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How do you properly market research for buying low and reselling online?.....

by imagoodguy
11 replies
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How do you properly market research for buying low and reselling online? Like how do you decide on what products will sale for sure before you buy a wholesale product whether its from alibaba, craiglist, amazon to sell on ebay (or vice versa), offline ?
#buying #low #market #online #properly #research #reselling
  • Profile picture of the author Anomale
    Here is what I do for ebay.

    do a regular search for the item then click on the top three or so listings. scroll down to the bottom of the listings and if the seller hasn't hidden the number of views, if they haven't then look at the number, if it is over a hundred (you know there is activity) then I will filter the search by completed listings and look for the lowest price the item is selling for. Go to Alibaba and start negotiating. As long as I can at least double my money including all fees and shipping costs then I'll order a small qty and test it out.
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    • Profile picture of the author eXacta
      As above really, and dont forget to head over the Amazon to see what's selling in their top 100 best sellers which breaks down the 100 top sellers in each category.

      It's a great tool for checking what's hot on Amazon.

      Code:
      http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers/zgbs
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    • Profile picture of the author Importexport
      Originally Posted by Anomale View Post

      Here is what I do for ebay.

      do a regular search for the item then click on the top three or so listings. scroll down to the bottom of the listings and if the seller hasn't hidden the number of views, if they haven't then look at the number, if it is over a hundred (you know there is activity) then I will filter the search by completed listings and look for the lowest price the item is selling for. Go to Alibaba and start negotiating. As long as I can at least double my money including all fees and shipping costs then I'll order a small qty and test it out.
      Hi imagoodguy,

      If you go to Alibaba you will most likely be unable to locate genuine manufacturers. Instead you will make contact with traders and wholesalers who are incorrectly listed as manufacturers ....... and there goes a large part of your profit.

      If you want to by low ----- really low ----- you must buy direct from real manufacturers. Almost all of the suppliers listed on the popular sourcing sites as manufacturers are not manufacturers.

      Sorry I can't help you with the second part of your question, I just specialize in safe sourcing and easy importing.
      .
      Signature
      Use emotions and perceptions to build a great brand. Ask me about my book LabelsThatExploit. For safe sourcing and easy importing from 41 countries globally, see https://provenglobalsourcing.com
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      • Profile picture of the author mikehermy
        Originally Posted by Importexport View Post

        If you want to by low ----- really low ----- you must buy direct from real manufacturers. Almost all of the suppliers listed on the popular sourcing sites as manufacturers are not manufacturers.
        NAILED IT! After years of doing eCommerce I have never once used Alibaba simply becase they are often times Chinese knock-offs and you have to buy in huge quantities to get any decent pricing. Go direct to manufacturers whenever possible.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ecommerce Advice
    Very briefly

    1 - I would look at the Adwords Keyword Tool - see how many people are looking to buy what want to sell. Look around at different terms, search phrases used.

    2 - Look at your competition. What results does Google return for your main keywords. Can you see a way you can compete with them? Start having a look at how competitive the area is.

    3 - Look at Terapeak and see how much of your product has been sold on Ebay over the last month.

    4 - Before you start longterm seo try some PPC traffic and make sure you can get it to convert cost effectively. Improve conversion rates and then start seo.
    Signature
    http://www.SplitTest.com - Increase Your Conversion Rate Guranteed
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  • Profile picture of the author imagoodguy
    Thanks for the feedback guys, i appreciate it....Feel free to post any more advice.
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  • Profile picture of the author EAEJR34
    Never make a large purchase of any items without testing the markets first.Most places will allow you to get samples of different products so you can make a more informed decision.Use the search bar on Ebay to view all of the completed listings and see what your market is paying for a certain product.Then recheck the same items on Amazon and other places that sell your items.Always do a dry run so your not stuck with overstock of things you have to look at every month.
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    edward evans

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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel J
    There is some great advice in this thread! For importing from manufacturers, I would defer to Importexport. His advice comes from a LOT of experience and testing.

    If you want to buy a few products at a time at a low price and sell high, focusing on clearance sales, craiglist items, ebay listings etc is a great way to BUY products and earn some extra cash AND test products and niches. This can be done locally or online. The methods I use are explained in my free ebook (check the signature if you're interested.)

    Also, remember, like others said, in addition to being a great selling platforms, Amazon and Ebay and GREAT research tools (from completed listings, to sales ranks to reviews to how and best seller lists and more!). You'll want to focus on low competition items that have relatively high demand (and that you can get for a good price). Remember you don't know 100% that an item will sell until you SELL it, so don't buy 1000 units of an item right away. Research, test, buy in low quantity and then build. Good luck!
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    • Profile picture of the author imagoodguy
      Originally Posted by Daniel J View Post

      There is some great advice in this thread! For importing from manufacturers, I would defer to Importexport. His advice comes from a LOT of experience and testing.

      If you want to buy a few products at a time at a low price and sell high, focusing on clearance sales, craiglist items, ebay listings etc is a great way to BUY products and earn some extra cash AND test products and niches. This can be done locally or online. The methods I use are explained in my free ebook (check the signature if you're interested.)

      Also, remember, like others said, in addition to being a great selling platforms, Amazon and Ebay and GREAT research tools (from completed listings, to sales ranks to reviews to how and best seller lists and more!). You'll want to focus on low competition items that have relatively high demand (and that you can get for a good price). Remember you don't know 100% that an item will sell until you SELL it, so don't buy 1000 units of an item right away. Research, test, buy in low quantity and then build. Good luck!
      Are you talking about like clearance sales on target,best buy and sites and sites like that ? Also is flee markets good to buy stuff from? What other places online and offline are good places to buy stuff for low ? Also i'm about to check out your free ebook too... Thanks for the advice
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  • Profile picture of the author hollon
    I hear all this talk of going straight to the manufacturers, but how is it exactly that you find the manufacturers?
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    • Profile picture of the author Importexport
      Originally Posted by hollon View Post

      I hear all this talk of going straight to the manufacturers, but how is it exactly that you find the manufacturers?
      You can find local manufacturers simply by calling the numbers they advertise. Very few will supply small orders but they may refer you to their distributors.

      If you want to buy overseas where the big profits are to be made, you need to do a lot of research. One of the biggest problems is that almost all of the "manufacturers" listed on the B2B sourcing sites that you will frequently see recommended on the forum are in reality traders, agents, or wholesalers.

      I teach how to safely source small or large quantities direct from manufacturers overseas, but I don't publish the names of my safe sites on forums. I explain my reasons in the thread: If your secret B2B portals are so safe why don't you share?

      You will find some helpful suggestions there but don't rush in without learning:
      • How to make sure suppliers will reply to you. Most newbies complain that their emails or buying requests are ignored.
      • How to negotiate small orders even when a manufacturer quotes huge MOQs.
      • How to be sure you are getting the best price.
      • How to get the supplier to do the hard yards for you in relation to shipping.
      There are many other things you would need to know before you could safely source from the safe sites that I recommend.

      The OP also asked about market research and that is of vital importance. If you are planning on selling on eBay, I suggest you look at Auctiondebteliminator's posts. You should know what you are going to be able to sell profitably before you start looking for suppliers. Once you know what product you want, finding it and importing it are the easy parts.
      Signature
      Use emotions and perceptions to build a great brand. Ask me about my book LabelsThatExploit. For safe sourcing and easy importing from 41 countries globally, see https://provenglobalsourcing.com
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