Top 7 Product Sources for Ebay

There are many different ways to find products to sell on eBay. Below are the best ways to find products that can be sold on eBay. Use some of them, all of them, or pick one method.

1. Flea Markets/Garage Sales.

Flea markets and garage sales are a great place to find items to sell on eBay. You need to make sure that what you are going to buy is in good condition and functions before you buy it. You may have bought that camera cheap, but it will not do any good to try to sell it if it is in bad shape and does not function. You can still sell an item that is in bad shape, especially rare items. Just make sure you are upfront about the condition of the item your are selling. Your feedback will suffer if you don't.

2. Government Auctions

Government auctions are another great resource for finding items you can sell on eBay. Just about any item you can think of can be found at government auctions, from consumer electronics to vehicles. Again, like flea markets and garage sales ensure that what you are buying is in good shape before you buy it.

Most states and the federal government have multiple auctions per year and can be found by searching for "government auctions" or you can go to the US Department of the Treasury website.

3. Wholesalers

This is probably the best way to get products that new and come in retail packaging. Wholesalers are part of the retail supply chain and many are willing to work with an e-business. Finding them, however, can be surprisingly tricky. They don't advertise often on the Internet and the last place to look for them is a search engine.

One way to find them is to figure out who manufactures the item you want to sell, contact the manufacturer and ask them to give you the list of wholesalers they work with to distribute their product. Then begin contacting the wholesalers yourself and see if they are willing to set up an account with you.

You will need a reseller's license if you want to do business with them and they will ask for this documentation

4. Importing

Importing products from China can be very lucrative. There are several import companies that you can work with that will provide you with in demand products at prices that will give you a very good profit margin. Some will even dropship the products for you, freeing you up from having to store product yourself.

Global Sources Direct and Chinavasion are two great examples of import companies that you can use to source products from China. Chinavasion will dropship items for you, while Global Sources Direct will ship you case lots to your home within days. Import duties are already paid and are integrated into the cost. Global Sources also hosts the China Sourcing Trade Show in Hong Kong twice a year.

5. eBay

Yet another source for products to sell on eBay is eBay itself. If you look at a list of categories, at the very bottom there will be a link to wholesale lots. You can buy/bid on the lots and then turn around and resell each item on eBay for a profit.

Like garage sales, make certain that what you are buying is in good condition.

6. Liquidators

Manufacturers always make more products than will sell every year. Sometimes these are sold by liquidators for a significant discount. You can also try contacting local merchants and try and take their excess off their hands. Like garage sales, make sure what your are buying is in good condition. Think about why these items are excess, though. Maybe these items didn't sell well for some reason and that is why they are left over.

7. Thrift stores

Thrift stores are similar to flea markets in that a wide variety of items can be found, but the condition can be as varied as the items. Hidden gems can be found at thrift stores and some have new items that you can buy and resell on eBay.