Where to Find eBay Inventory on a Budget

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Are you interested in selling on eBay? You may be wondering where to get inventory on the cheap if you are just starting out. Below are a few ideas to get you started (and the won’t blow the budget!).

eBay Inventory Ideas:

Items from Around the House

In my opinion, selling stuff from around the house is the best way to get started with eBay selling. The easiest way to go about gaining inventory from around the house is to clean out each room, one at a time. Sort each pile by a category, such as clothing, jewelry, crafts, etc.

Once you have everything sorted, type the item name into the eBay search bar to see the current selling price. You can also search completed listings to see what items have recently sold for. Just select “sold” under the search filter to narrow down completed listings. After researching your items, prioritize your listing based on the highest profit margin. By listing the hotter selling items first, you will have money to purchase more inventory…YAY!

Offer to Clean Out the Garage, Basement, Junk Drawer, etc. for Relatives

One of my favorite ways to acquire eBay inventory is getting to “clean out” someone’s stuff in exchange for getting to keep whatever I want. Once you start doing this, word gets around fast and you might be surprised how fast people are calling you for your services! I honestly could barely keep up with it all after a few months and had more inventory than I could list.

If your relatives are not interested in getting rid of anything, try friends or even neighbors. Even if they don’t have anything, they might know someone who does.

Free eBay Inventory from Craigslist

You can search Craigslist for “Free Items” under the “For Sale” category on the home page. In my experience, the best way to have luck with Craigslist freebies is to aim for recent listings. If there is a hot item listed a day ago, you can 99% bet that the item has already been picked up. Keep a tab open with the free items page and refresh often to have the best luck at snagging a hot item for FREE! Even if you miss the really hot items, you can get great filler items that sell for a decent amount to keep your store packed.

To find items nearby, type your town name in the “search free stuff” bar once you are on the “Free Stuff” page. Another great tip is to save your search to get notifications when new listings are posted.

Once you have typed your town or an item you are searching for, just click “Save Search” to the right of the search bar. You will have to log in to your account, then you can turn on search alerts. Creating search alerts will greatly increase your chances of snagging a hot freebie.

Other resources similar to Craigslist include NextDoor and FreeCycle.

Curb Alert! eBay Inventory from Yard Sales & More

Yard sales are worth waking up for if you are in the market for inexpensive eBay inventory. When I yard sale for items to flip, I am super picky about what I buy. Smartphones are a great tool for researching items before you buy them at yard sales. Downloading the eBay app makes this much easier to do. I always make sure I log into the app so I am ready to research when I arrive at yard sales.

On countless occasions, I have driven by piles of unsold yard sale items at the curb of the road. People often place unsold items at the curb to save a trip to GoodWill. If you drive around to local neighborhoods on Saturday afternoons, you may be able to spot free items like this before they end up on Craigslist. If you are unsure or feel weird about taking the items, you can always knock on the door to double check.

Another way to find items on the curb is by driving around the day before and day of trash pickup. Look up the trash pickup schedules and drive around to possibly find free eBay inventory.

Flea Markets

While you are out yard selling, swing by the local flea market for possible luck too. In my experience, the weirder the better as far as collectibles go. You just never know what

Go on a Treasure Hunt in Thrift Stores for eBay Inventory

If you can’t wake up for the yard sales, map out all the thrift stores in your area and go on the hunt for valuable items. The prices are typically higher than yard sales, but still very reasonable if you are selective with your purchases.

Cheap Inventory from Clearance Racks

Clearance shoppers are in luck! All of that bargain hunting may pay off if you can find low enough prices. I frequently spot items from department store clearance racks that are cheaper than Walmart’s regular prices! Scope out the clearance sections of stores you regularly visit and check the  sections often. Store managers might even tell you what day of the week items are added to clearance. Just be sure to research on the eBay app to avoid overpaying for an item.

Check out additional eBay articles…

• Broken Things You Can Sell on eBay
• $180 Worth of Items from Around the House to Sell on eBay