subject: 3 Ebay Product Sourcing Models [print this page] Whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced eBay seller, there are three basic product sourcing models when doing business on eBay.
First, you could sell for other people as an eBay Trading Assistant. An eBay Trading Assistant is someone who sells products on behalf of other people in the community. You earn a commission on the products you sell, and if people know that you'll sell their stuff on eBay, there will be no end of products for you.
The second model is to sell many one-of-a-kind items. For example, you might specialize in selling rare hand-carved figurines. If you do, then every item needs its own description and pictures. Yet there are a few benefits to choosing this second model. First, you can hopefully build a fan base. If you sell unique items, these potential customers might be collectors who are sitting on the edge of their seat to see what you'll sell next. If you list your unique items at an auction (and there are many people who want them), then you could have a bidding war.
One of the disadvantages of selling one-of-a-kind items is that it is more time consuming than some other methods of listing items. For example, you'll never be able to take advantage of buying multiple quantities. You'll need to become really efficient at listing products, because that's where you can get bogged down. You'll juggle your time between finding the products to sell and actually listing the products that you've found.
The third model is the model that I've found works the best. This model is to buy inventory in bulk quantities. Why do I (and thousands of other successful powersellers) choose this model? Well, it means that you save tons of time in creating the listings. You take the pictures, write the description and title, and then once you're done the one listing, you're done! However many items you have in stock are now available for purchase. No more taking pictures or re-doing the descriptions and titles. You can set it and forget it because you'll get paid multiple times for the work you do once. You make one listing and sell hundreds of that one product. One of the disadvantages to this model is that the competition is strong, and that's because the model is so popular. Yet if you learn the strategies of eBay success, you'll hold your own and make money on eBay.
