How to Make Money Online Through Arbitrage Selling on eBay
Retail arbitrage is an ecommerce industry model focused around purchasing stock at a low price from online and offline retailers, then reselling it online at a higher price. It sounds like easy money, right? Well, there is a big catch. The price you pay for the product depends on the amount of effort, time, and resources expended between online merchants, jostling for discounted sales, and tracking down discounts. In a nutshell, retail arbitrage involves retailing products at the maximum discount offered by the manufacturer or seller.
So, what are the best retail arbitrage sourcing strategies? Many people do well when they purchase their stock from online auctions like eBay or Amazon. Some individuals enjoy flipping through websites like Craigslist, Gumtree, or Oodle for cheap electronics. These sources can be exciting and satisfying, but sometimes the inventory is outdated or the deal simply doesn’t make financial sense. What is the difference between these options and flipping through eBay or Craigslist?
Online arbitrage dealers enjoy buying products from online vendors at a deep discount, then selling them online themselves for a hefty profit. So, how do sellers benefit from bargain hunting? Sellers on eBay and other ecommerce auction websites benefit from bargain hunting because they can buy products at regular prices, clear their auctions, post the listings, wait for eager buyers to compete for their merchandise, post the sale, and then take in a hefty profit from the turnaround time. Buyers love bargain hunting because they get products at rock bottom prices and sellers have the opportunity to flip the merchandise in quick fashion. There is some risk involved in this method, but the upside is extremely profitable.
Another type of bargain hunting, you may be familiar with is purchasing retail products at retail outlet stores. For example, you may frequent Home Depot, Target, Walmart, or K-Mart every day. The nice thing about shopping at these chain stores is that you can find good deals on big ticket items like furniture, electronic appliances, laptops, music systems, televisions, and so much more. Most of the time, home depot stores offer an incredible selection of merchandise at deeply discounted prices.
One final source of great bargains are bargain hunters that belong to Facebook groups. You can belong to eBay’s Facebook group, Facebook Pac, or Facebook Locker Room and so much more. These groups allow members to “lose” or win bids on eBay auctions. Once, someone bids on your item, you can notify your friends, family members, co-workers, or even go so far as to put the link to your Facebook page in your emails, or post it on your Facebook wall. If you are willing to do this, you can create a massive list of potential customers.
Another strategy some arbitrage sellers use to generate online income is inventory management. If you own a garage sale, a consignment shop, yard sale, second hand store, thrift store, etc., you could make money by selling products with a minimum investment. Inventory management is the process of ensuring that you have enough supply of a product when you need it. If you are selling antiques, you might want to have an inventory management plan so that you know how much stock you need, when you need it, where it is and so on. This is useful for all types of retail stores, whether you are a brick and mortar business or an online business.
Another way to make money online through arbitraging is to become an affiliate for other sellers. As an affiliate, you do not even have to stock the product yourself. Instead, you promote the product and receive a commission from the sale price. Affiliate programs are a great online arbitrage strategy because they require minimal start-up costs and marketing overhead. The commission you receive is based solely on the sale price of the product.
The most successful eBay power sellers began on eBay and gradually built up their businesses. For some, the best place to get started is eBay’s online store. From there, you can find a host of resources that will help you build a successful online retail business. For example, if you need advice on how to build an online store, there are product templates, storefront tips, shopping cart software, product catalogs, store reviews, and more. Many eBay power sellers started out as eBay retailers before branching out into online arbitrage sales.
