If you want to maximize your online sales on eBay, consider offering the best-selling items on the marketplace.
The question is: What are the best things to sell on eBay?
You’ve come to the right place for answers.
As a long-time ecommerce seller, I know the best-selling items you can offer on eBay to boost your online sales.
I developed this list to help you start selling the right things on eBay and boost your profits.
Let’s begin.
The 13 Best Things To Sell on eBay
Here are 13 top-selling items and product categories on eBay.
Mobile Phones and Accessories
There’s no doubt that this niche is one of the top-selling eBay categories since practically everyone on the planet now uses a smartphone.
Buyers are looking to eBay to fill this need for used or brand-new smartphones and accessories.
The most popular cell phones are Apple and Samsung.
The best-selling items in these accessories categories include headsets, in-car iPhone holders, silicone cases, covers, and skins.
Video Games
If you want to sell online and earn reliable profits, you can’t go wrong selling the most popular video games and video game merchandise.
The strength of the gaming market isn’t just evident in North America; it has also shown steady and consistent growth in the Asian region.
Thus, if you want more international sales, this niche will help you achieve that.
Two of the most popular brands of consoles for video games are Nintendo and PlayStation. Gamers also search for controllers and attachments in the video games accessories section.
Consumer Electronics
Consumer electronics have been a popular product category on eBay since the platform launched almost 30 years ago.
Unlike other product categories, consumer electronics are always in demand and are unaffected by seasonality. Thus, you can sell and profit from consumer electronics year-round.
Examples of consumer electronics you can sell on eBay include headphones and other portable audio devices, with Beats by Dr. Dre, Skullcandy, Sony, Bose, and JBL.
Other popular consumer electronics on eBay are TV, video, and home audio devices. Trending products in this category include home speaker systems, Amazon Fire TV Sticks, Roku Streaming devices, and smart TVs.
Health and Beauty
The health and beauty industry is also one of the top-selling categories on eBay, with health and beauty products being some of the best-selling products on eBay.
Skincare is the most popular beauty category on the eBay marketplace, as people worldwide always look for products that help improve their appearance.
Aside from skincare and anti-aging products, fragrances, soaps, bathroom products, hair care products, and makeup are reliable crowd-pleasers.
Ensure you include the expiration dates of the products, as some buyers may be meticulous about this detail.
It’s also a good practice to be transparent about the product’s ingredients, instructions for use, and possible side effects. Doing so can reduce the occurrence of product returns.
Home and Garden
Home and garden products are among the best things to sell on eBay, particularly in the summer and springtime.
Customers also search eBay for home furnishings like water filters and dining, kitchen, and bar items.
DIY tools and workshop equipment are also eBay top-selling items. The best-selling brands are DeWalt and Milwaukee.
Cameras and Camera Gear
Photography buffs and enthusiasts often flock to eBay to scour the marketplace for great deals. eBay sellers would do well to feature cameras and camera accessories in their online store.
Action cameras, especially the GoPro brand, are among the most profitable products you can sell.
Statista forecasts a growth of 5.2% between 2021 and 2028, meaning the global action camera market will be worth 4.4 billion US dollars by 2030. These numbers make it clear that this category is excellent for online selling.
Computers and Tablets
It’s no secret that consumer electronics is the wave of the future. With people constantly looking for computers, tablets, scanners, laptops, and printers, you’ll likely have many customers.
The top-selling brands in this category are Apple, Samsung, Asus, Ghia, and Kocaso.
You can even sell broken electronics for spare parts on eBay. While this won’t yield significant returns, you can still make money.
If you’re resourceful, you can score broken items elsewhere for practically nothing, which means almost the entire sales price would be your profit.
Jewelry and Watches
The top-selling items in the “jewelry and watches” category are wristwatches, watch accessories, necklaces, and pendants.
These products are in high demand, and their small size makes them less prone to damage during shipping.
Musical Instruments
Musical instruments are among the top-selling products on eBay and one of the most profitable for online retailers.
Many people sell their used or new musical instruments in yard sales without knowing their value.
You can watch out for such sales and score items in good condition, then resell them for a higher price.
You can do even better if you aim for popular brands like Bach, Conn, Shure, Yamaha, Fender, Gibson, and Jupiter.
Sporting Goods
New and used sporting goods are popular among millions of eBay customers, including athletes, parents, and people interested in taking up new hobbies.
However, you must consider which sports are popular in your region because you can’t just start selling any sporting equipment.
For example, selling American football gear wouldn’t make sense if you live in the UK. Selling European football (soccer) gear would be ideal in this situation.
According to the eBay Sporting Goods selling guide, here are the most popular sporting goods categories on the marketplace:
- Baseball – catcher’s mitts, first-base mitts, infielder baseball gloves, outfielder baseball gloves, batting helmets, catcher’s masks, jerseys, cleats, baseball training materials, and other accessories
- Basketball – portable basketball systems, wall-mount basketball systems, in-ground pole basketball systems, leather basketballs, synthetic-material basketballs, weighted balls, air pumps, nylon and metal chain nets, and jerseys
- Camping – sleeping bags, first aid kits, tents, camping stoves, water filtration kits, and other camping gear
- Cycling – road racing bikes, BMX bikes, lowrider bikes, vintage bikes and parts, recumbent bikes, tandem bikes, and other bike types
- Exercise and Fitness – home gyms, free weights, manual and electric treadmills, exercise bikes, elliptical machines, weight benches, and other fitness equipment
- Football – football helmets, shoulder pads, football pads, mouth guards, leather and synthetic leather footballs
- Golf – individual golf clubs, golf club sets, left-handed golf clubs, junior golf clubs
- Running – new and used running shoes, running shorts, singlets, jackets, reflective running gear
- Soccer – soccer cleats, shin guards, socks, soccer jerseys, soccer balls
- Tennis – tennis racquets, tennis balls, tennis shoes, tennis shirts, visors, hats, sports bras
- Other sports – popular item categories include fishing, hunting, surfing, skiing, bowling, hockey, skateboarding, and other sports
Toys and Hobbies
Products for kids are always in demand, which is why this category is highly feasible.
Here are popular products in the toys and hobbies category on eBay:
- Collectible card games – individual cards and sealed booster packs
- Action figures – action figures and figurines from popular movies, TV shows, video
games, and comic books (Marvel, DC Comics, etc.)
- Dolls and stuffed toys – American Girl dolls, Modern and Vintage Barbie Dolls, antique dolls, dollhouses, Teddy bears
- Toy vehicles – NASCAR and racing cars, motorcycles, toy parts and accessories, toy car collections, toy construction vehicles
- Model trains – HO Scale trains, O Scale trains, N Scale trains, S Scale Trains, G scale trains
Clothing, Shoes, and Accessories
Fashion is always a high-demand category on eBay.
According to Edison Trends, the clothing and accessories category makes up the second-largest percentage of sold items on eBay at 16 percent. As you can see, selling clothes on eBay is incredibly lucrative.
Monitor trends to stay competitive if you sell items in this product category since fashion is always quick to change.
The top-selling items are men’s shirts, men’s hats, hair accessories for women, and bags, especially luxury bags.
Here are some of the top-selling brands.
- Hanes and Gildan for men’s shirts
- Nike, Adidas, and New Balance for footwear
- Ralph Lauren, The North Face, and Hugo Boss for clothing
- Kate Spade, DKNY, Herschel, and Michael Kors for bags, purses, and wallets
Here’s another tip: sell vintage clothing, too. You’d be surprised that many customers search eBay for vintage clothing and items.
Vintage and Collectible Items
Vintage items are often bankable on eBay.
Antiques and collectible items fit the auction-style approach because they attract avid collectors willing to pay market-driven prices.
The top-selling items in this category are vintage accessories, fashion jewelry, bags, 60s and 70s clothing, and vintage gifts.
Pet Supplies
Pet supplies is another category sure to bring your online business good returns. Here, the best-selling subcategory is Fish & Aquarium.
Customers often look for top-selling items like live plants and invertebrates for aquariums.
Baby Gear
Products for babies are always on the list of top-selling items year-round. With many parents looking for affordable options, used baby gear is quite sellable on eBay.
These include items like:
- Baby carriers
- Strollers
- Swings
- Playpens
- Baby bouncers and walkers
- Activity centers
Tips for Selling on eBay
Selling items on eBay can be challenging, especially if you’re new to the platform.
Here are some tried-and-tested strategies to help you start on the right foot.
Create Optimized Product Listings.
Optimizing your listings involves the use of relevant SEO keywords and high-quality images. These are essential for your products to gain visibility and make an excellent first impression with buyers.
Craft Well-Written Product Descriptions.
Make your descriptions unique and provide relevant information. Not only does this ensure your
products rank higher on searches, but it also helps customers make quicker purchase decisions.
Get Feedback From Customers.
When selling items on eBay, take the time to ask buyers for their feedback and reviews. Reviews help instill a sense of trust in future customers considering your product.
Even if you receive a negative review, it can still help you evaluate what needs to change so you can improve your store.
Provide Excellent Customer Service.
Even if you have a wide range of top-selling products, it won’t matter if buyers find your store lacking in the customer service department.
Respond to queries and solve buyers’ issues quickly so customers feel cared for and more likely to purchase from your store again.
Package Your Items Properly.
Always provide proper packaging to avoid breakages and, consequently, product returns.
Offer Discounts.
Buyers are value-oriented and always looking for the best bargains and deals. Offer bundles and discounts whenever possible.
You might also consider advertising on eBay so that more potential buyers see your products.
Why Sell on eBay?
Before we go into the list of trending items on eBay, let’s first discuss the many benefits of selling items on eBay.
Here are the reasons to sell on eBay.
Offers Buyers an Option to Auction
eBay first gained traction with its innovative Auctions option.
With this approach, you enjoy more flexibility as a seller because you can put your products up for auction.
Auctions allow the market to determine the price. When buyers bid on the item they want, the price goes higher.
Putting your items up for auction can earn you higher profits than you would with an average sales price.
It also makes for quicker inventory movement because an auction carries a sense of urgency. Buyers know they must bid or buy the item immediately lest they lose it to another bidder.
That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to sell items that don’t auction well, though. In those instances, you can still use eBay’s fixed-price listings.
Easy To Set Up
Signing up for an eBay seller account is relatively straightforward. You can get your online store up and running in under an hour.
Plus, you can register as an individual or a business seller.
Here’s a brief overview of how to set up an eBay seller account.
Lower Selling Fees
There are two main types of eBay selling fees: 1) an insertion fee and 2) a final value fee.
An insertion fee is when you create a listing; the final value is when your item sells.
Non-professional or casual eBay sellers can enjoy up to 250 zero-insertion-fee listings per month, while those with an eBay store get more.
Once you’ve used up all your zero-insertion-fee listings, the insertion fee would generally be $0.35 per listing. However, items in the business and industrial categories have a higher insertion fee of $20.
Meanwhile, eBay calculates the final value fee as a percentage of the total sale amount, plus $0.30 per order.
Remember that you need to sign up for one of eBay’s professional plans if you plan to be a business seller or sell regularly.
Here’s a chart of the plans available for eBay Stores.
Acceptance of PayPal Payments
Not all ecommerce stores accept PayPal, but eBay does.
This is good news for online sellers looking to capture buyers who prefer this payment method.
Since PayPal stores credit card information, many shoppers like the convenience and extra security it offers for online shopping.
They won’t have to input their information on individual retail sites. They’ll also enjoy a faster and safer checkout experience.
The Bottom Line
These top-selling product categories and popular brands are a great starting point for creating a product portfolio to sell on eBay.
Doing more market research before selling is also advisable to ensure you offer items that will bring consistent profits.
I hope my guide has helped show you the best-selling products to offer to customers. For even more profits, you can resell Amazon products on eBay.
