Ahh, the holidays are upon us once again!! Let’s talk today about how and why you should *absolutely* be hitting the eBay game hard before the holidays pass us by! If you haven’t already heard about reselling being a legit thing, I’m going to assume you’ve been living under a rock like Patrick from Spongebob… It’s the next best work from home gig and I (and a whole lot of other people) are absolutely here for it. We all have our own reasons! But alas, if you’re looking to quit your day job and start grinding on your own time, eBay may be the likely solution for you. Let’s take a look at how to get started selling on ebay before the holidays!
Ok, so how do you get started selling on ebay before the holidays?
Have you considered selling online before but keep placing it on the farthest back burner possible? Is it just something that you keep saying you’ll get to with the turn of the season but then events, school, work, and family favors start grasping for your attention instead? I’ve been there, and I can assure that you can indeed, do both.
When I first started on eBay back in 2018, it was A VERY overwhelming world to say the least. There were SO many buttons, toggles, sections, pages with more sections, and rules and fees and the list goes on. It’s no wonder most folks get super intimidated before hopping on the eBay bandwagon.
You see, with most peeps the holidays bring angst around gift shopping, family functions, and being away from home more often than usual. (Don’t worry, I totally feel those things too!) However, as a full-time reseller, I feel other things as well. Things like excitement, overwhelm, and fun. The overwhelm part is a good part, though. It’s an overwhelm of incoming inventory as people clear out before the holidays, and also overwhelm in the amount of sales that are beginning to ramp up!
Related: Reseller’s Guide to National Thrift Shop Day: Embrace the Thrifting Trend!
The most important thing is to get started!
I’m not saying you have to build an empire in 1.5 months before the new year’s upon us, but you can most certainly get started. This time of year often brings a lot of downtime for most individuals in other kinds of work. But for us eBay resellers, we’re just getting started. We look forward to the months leading up to the holidays as more and more moms, dads, grandparents and spouses start shopping online more as the colder weather approaches, so that they can have gifts delivered to their doors before the busy season.
It was difficult at first, as most new things are, to find my best target audience and a good inflow of inventory to keep me going, no matter how sales were. A lot of people suggest sticking with a niche so that you can easily ship one category, on repetition day in and day out. I’ve tried it all at this point, and I’ve come to understand one important thing.
Use. What. You’ve. Got.
Let me say it again for the people in the back.
Use what you’ve got!!
I’ll go into more detail in the next post about how this mindset has seriously shifted over the years, be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it!
Related: How To Get Started on ebay and Where We Are 5 Years Later
What’s the biggest obstacle to getting started selling on ebay?
I find that the hardest things for anyone in this industry is just getting started. It’s about the unknown, getting something wrong, upsetting a customer, or ultimately…failing altogether.
Of course, that runs through my mind on a regular basis, as anyone can fail at a moment’s notice. Another thing that runs through my mind though, is the fact that “just getting started” was simply the best thing I could have ever done.
By going with my gut and figuring it out along the way, I’ve been able to determine what works and what doesn’t through using a ton of trial and error. I’ve lost revenue, upset customers, upset myself and broken expensive inventory by not being organized enough. The fact is is that we live, and we learn. How much you’re willing to learn is the real, raw question!
Where can I go for more info about reselling?
The reselling game is in my opinion, all about how much knowledge you can stuff into your noggin. Need to find the next trend? Google is your friend, and YouTube gives hints on a regular basis. Need to learn about the new inventory you just got for free that you *obviously* couldn’t turn down but alas, knew nothing about? Easy, find a fellow reseller (like me!) or countless others online that can guide you in the right direction. No matter what questions you have, chances are someone or many others have already been in your shoes and have provided the answers oftentimes for free on these platforms.
Keep an open mind about what you’ll start reselling, and double down on any new info that you come across of the sort. Learn, absorb, and watch your reseller rolodex grow.
The basics of setting up an ebay store
Now, once you’ve figured out that knowledge is in fact the true key to success in this industry, you can focus on setting up your store and getting the down the basics.
Those basics include:
- Deciding on a name! (Don’t dwell too long on this one, you can always change it in the future if you must).
- Register your store name with eBay and complete the steps for adding your payouts/payment accounts, etc.
- Figure out which store subscription works best for your plans (I suggest starting with the most basic one and growing from there!)
- Set up the best tools for your products, (like promotions, sales, discounts, automatic messaging, etc.) – Think about what can essentially make your life easier in the long run! It pays to be proactive here.
- Take your time when it comes to creating listings, but don’t take forever. Done is better than perfect! And time is money!!
But Don’t Forget
- Get your shipping station in order, if you’re looking for the basics of what you need to ship, I recommend checking out this previous post that goes into further detail on shipping necessities.
- If you’re not into the extra fluff that goes into packaging, by all means don’t force yourself to become that person. (I like the fluff, it gives the feel goods!), but a simple thank you card will send the right message on its own.
- Concerned about the office supplies you’ll need in a pinch? No problem, we’ve got you covered! Check this post out to grab my favorite office supplies that I can’t live without.
- These last two may be common knowledge, but I’d like to highlight them anyway…BE NICE! It’s hard to stay kind with some of the not so kind messages that we receive, but it’s been a humbling experience and has taught me better customer service in the long run. Use feedback as a learning experience and run with it.
- Love what you do. That’s why we all started this anyway, isn’t it? Surely we didn’t all wake up one day and decide to start selling other peoples stuff online. However, that stuff has since become a national treasure in the reselling community, and it provides us the amazing freedom of working from home, a van, an RV, a car, our parents homes, you name it. It’s given us an opportunity to run our own business, make our own rules, and figure out our own problems. It has caused us to grow as individuals, break down tons of barriers, and learn the ins and outs of what our minds are really capable of when being put to the ultimate test of wearing all the hats.
Related: 10 Reseller Shipping Supplies You Can’t Live Without
You can do this – get started!
So, if you’re ready, willing and able to get started on eBay before the holidays arrive, just get started! This is your time to shine. If you want to tell the bossman goodbye and get started on your own dreams, if you want to spend more time at home with your loved ones, you can. We all have different circumstances, but we can all be resellers if we really want to be. If you’re down to try being an eBay seller before the new year, let us hear about it in the comments below!
You’ve got this, happy learning!
Thank you for reading “Want to get started selling on ebay before the holidays? Here’s how.”!
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all those who have supported us thus far on our journey. That includes today’s blog post about how to get started selling on ebay before the holidays and Christmas !! We deeply appreciate your ongoing readership. We hope that you will continue to visit us in the future. Please feel free to share any comments or suggestions below.
We’re always open to receiving advice, suggestions, or even hearing your own related stories! We make it a priority to remain active in the comment section and will respond to any questions promptly. We invite you to explore more helpful tips and tricks on Our Blog Posts Page while you’re here. Don’t forget to subscribe to stay updated on our future articles!
P.S. (This will also snag you a super sweet discount code to shop our store on eBay!) If you are struggling with your journey, Rooted Drawers is here to help. Allow our team to work closely with you for an ENTIRE quarter, side by side. You’ll come out at the end feeling refreshed in your business with a new mindset and new goals to crush!
Get in touch! We look forward to making your dreams in the world of reselling come true.
Talk to you soon!
BONUS! Get $30 for starting a Mercari account!
Disclosure: You may have noticed a handful of links sprinkled throughout this post! These are all products or suggestions that I fully support and have tried out myself or plan to try soon! When you decide to invest in a product through one of these links, I will receive a small commission through Amazon or other companies that we work with. Thank you for your support!