The #1 question I am asked concerning online trade is “what should I sell” or “where do I get product to sell”? For the new entrepreneur this can be a challenging hurdle. Many aspiring business people often stop their endeavor at this point. They know they have the capability and desire to be successful, but they don’t know where to begin.

The answer I give to most of those individuals is to START WITH WHAT YOU HAVE!! Everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE, has things around their home, basement, garage, or attic that they don’t use , want, or need any longer. This is the perfect way to begin selling online. By selling your own unwanted items, you can gain valuable experience with absolutely NO RISK.

The profit is often times better by selling online vs. having a garage sale. Let’s face it, having a sale takes many hours to prepare, price, and set up. The advertising costs are generally greater as well. By selling online, you gain a much larger audience while also increasing the demand with the auction process. Those knick-knacks and old clothes that are boxed up in your basement are probably worth more than the .50 cents each that you may get for them in a garage sale.

I have personally tested this theory myself with my online auctions. I have had many many articles of clothing that no longer fit ( too many brownies I guess) that have brought 5-7.00 each. A group of video games that my son doesn’t play anymore went for 5.00 each. An older collection of Denim Days sold for over 200.00 dollars. These are all things that were just taking up space in my home. You can see the idea. Just look around and you will be astonished at what you have to sell.The added bonus is that you get rid of unwanted items while still learning and making a PROFIT.

“What do I do about getting more product?” This question always arises after seeing some success with selling your own items. I have found that going to thrift stores, garage sales, and live auctions will provide an ENORMOUS amount of inventory for you to begin selling. These locations provide a GREAT “training ground” to test the demand for products you may be interested in selling online. I once went to an estate auction that had a collection of Jim Beam Decanters. I watched as one gentleman bid up to 87.00 for a single decanter. ( I thought uh-oh, this is out of my league). After several of the decanters were bid on and purchased, the demand and interest from those attending the auction went down. The auctioneer then started the bid at 1.00 each for choice of decanters. My wife won the bid at 2.00. The shock to me came when the auctioneer asked my wife how many she wanted. She said ” I’ll take ALL OF THEM!!” I thought ” ARE YOU CRAZY?” We ended up bringing home 47 decanters for 94.00. When I looked at the completed listing section of Ebay, I noticed that one of the decanters we purchased had recently sold for 64.00. I immediately listed that decanter and sold it for 57.00. Now I had 37.00 invested in 46 decanters. The rest of them sold for an average of 9.00 each. With one purchase, we made a profit of over 300.00. THANK GOD FOR ONLINE AUCTIONS!!

These are just some of the examples I have. Please feel free to email me and/or add comments concerning some of YOUR stories.

Finally, I would like to add one other thought. When you decide to get SERIOUS about your online business, SELL WHAT YOU LIKE. There is no reason to work for yourself and not like what you do. ( This is why we want to be our own boss in the first place).

I hope this helps with the success of getting started in your online auction business. If you really want to learn more about product ideas and selling solutions, I DEFINITELY recommend Skip McGrath’s products. He provides detailed books and manuals that are PRINTED not emailed to you. His best value is TheComplete eBay Marketing Program. It will teach you the professional techniques you need to become an eBay power seller. His website can be found atThe Auction Seller’s Resource.

Thanks for checking in today. Please feel free to leave any comments and/or email me. Don’t forget to bookamrk this site. I generally update daily.