Selling on eBay takes skill, I’ve realized. It’s a lot of work to become a professional eBay seller or eBay PowerSeller. But, not everyone that sells on eBay does so full-time. Some people are casual eBay sellers, looking to make a little extra income or fund fun hobbies and family vacations with the extra money they earn from selling on eBay.

Whether you decide to sell on eBay casually or full-time, finding items to sell is probably one of the first things you’ll need to figure out. I have had my own personal struggles with finding items to sell on eBay that will be well-received. Sometimes you just have to give it a try and list an item you no longer need, without giving it too much thought. You might be surprised and find that it actually sells well!

eBay also offers support in this area through their Selling Inspiration House, which I previously shared with you. But, I thought it would be great to find out how others go about finding items and deciding what to sell on eBay. Here’s what a couple of eBay Parent Panel members said, plus insight from an eBay PowerSeller.

“If it hasn’t been used in 6 months and I don’t see it being used in 6 more months, if it doesn’t meet a need where it could or should be donated to someone less fortunate than I and if I’d be willing to buy it myself in the condition that it’s currently in…then I’ll sell it on eBay,” Eric Payne from Makes Me Wanna Holler told us.

Kris Cain, author of LitleTechGirl.com, shared on her site a suggested process for finding items and pricing them to sell on eBay: “Grab a pencil and a notepad. Then, walk from room to room and write down at least one thing in good shape that you do not use…could [be] something brand spanking new in a box that you never opened…Think about designer clothes, shoes, and purses.”

“I began…listing unused merchandise in our home. I also sold used books, DVDs and CDs…I was making decent money from junk I could barely give away at yard sales!…I cleared out our closets and sold items collecting dust. I began reselling clearance merchandise…,” said Jessica Kirby, eBay PowerSeller that shared her tips for selling on eBay last month!

I hope these ideas get your eBay selling kick-started! I actually need to list some items myself and plan to sit down to do so after returning from some travel this week. I’d love to hear your own tips for finding items to sell on eBay, so please, share them in the comments below!

Bonus eBay Mother’s Day Info!

As you know, Mother’s Day is coming up and eBay has a lot going on to celebrate the mamas in your life! Some of what you’ll find includes:

• Mother’s Day Twitter party on May 1 (from 12-2 PT)
• Mother’s Day Gift Guide, plus a reference for items to sell right now as well!
• Facebook Photo Sweepstakes
• eBay Flowers Promotion – Buy ProFlowers through eBay and get $10 to spend on eBay (4/18 – 5/12)

Cool, huh? Don’t forget to share your ideas in the comments below for finding items to sell on eBay and your experience in selling!

Disclosure: ModernMami.com is a member of the eBay Parent Panel, a compensated program.

Photo: Mary Anne Enriquez/Flickr

Up until now, I have been looking for something to sell on eBay, so I could test out the selling process and hopefully make a little extra cash. But, as I shared with the eBay team recently, I was getting a little frustrated because I hadn’t found anything that seemed to be worth selling. I thought about selling some books, but once I saw how much they were selling for, plus factored in the shipping cost and eBay fees, it didn’t seem I’d actually make a profit. In fact, I was worried I’d lose money.

Just last week, the eBay team shared with us their newly launched Selling Inspiration House, which helps sellers find items around the house that are currently selling on eBay. The site also allows you to easily look up how much various items are selling for with just a couple of clicks. The timing was pretty perfect for them to send along that link, considering my challenges.

I checked out the site and got a couple of ideas of things I can look for in our house. I also saw a note on the site that says you can actually list your item to sell for free and only pay the fees if your item sells. So, really, all this time I had nothing to lose! I just needed to dive in and try it out. And that’s exactly what I did this morning.

I found a spare pocket digital camcorder that we don’t need and decided to list it for sale and see how it does. It only took me a few minutes too, using the eBay mobile app on my iPad. Hopefully, it sells and I can learn more about how the fees work and if I estimated the shipping cost accurately. If not, I’ll adjust the listing and try again. My goal is that this will be the first of other items we sell on eBay. We decided to use the extra cash towards a vacation fund, so I’m looking forward to that.

Why not try out the Selling Inspiration House and see if you find any of the suggested items around your house?

Disclosure: ModernMami.com is a member of the eBay Parent Panel, a compensated program.

Photo by Mark Hillary