Affiliate Programs

Things you Can Sell

Do you want to have an internet business but aren't sure what to sell?  There are literally hundreds of thousands of things you can sell.  Here are some ideas for you.  Please note that I don't have a recommendation (positive or negative) about any of these.  I'm just listing them because so many people have written who want to start their own business but aren't sure what is out there. 

Here are some options:

Sell products on Ebay and/or your own internet store.  This of course leads to the question of what to sell. 

If money is tight, you can sell items that you buy at garage sales/flea markets.  There is a market on Ebay for almost everything.  Got junk you want to get rid of?  Sell it on Ebay.  I know a man that sold an old worn out pair of tennis shoes and a lady who sold 5 tubes of half-used lipstick (gross I know, but they sold!)  So don't think "no one would want that old thing." Try to sell it on ebay.  No matter how junky it is, it will probably sell. 

If you have some money, you can sell items that you buy at wholesale or below wholesale.  This is a great way to make money, but be careful on these.  Make certain that the people you are buying from really are wholesalers.  Some vendors say they are wholesalers but they really aren't.  They call themselves wholesalers but the price they charge is more along the lines of what you would pay retail. 

These wholesalers charge such a high markup that you can't make good money selling the items.  If you are going to sell the item on ebay, check out the prices of what similar items on ebay have recently sold for.  This way you can know what the ebay market will pay and can compare that with how much the product costs you to see if you can make a profit on it.

If you are going to sell in your own internet store, see what the current market price is for the item and see if you can make a profit selling the item if you pay the price the wholesaler charges.  If your customer can get the product cheaper at wal-mart or from a store in town, he won't buy from you.

I don't know a lot of places that are genuine wholesalers but you can also learn more about various wholesalers at wholesale411.  Just remember to be careful and check out the prices of the wholesalers.  A lot of people claim to be wholesalers but not everyone is.

Look out:  I know a lot of people suggest drop shipping but I looked into it myself and don't think that is where the money is.  Drop shipping is where you take the order and then once someone buys the product and pays you, you buy the product from the drop shipper and they send the product directly to your customer for you.  You don't see the product and you don't have to pay any money until you get an order.

Sounds good, right?  You have no risk and only have to buy a product when you have the order for it.  Well, this method isn't always as good as it sounds.

The reason I'm not a fan of drop shipping is because there are tons of people out there trying to sell the exact same product you are from your same drop shipper.  The more competition the lower the price and therefore the lower your profit.  Also, not all drop shippers are reliable.  If they don't send the product and send it quickly to your customer, then you are the one that gets blamed for it and it's your reputation that suffers.

Personally, if you want to sell a physical product I recommend selling the actual product yourself that you get at wholesale or below wholesale.  That's where the money is.  If you do this, start out small.  Do NOT buy a lot of the product if you are just starting out.  It's easier to buy more of something that sells than try to unload something that you thought would be a sure winner that turns out to be a dud.

2.  You can make money selling an ebook or how-to manual.  If you have expertise on anything you can write an ebook or how to manual and sell your knowledge.  Don't worry that "everyone" knows whatever it is you know.  Not everyone does. Even if everyone around you knows about it, that doesn't mean that everyone in the world does.  There are ebooks on everything and people are willing to pay for this information.

For example,  there are ebooks that make money on such varied topics as:

• How to Train a Dog
• How to Get your Baby to Go to Sleep
• How to Find Cheap Cars at Government Auctions  
• How to Sew Roman Shades (I don't even know what Roman Shades are?!?)
• How to Become a Successful Home Inspector
• How to Become Debt Free & Increase your Job Satisfaction
• How to Decorate your Home
• How to Get Organized
• and of course How to Start and Run your own Internet Business (my book J)

Don't worry if you aren't a great writer.  Just explain how you do whatever it is you know how to do just like you would explain it to a neighbor of someone who is interested but doesn't know the first thing about your topic.  

The best place to sell your ebook or how to manual is clickbank.  

3.  You can sell your own crafts, jewelry, woodwork, etc.  Do you have a hobby or craft?  You can make money selling your work on the internet. 

If you don't want to sell an actual product yourself, you can refer people to other companies sites as an affiliate.  You will get paid every time someone you refer buys a product.  For more information on affiliate programs, please visit the make money and affiliate programs pages.

4.  Still don't have an idea for a business?  Click here and check out this ebook.  It's got 1,000 ideas of possible businesses you can start.  Not every idea is a winner but there are a lot of good ones in there and you will probably find one that is good for you.  Click here to check it out.     

I hope these suggestions help you in your search to decide what to sell. 

Step 5:  How to Get Visitors to your Web Site è

Things to Sell