If you’ve never tried selling items on eBay, there’s no time like the present.
Next to Amazon, eBay is one of the most popular ecommerce websites, with a market of about 138 million active users. It has maintained a consistent position as Amazon’s primary competitor.
You need to learn the best things to sell on eBay to be a successful seller on the platform.
Don’t fret if you don’t know how to start selling on eBay. I can help you.
In this guide, I discuss the best-selling items on eBay to help you decide what you can offer to buyers.
Let’s begin!
Table of Contents
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 choose to 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 for when you create a listing, and the final value is for 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 layer of 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.
What Are the Best Selling Items on eBay?
Selling products on eBay can be a lucrative career, but you have to be strategic about your choice of offerings and product categories.
So, let’s now dive into the top-selling items on eBay that can increase your chances of success in the marketplace.
Mobile Phones and Accessories
Statista predicts that the market for popular cell phones and cell phone accessories will grow to 93 billion US dollars by 2023.
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 video game market will be worth over 268 billion US dollars by 2025.
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 brand of consoles for video games are Nintendo and PlayStation. Gamers also search for controllers and attachments in the video games accessories section.
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 go to eBay to search 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 one of 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 even broken electronics for spare parts on eBay. While this won’t give you 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 actual 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.
Clothing, Shoes, and Accessories
Fashion is always a high-demand category on eBay–and all other marketplaces, for that matter.
An analysis of market trends shows the global apparel and footwear market reached a whopping value of 1.55 trillion US dollars in 2021. This number is likely to grow by 25 percent by 2026.
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 decide to 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
Toys and Hobbies
Products for kids are always in demand, which is why this category is highly feasible.
You can sell vintage or used games, collectible card games, and action figures, especially those from Academy, Bandai, and Nintendo.
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 a purchase decision more quickly.
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 that customers feel taken care of and be 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.
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.
It’s also advisable to do more market research before selling to ensure you’re offering 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.
