There are thousands of individuals out there looking to earn additional income or perhaps start a whole new career by working online. These people are fed up with the 9 to 5 routine, ungrateful bosses, or the stress of living from paycheck to paycheck.
If you are looking to find out how to sell items online, this article will provide some great information regarding this topic. You will learn what are some of the major obstacles, a number of solutions to these hurdles, the benefits associated with selling items online and how and where to get started.
Why Most People Fail At Selling Items Online
Selling items online doesn’t have to be a stressful, unpleasant experience, but for many this is the end result. They have the right intentions and look forward to the possibility of making a nice amount of money by selling various items online and from the luxury of their own home. Why then, do so many fail at this attempt. Let’s take a look at some factors associated with why people fail in this undertaking:
- Lack of motivation or committment
- Not sure where to start or what they want to sell (No business goals put in place)
- Failure to do the appropriate research (No plan put into place)
- Difficulty getting potential buyers in front of their products
- Pricing of product(s) is not in line with other competitors
- Competition
Would you believe in some studies, it was determined that 90% of all start-up online businesses will fail in the first 120 days? One of the factors mentioned above or a combination of a few will lead to failure when attempting to sell items online. Let’s take a look at some solutions to this pattern and get you started on the right path and part of that 10% that are successful!
Selling Items Online With A Plan … That Works!
To be successful at selling items online you must first decide on which type of items you want to sell and where you want to sell them. Are you interested in selling some items around the house that you no longer want or need? Looking to start an online business of your own and perhaps make a full time living doing this? Either way, lets devise a plan to make you successful:
- Establish A Goal Or Desired Outcome
- Decide On Which Product Or Products You Are Going To Sell
- Develop A Marketing Plan
- Decide Where You Will Sell Your Products
- Research
(Phase #1) Establish A Goal Or Desired Outcome
One of your first tasks and one of the most important is to figure out exactly what you wish to accomplish when selling items online. Are you planning on just listing a few items online and make some quick cash? Have you decided that you would like to create a full-time business online selling items?
Either choice is fine, as long as you have established these goals before getting into this online arena. Your goals should and will determine the amount of effort that is needed to achieve a level of success. Building an online business that will convert a nice stream of income over the years will definitely take more effort than just selling a few items to make quick cash.
In a nutshell, ask yourself this question: What are you trying to accomplish with this endeavor? When you can answer this question with complete honesty and clarity, you have established a goal and are now ready for the next phase.
(Phase #2) Deciding On A Product To Sell
Okay, you have your goal in place now and you have a good idea of what you hope to achieve in selling items online. Do you have a specific interest in something? A passion about something? I am sure you do, so this may be a great place to start when deciding on an item to sell. For example, let’s say that you have a great love for dogs. There are literally hundreds of items that you can sell online associated with dogs.
You now have your niche which obviously relates to dogs. Don’t be settled with just this ‘broad’ niche idea, as you should now do some further research to determine which items or products are selling. Why list a dog house for sale if nobody is buying them? Again, research and find out what the ‘hot’ items are out there and even check out some competitors sites to see what their site looks like.
Finally, consider your customers. Most people who visit your listing are looking for a solution to something. For example, let’s say a dog owner has noticed that their pooch is having more and more difficulty walking up stairs. They are looking for an item that perhaps alleviates hip and joint pain. A product or item that focuses on this type of condition can be a huge money maker for you!
(Phase #3) Develop A Marketing Plan
Your next task is to develop a marketing plan that will drive customers and potential buyers to your item. Don’t underestimate the importance of this! How do plan on promoting your item and get people out in front of your item? There are a number of ways to do this so let’s take a look at a few of these below.
One of the most effective ways to market your item and my personal favorite is the creation of your own website. With a website, you will have the opportunity to inform your readers of specific details associated with your product. Your website (Blog) gives you a great deal of freedom and allows you to connect with your readers on a more personal level.
If you lack the knowledge or skills to build a website of your own, I’ve got you covered with that. There is a platform known as Wealthy Affiliate that will actually build a website for you within the niche of your choosing, for free! In a matter of minutes you will have access to your own website where you can provide relevant information regarding your item.
Seems like everyone these days is connected to some form of social media. Many online sellers use these platforms to generate loads of traffic to their listing on a daily basis. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Linkedin are just a few of social media sites that you can leverage to bring readers to your items. Engage with these individuals on these platforms and gain their trust.
For those not on a tight budget, marketing your item through paid advertising is also an option. I would strongly suggest that you are getting some organic traffic to your product before going the route of paid advertising or marketing. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of paid advertising it can get expensive if you don’t know what you are doing.
(Phase #4) Deciding Where To Sell Your Items
There are a number of sources available online that provide a platform to do
this. Which option you choose is strictly an individual choice and one that will best suit your needs in selling items online. Let’s take a look at some of these now and provide you with a few options that you may want to consider.
- eBay @ Amazon – I’m quite sure you have heard of both of these online powerhouses and their popularity worldwide. Both companies will give you the opportunity to sell just about anything on their sites, but here are a few things you should know if you decide to sell on eBay or Amazon.
- Research (You will need to know such things as pricing, which products are selling, shipping practices to name a few)
- Marketing (Determine who your prospective buyers are, and market to that group)
- Policies (Become familiar with the company’s policies which include item listings, shipping, returns, etc.)
- Fees associated with selling on eBay and Amazon
- Setting up a Paypal account to get paid
- Inventory (Bulk items, or just a few things you are selling around the house)
- Reputation (Will take some time to establish yourself as a reputable, respected seller)
- Establish your own brand (Sell what you know or are familiar with)
- Customer Relationships (Yes, they are always right)
- Be consistent with your effort (Only way to grow your business)
E-Commerce And The Blog Website
These E-Commerce sites are reputable and ones where thousands of people are making a great living as part of their affiliate programs. For those unfamiliar with the term ‘affiliate’ it is basically a way to leverage products that are not your own, and earn a commission when you sell these products.
So where is the best place to market, promote, or review an item that you
would like to sell? In my opinion, that would involve the creation of a website blog, a site that you own.
With a blog, you can choose which item or items you would like to promote, sign up to Amazon/eBay as an affiliate and create an online business by receiving commissions after a sale. That simple!
If a blog is something that has grab your attention but you have no idea where to start, Wealthy Affiliate will take you by the hand and create one for you. No special skills needed!
(Phase 5) Research
In order to be successful with selling items online, there is a component of research that is essential to your success. Without research, your attempt at selling items online will most likely fail. Here are a number of items that you should discover with a thorough research:
- Is there a demand for your item?
- How stiff is your competition?
- Does your item help to solve or alleviate a problem to your customers?
Through research, you should be able to answer these questions and then decide if the item you plan on selling will be a profitable one. Without this research, the odds of being successful are greatly reduced.
Whether you decide to make this endeavor of selling items online as a business or just as a one time thing, you should follow and complete the five phases mentioned above. In doing so, your chances of success, are greatly increased.
As mentioned earlier, such sites as eBay and Amazon are great places to find items and promote these items as an affiliate. Thousands of people throughout the world are making a full-time living doing just this.
If you are someone who wants to take a more personal approach to making money online, creating and building a blog website is your best option. You have complete control with selecting an item, marketing, and providing valuable content to your readers as well as gaining trust.
Don’t worry if you think you don’t have the skills to create your own blog website. I certainly didn’t. Through the Wealthy Affiliate platform, I was able to get my website up and running with little stress. You can too!
Get Your Own Free Website By Clicking On The Banner Below And Start Selling Items Online Today!
