Can you really make money on eBay without selling products? Yes, you can. Here is how you do it. You really act as a broker. Find items available for purchase on the Internet at a discount, and you list them on eBay like the owner himself. Do not worry. There is nothing unethical about it. In fact, it is becoming more and more frequently these days. Think of it this way. You offer a service to people who are not well versed in internet research. You’re finding products that they could not otherwise find. Now, there’s a small risk with this strategy, but we’ll get that in a moment.

There are many places on the internet where you can find really good deals on some items. Some common places to look are the Amazon.com marketplace, Deputy auction sites (besides eBay), online wholesalers and dropshippers. Once you have a good deal, you need a little research to find out what the market value on eBay. You can quickly search closed lists to see how much people pay for the particular item you’ve found. Once you have confirmed that there is a good market for the item you found, you can list the item on eBay. You can use a photo of the item for your listing. These can usually be found on the website of the original manufacturer’s page.

When the item sells on eBay, you get an email. The next step is for you to place an order for the actual item from your source. In some cases, depending on the source, the item can be packed by your source, so it appears directly from you. This is particularly true in the case of drop shippers. In other cases, you want the item shipped to you, please send the item to your buyer. This makes additional shipping costs, and it takes a little longer for the buyer to get the item.

In my introduction I mentioned that there is a little risk involved. The risk is to your eBay feedback score, which essentially is your reputation. You create these risks by promising to someone else’s product, and you will suffer if the product is not in stock when it’s time to deliver to your customer. So to protect yourself, you only list items that are in good supply. Not ever a list of items from a source that one or two available. In case someone places an order with you, and you feel the item is out of stock with your supplier, you have an alternative supplier quickly. And, be prepared to spend a bit more to pay for the item to your customer satisfaction. Personally I would be prepared to lose a few dollars in order to save my feedback score.

The best way to avoid this risk entirely to a decline in the use and the shipper actually buy some products from the drop shipper, which then determines the products reserved for you. When the product sells drop shipper the package the item and ship it for you. This virtually ensures that you never just an order to find that your supplier is not in stock. However, there is a small risk with this method. Once you buy the product, you own it, even sitting in the warehouse of the drop shipper, and if the market price falls for that product, you are unlucky. You may have to sell product at a loss.