Can You Sell On eBay Full Time?
Are you wondering if you can sell on eBay full-time? I have thought about this a lot myself, and it is a goal I am working toward. It sounds like a dream job, just buying things for cheap and listing them for a higher price. Sounds easy enough, right? However, I know how difficult it can be after trying to sell even part-time on eBay. It’s not as easy as it sounds, although it’s not impossible.
Can You Sell On eBay Full Time? Don’t Quit Your Day Job
I definitely don’t think anyone should quit their job and try to become a full-time reseller until they are already replacing their income from their regular job. That would be career suicide. Getting a full-time reselling business off the ground can take a long time, and worrying about paying your bills while doing that would be very stressful. Instead, it would be best if you started small. List a few items a week and see how long it takes to sell them.
eBay has grown by leaps and bounds since I first registered an account in 1999. Back then, when you listed something for sale, it usually went quickly, or at least someone would bid on your item. If not, you just relisted it; chances are, it sold the next time. eBay has millions and millions of users now, so getting your items even seen while competing with many of the same can be more difficult. Realizing that what you list may sit unsold for a while is just a reality you must be comfortable with.
How Many Listings To Sell Full-Time on eBay?
I definitely think the amount of listings they have on eBay gives full-time resellers the edge over casual and part-time resellers. I can think of one full-time reseller I am aware of that pulls in around $4000 USD a month. They have over 8,000 items listed, mostly just random collectibles and a few vintage clothing items. Can you imagine the time it takes to list that much and that often?
I pull in close to $300 a month with an average of 100 listings. Many of these items are clothing. I don’t have a set amount of listings I do per month; I do it when I feel like listing. But, to take this income up to my goal of $2000 a month, I know I need to get way busier than I have been. If I want to sell on eBay full-time, I have to list more quality items that are in demand.
What Are You Selling?
Another thing to take into consideration is what you sell. My best advice is to sell what you know about and are interested in. I can tell you from experience that selling bulky vintage electronics isn’t my idea of fun, but I love to find vintage clothing from the 80s and 90s and flip those for a significant profit. Look at the things that catch your eye, look up solds on eBay, and see how much they sell for on average. If it looks like it could be a profitable sale, pick it up and list it.
I spend a good amount of time looking at random items on eBay and things I run across in thrift stores to see if it’s something worth getting. Sometimes, doing a little research can be the best teaching experience in finding out what sells.
Beware The Success Stories of Full-Time Reselling
I would definitely caution anyone to be very wary of those people you see online who claim to be making a killing on eBay and showing you what they sell. You know, the ones you see with thousands of followers on YouTube and social media, showing what they sell and offering you the chance to get in on their selling master classes and such. I’m not saying they aren’t successful sellers, and I’m not even knocking some of their courses, but keep in mind that they also profit from their channels and courses, along with their eBay listings. That’s different from profiting only from eBay sales.
I’m ready to kick my listing into high gear to achieve full-time reselling status on eBay, and I definitely have my work cut out for me. Are you a full-time reseller? If so, I’d love to hear how long it took you to achieve that status and if you have any helpful hints. Are you just thinking about reselling? I’d love to hear your thoughts as well!
