Hello, Online Sellers.
A few years back I worked at Nextworth.com, an iPhone/iPod trade-in company where customers can trade in their gadgets for cash. (Great concept, but a terribly-managed company).
What I found:
> If you can get accessories from the right supplier, your selling margins on eBay can bring you a 200% to 400% ROI (Return on Investment);
> Being a U.S.-based seller means customers will pay you much more than buying direct from overseas (i.e. China), thus you don't have to compete with sellers' prices there.
> Bundling products (i.e. selling an iPhone with a charger, case and screen protector) means a higher profit margin than selling each component individually.
Is selling accessories very competitive on eBay? Yes, but NOT NEARLY as much as it was a couple years ago since sellers have left eBay in droves -- now it's easy to stand out from the competition and get more sales than the next guy.
Is there still a nice part-time income potential? YES. And I found a step-by-step e-book that will show you how to do it. (More details in a moment).
Do you need to buy an e-book to show you how? No! But the book nearly eliminates the guessing for you (and the guessing will SERIOUSLY handicap you if you want to make a serious business of selling accessories online).
In short, you can get a steady, profitable revenue stream by:
1.) Snapping up accessories from poorly-represented items (i.e. blurry or wrong photo, misspelled or inaccurate title) on eBay, for as little as $.01 ea accessory; then receiving and re-selling them on eBay and/or Amazon.
2.) Finding a reliable Chinese supplier (use AliExpress.com, not Alibaba. I used Alibaba or a $500 purchase and the seller on Alibaba was a scam artist - he took my money and ran. AliExpress is a much safer source of suppliers).
3.) Focusing on accessories from the latest 'hot' phones i.e. the iPhone 4 or Blackberry Torch 2 (accessories for most 'yesterday' models lose demand quickly).
4.) Bundling your accessories into an 'Accessory Package' containing (say) a case, a charger, a car charger, a screen protector, or some similar combination;
5.) Emphasizing your 'U.S.A.' location when posting your Packages on eBay (buyers don't want their item shipped from China, they want it trackable, and from the U.S.);
and
6.) OPTIONAL, IF you also sell stuff on Amazon via FBA - Using Amazon's FBA center to fulfill your eBay orders. In other words, your accessory packages would be sitting in Amazon's Fulfillment center. When your accessory package sells on eBay, you can quickly have Amazon ship the item to your eBay buyer (Amazon does NOT take a comission from sales of this type). By using Amazon to fulfill your order, you can offer 2-day shipping or $9.95 overnight shipping (just increase the price of your eBay's accessory package accordingly). In other words, you're 'using' Amazon's fast shipping infrastructure for your eBay shipping. (This concept is explained in depth by Skip McGrath and FBAPower.com's Chris Green here).
Now about that e-book, "Auction Profits Formula" ($19), that shows you how to dominate the accessories market:
> It's a steal at $19. I think the author is crazy for offering it this low (I would have priced it at $27 or higher, because it's worth much more)
> It shows you, step-by-step, how to dominate the iPhone/Smart Phone accessories market on eBay
> It's written by Pete Bruckhsaw, a trusted and reliable provider of 'how-to' eBay strategies
> I am personally DOUBLE-BACKING Pete's 60-day money back guarantee. In other words, if you request a refund and Pete doesn't honor it (he will, he's reliable), I will personally refund you immediately.
At the very least, watch the video on the sales page because if you thought the iPod/iPhone accessory market is saturated (like I did), you'll be surprised.
Have fun!
-J.B.
Founder, HonestOnlineSelling.com and FBAFinds.com
What to Sell on eBay, 