Reader Question: eBay Inventory in Rural Areas

I received this question from a reader this week:

“Do you have any advice for people like me, who live in the middle of nowhere?? I live in a very small town in MN, we don’t have any stores like TJ Maxx or anything like that, not even a JC Penney! It’s too much to risk buying the big lots on the internet because of not knowing what you’re going to get and I can’t afford to lose $1000 or more dollars. Is there any advice you can give for those that do not live in a big city and it is very hard to go out and find deals? Plus we have Winter coming on, so no garage sales either until Spring.”

There are several options that may work for people living in rural areas. Think about selling a service. eBay has a category called Specialty Services. You can sell services such as web esign, graphic design, logo design, consulting, writing or editing services, sewing or crafting services, or artist services. For example, if you are an artist, you can offer to do pencil drawings or paintings from photos emailed to you. If you are a skilled seamstress, you can make specialty items such as personalized pillows or craft items. If your hobby is knitting or crocheting, you can take custom orders and make baby blankets, sweaters, or scarves. Just make a few samples, take some photos, set up a listing, and offer to create a personalized item based on the customer’s preferences.

Speaking of crafts, you may want to try a site called Etsy – which showcases all things homemade. Etsy sellers offer everything from handmade jewelry to home decor and more. Read my article explaining Etsy and comparing eBay to Etsy. Think about what you have access to or what you could make to sell. For example, I know a woman who lives in Florida on the beach and has access to shells, sand dollars, starfish, etc. She makes gorgeous and unique craft items from seashells. Her raw materials are free! I have another friend who lives in a rural area in Georgia and makes Christmas items out of pinecones. Be creative. Look at what other Etsy sellers offer and get ideas for what you can do.

You may consider a monthly road trip to a city where you can shop at thrift stores. I live in Atlanta, and I run into people all the time who come here from Tennessee, South Carolina, and Alabama to shop at our thrift stores. They drive here, stay with a friend or relative or in an inexpensive motel, and shop for a couple of days. These shoppers can easily acquire a trunkload full of merchandise to sell on eBay in one weekend. Consider what cities are within reasonable driving distance from you and if a monthly road trip is feasible. This technique works well for retirees as they don’t have small children to arrange babysitting for, or to take along shopping.

Shop online clearance. I’ve done this. Kohls, Old Navy, The Gap, JcPenney and other stores have clearance centers on their websites. You can get huge deals on items, and usually if your order is over a certain dollar limit, the shipping is free. The merchandise shows up at your door and all you have to do is take the photos and list the items. The items are usually individually wrapped in plastic and ready to ship out. Another advantage here is ordering multiples of the same item. For example, say you found pajamas on clearance at Old Navy. You can order several of the same style in different sizes and list them in quantities. You only have to create the listing once and list in the different size categories. You can run auctions, fixed price listings, store inventory, or a combination of all these options.

Look at WalMart. Click here for another article that explains what kind of items from WalMart sell well on eBay.

You can look on eBay for lots. This differs from working with a wholesaler or dropshipper. eBay wholesale lots may be clothing or other items offered by a single seller who just doesn’t have time to list each item individually. You can buy the lot and then break the lot and sell the individual items. This technique works well for CDs, DVDs, cosmetics, and children’s clothing. I personally like this technique better than working with a wholesaler because you are working with an individual, and if the transaction doesn’t go well, you can file a complaint through eBay and Paypal and recover your investment. You have the eBay safety net on your side, whereas if you work with a random wholesaler on the internet, you don’t have any recourse if you aren’t satisfied with the transaction. Check out eBay lots and see what is available.

I hope these suggestions give you some ideas. If you are an eBay seller in a rural area, how do you acquire your inventory?