand bucks.) Multiply that by the number of households in your area, and each street becomes a hidden gold mine.

You can build your eBay business by selling items on consignment for people who are either unfamiliar with eBay or who don't have time to list and manage auctions on their own. Instead of hunting down suppliers, you can have suppliers come to you. You run the auction and claim a commission when the item sells. You can choose from several different selling-for-others options.

Become a Trading Assistant

eBay has a program for consignment sellers, called Trading Assistants (TAs). It doesn't cost anything to join, and it's easy to qualify for the program; once you do, eBay includes you in its directory of trading assistants so that other eBayers can find you. You also get a logo to include in your listings, which gives you some marketing reach; eBayers who buy from you might also ask about your TA services.

To become a TA, you must be a registered seller and meet these criteria:

• You must have sold four ...