Selling Other People's Stuff

The part and parcel of consignment selling is that you're selling someone else's merchandise. The owner contracts with you to manage the entire auction process, which you proceed to do. You take possession of the merchandise, research it, photograph it, write up an item description, and create and launch the auction listing. You manage the auction and collect the buyer's payment when it sells; then you pack it and ship it out to the buyer. You also pay all applicable eBay fees (although you pass them on to the client as part of your fees to him or her). Your client, the owner of the merchandise, doesn't have to do a thing.

Of course, you get compensated for all this work. Many consignment resellers receive some sort of flat fee up front (in case the item doesn't sell), as well as a percentage of the final selling price. Most sellers also pass through all the eBay and PayPal fees to the client.

All in all, it's a nice business model. Particularly nice is that you don't have any financial outlay to acquire merchandise to resell. You don't have to buy a thing, other than packing supplies. The result is a business that generates strong cash flow with minimal initial investment. And you're doing a service for those folks who don't want to or can't be troubled by running their own auctions on eBay.

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Selling Other People's Stuff

Selling Other People's Stuff