How Much Do You Spend to Make $10 on eBay?

I have recently released my Fall 2008 HotList of items to sell on eBay. This list provides detailed information on hot products to sell on eBay right NOW, where to find them, how much they cost, and how much profit can be made selling these 13 specific items.

I received an interesting comment from a seller who purchased the book. She seemed to think that the book was going to give her a secret location to drive to and purchase these items all at once and make hundreds of dollars on eBay in one day. (I never promised that.) The items are located at places like WalMart, drug stores, grocery stores – places you might drive by every day. Her complaint was: “It is not worth my time and effort to spend $20 on something just to make $10. I would rather spend $2 on something and make $50.” Wouldn’t we all?

Excuse my sarcasm, but good luck with that. You may find the occasional thrift store or garage sale item that falls into this category, but as a general rule, $48 profit on one item isn’t the norm on eBay. One of my pet peeves are these “internet people” who spread around the idea that eBay is just sitting in front of your computer taking orders for your drop shipper to send out – then watching the money roll in. Nothing could be further from the truth.

eBay is work. eBay is doing research, looking for items, listing items, shipping items, and corresponding with your customers. eBay is a convenient lucrative way to make money from home, but it is a job and requires dedication and hard work to see the profits.

My question to you is, how much do you normally spend on an item to make a $10 profit? My general rule is that if I can’t make at least $10 on an item, I’ll pass. Some sellers will spend $200 to make $50. Others won’t spend more than $5 on anything. What is your rule?

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