Ten useful tools of the trade for eBay resellers - How to make money on ebay

[@NicHills]

Links to all the tools and packaging supplies we use in our business are linked in the description box above so please take a look...

[@gabeen5758]

Keep up the good work mate, i had been very down and feeling hopeless about my reselling business lately but finding your channel has got me feeling positive again!

[@joeninety4740]

I've started using scrunched up used carrier bags as packaging, also. Really works well.

[@afitchie]

Definitely useful information Nic, especially the packing filler and buying 90 gsm brown paper , we are learning all the time with yours and Andrea' s videos!

[@raysvlogmix]

Brilliant video +Nic Really appreciate you making this for us Ebayers to learn great tips. Haha I like your 'Granny' trolley mate wish I had one I went to our local Car Boot sale last Sunday, its only a ten minutes ride on my bike but my saddle bags and rucksack were chocked full lol. I know what you mean about a good mobile I just bought a Nexus 5 and even after a few days I find it invaluable. I can list an item complete with photos in approx 5 minutes !

[@NicHills]

Hi Ray So glad you found it useful - I try to make videos with as much info in as I can that will help a wide range of people - Thankyou for the feedback, I really appreciate it :) Nic

[@ChristianM04]

Good advice. I don't pack as many large items as you but I do most of what you described. I need to be more diligent when sourcing as I've picked up a few damaged items (small rips, tears or stains) that I couldn't sell and also a few duds that just weren't worth selling. Your #1 Tip to use phone to look up items is sometimes overlooked by many but it is very important.

[@NicHills]

Thanks Christian :)

[@g-lighttravels5742]

Some really great, practical tips Nic, thanks. We’re are heading to our first car boot this weekend with a view to reselling on eBay and Gumtree. Getting the bug already!!

[@TheMistxX]

About to try and get into re-selling, mainly because I find it enjoyable, and your vids have helped me out immensely. Thank you :)

[@NicHills]

mistxX i am glad the videos have helped, thanks for the message.

[@TomTheEnglishPicker]

I've not thought of foam wrap before. I have a bag on wheels that I bought from a car boot and it's awesome. I looks odd but it saves my arms and means I can rummage easier.

[@NicHills]

Ha Ha - I can imagine us both now wandering around the boot sales looking like old granny's lol Seriously though - I couldn't do without it now - worth every penny - if I could find a bigger one I would buy it in a flash...

[@SmartReselling]

Some great tips there. I'm pleased to say a lot of what I purchased like the weighing scales, poly mailers and the packing foam is on your list :)

[@NicHills]

I thought it was a good way to answer a load of questions I have been getting, and hopefully provide some useful info for those who are already set up :)

[@paulrhodes482]

Great tips! Thank you Nic really appreciate all your help. Paul

[@NicHills]

No problem mate :)

[@leorichardson8646]

Hi Nic Just wondered do you use any online tools such as terapeak to get your title key words correct or linnworks for ebay integration/listing? great vids by the way, I was abut to give up ebay selling after never getting nearer than page 4 in the search results for iphone cases etc ( so much competition) gonna give car boots a go instead (feeling more hopeful now). All the best Leo

[@LukeStephenson]

Hey Nic, thanks for all of your videos - they're really interesting & super useful! I think this is something i'd like to try out too! How do you pack your board games if the boxes are a bit weaker and may get squashed in the post? Put it in a bigger cardboard box?

[@NicHills]

+Luke Stephenson Yup :)

[@Ben-jf2pg]

Excellent video Nic! Really helpful. Keep up the good work.

[@NicHills]

+Ben Thanks Ben :)

[@UsmanLawyer]

Great presentation and very useful. thanks Nic..

[@vidsinthecloud]

Hi Nic. I've just discovered your channel. Your tips and video style are fantastic..well done and thanks. Have you done a video on setting up eBay templates by any chance ?

[@commentscorner617]

What is the best ways to get discounts on mailing via Royal Mail? Should you print off labels on the Ebay site instead of at the post office? Should you open a Royal Mail Account? Thanks.

[@jimbobg9062]

does all this still apply would you be able to do a more upto date vid if you had time

[@Jo3sX]

I wish amazon knew about void fill... The amount of badly packed multiple book orders that have been damaged due to loose packing.

[@NicHills]

+Joel Stephenson it seems hit and miss - sometimes their packaging is amazing and sometimes awful...!

[@SuperNigel666]

Free papers, whats that, we have to pay for all ours... nothing free here in Skegness

[@pamwardell3215]

same here.😢

[@onlycoolstuff]

I may have missed this, but I was wondering what you use to post ds game and generally other dvd/blu ray case boxes in- do you just use a jiffy bag or would you wrap them in that foam roll and then bung them in a poly mailer?

[@NicHills]

Either jiffy bags or foam and a plain envelope :)

[@onlycoolstuff]

Nic Hills thanks for the reply! I ran out of jiffys and am nervous as i've sent out a few things as large letter wrapped in a single layer of bubble wrap put into poly mailers- hope they arrive safely now :/ hence me picking your brain again!

[@NicHills]

They should be fine mate :)

[@MowiesMom]

So happy to see this video from you, Nic...and as always, it was filled with great tips! Thank you! I so appreciate you!! Hugs to Monty! Lisa... :)

[@NicHills]

Hey Lisa - hope you are well, how is your ebaying going? Nic

[@MowiesMom]

All is well here, thanks! :) I finally listed my first item on 10/28 and it sold on 11/1! So I was happily surprised. It's been a learning experience for certain. Second item was listed a couple of days ago and I'm getting ready to add more in the next day or two. I really want to thank you again for everything. I truly don't think I would have taken the leap when I did, if not for you and your support. I really believe I would have been stuck in my own uncertainty for much longer...but thanks to your guidance, encouragement and always helpful tips...I jumped in. And I'm glad I did. Sending hello's to your family and big hugs to Monty! Lisa... :)

[@NicHills]

There's no stopping you now :)

[@MowiesMom]

Nic Hills I have a LONG way to go! :)

[@beautifulangle1476]

Hi nic We not able to make business account it's not connecting with pay pal account what should we do let us know thnx

[@NicHills]

To be honest I set up my paypal account over 10 years ago - I am not really the person to ask about specific technical problems - Paypal has their own customer service department - they would be the people to talk to. Nic

[@Khp1983]

Hi Nick, thanks for posting these videos. Just a quick question 1st of many so you know, what was it during the transition from the police to selling full time on ebay that convinced you that it would be a safe move to hand your notice in. Was the sales consistent and could you see a general increase in sales across all items. Also how do you deal with returns/“items lost” etc from buyers ? Thanks

[@NicHills]

I had built it up part time to a point where I could see the numbers working - it was still a huge gamble, but I really wanted to get out of the police job so my motivation to leave and make self employment work was huge

[@1deagr]

Hey Nic, enjoying your videos I'm venturing into this myself so trying to learn as much as possible. I wanted to ask when you said about using your phone at boot fairs how do you go about doing that? Do you wander away from the stall then do a search? Would you not be bothered about the risk of someone else buying it if that is the case? Thanks a bunch!

[@NicHills]

meth_head Good question Just get creative, if you are not comfortable looking things up while at the stall then you can ask the stallholder to hold it for 5 minutes while you 'ring your wife and check with her' or 'pop to the car for your wallet' anything to give yourself time to do your research. I tend to do it there and then if I can, if I feel self conscious I just say I am texting my wife to check if we already have one or if this is the thing she needs etc when in reality I am checking sold listings on eBay... There is always a solution :) Thanks for watching the vids, blimey we are both up bloody late tonight LOL

[@1deagr]

Nic Hills Thanks a lot for the reply Nic! Yeah I'm always up late and not for the right reasons haha those are some good tips, I've started to go boot fairs again but this time with intent to buy and I've found some really good bargins watching your videos have been helping me a lot too! I wanted to ask for the big boot fairs how much stock do you roughly intend to buy I know thats a very "up in the air" sort of question as the stock can vary but lets say on average, thanks a lot!

[@NicHills]

As much as I can fit in the back of the car LOL I have literally filled the car sometimes, people look at you really funny LOL

[@1deagr]

Nic Hills Hhaha! I remember when I used to go boot fairs as a kid people would be cramming their cars full of stuff...my mother being one of them (unfortunately not to sell) Thanks a lot for the replies yet again I'm looking forward to catching up on some of your videos and gaining some more knowledge especially with the boot fair season starting!

[@kevshirtcliffe8936]

For board games, typically how many times will you relist? You do fantastic trade on say monopoly games but if someone simply wanted the best price they would wait for an auction rather than one of your buy it nows.. It would appear you're in the patience game, waiting for the right person to want the convenience at the right time. As a result I imagine you have to relist several times? I know there are a lot of variables, but could you estimate the number of days to sell say a monopoly game at your price point? Thanks - I'm gradually working my way through your vids!

[@NicHills]

Kev Shirtcliffe During December they were selling sometimes within hours - at slower times of the year board games can take 2 or 3 relists, you are right, it is a balancing act between getting a good price and speed of turnover. Quite often I will reduce the price when I resist an item, that way eventually it will find it's selling price... Ebay is a very strange market though, sometimes I will list a certain board game and it will sell immediately, but the next time I list the same game at the same price it will sit for months, sometimes it is just about good/bad timing, it depends who is looking and what competition you have at any given time. :) All the best Nic

[@hannajaskolska9203]

Hi Nic,hope you had a good day:-) I have 1 more question regarding posting.Do you ever send some items with normal post without tracking? I mean for ex Royal Mail 2nd class (not tracked)? I wonder if it is worth a try or always pay a bit extra for tracking but be on the safe side...

[@NicHills]

I send anything under £20 without tracking

[@hannajaskolska9203]

+Nic Hills (UK Ebay Reseller) Thanks a lot, but don't you have problems with claims "item not received" if not tracked? I hear so many stories regarding this recently...

[@marksquires4581]

I get my packing material for nothing as i work as a removal man ,I get all the professional grade supplies and i deliver it all to my garage free of charge.We chuck so much away after we have moved some one that it all goes down the dump when it gets to a certain amount s you could go to a bigger removal firm and ask to take some away.Give it a go.

[@loriskalich2228]

also like the "free shipping" part

[@iceblueni]

Excellent tips thanks

[@thriftymiser6834]

Found you recently, been watching your vids.....How many Atari shirts do you own? Cool stuff...keep plugging away.

[@NicHills]

Just a few - I love the retro stuff:)

[@callumelcombe9423]

Is the size guide up to date? The one in my local post office looks a bit different

[@NicHills]

Regarding large letter it is but I believe there are 2 different packet sizes now, this doesn't apply to my online Royal mail account as all my packets go for the same flat rate of £2.44 regardless of sizing.. I only really use it to check my large letters.

[@callumelcombe9423]

Is packet different from parcel? I always thought it was small parcel, medium or large

[@NicHills]

Callum Elcombe Sorry, I really don't know...I have been using my online account for so long I couldn't tell you….. anything over a large letter I send at a flat rate up to 1kg average weight - you would have to check in the post office what the over the counter prices are these days...

[@callumelcombe9423]

I need to look into getting an account, it would be much easier for me!

[@londontrada]

I'm thinking of giving this a serious go, are you happy with the lifestyle; what did you do before?

[@NicHills]

+londontrada I was in the police force before I started this full time in 2002

[@DiscusMagic]

Man, bulk cling film is a must : )

[@NicHills]

What do you use it for?

[@DiscusMagic]

I buy it in black, so you can't see through it and use it pretty much the same as you use the brown paper, but the cling film is better I think as it self seals and easily wraps odd shapes.

[@NicHills]

Nice tip - thanks

[@thehaffytaffy]

What's the link for the roll of foam? I'd like to purchase a roll. Regards,

[@NicHills]

+Haffy Ali all the links are on my website - use this link to take a look nic-hills-reselling.weebly.com/tools-of-the-trade.html

[@comedyloungeofficial]

excellent video! really nicely done Nic!

[@NicHills]

Thanks for watching :)

[@comedyloungeofficial]

Nic Hills I've watched all of your vids. Very interesting. Been doing it for a few years myself and haven't seen any UK guys doing it on youtube. Didn't know about the felt wrap, definitely investing in that, been on bubble film but now will include the felt in my arsenal.

[@NicHills]

Hi Thanks for watching - so glad you enjoy the vids :)

[@aussiepicker4387]

Re: the smart phone, are you scanning in bar codes or hand typing in? Great down to earth tips. Stew

[@NicHills]

AussiePicker I search completed items on ebay

[@NicHills]

Nic Hills so I don't scan the barcodes, just type the stuff in.

[@shaymagames4548]

Hi nic what do you do when the board game boxes are not strong? Thanks

[@NicHills]

+Anita Harrak If you are concerned about the stability of the box you will need to put it in a larger box to ship it.

[@danbrown9728]

Many thanks Nic, really useful info

[@NicHills]

Thanks Dan :)

[@SuperNigel666]

Templates??? thought you listed using title, description and thats all??? Templates don't come up on tablets and smartphones, just photo plus descriptions

[@keithcaverly6832]

as usual top info

[@SuperNigel666]

I use CD mailers for all my CD's, they go as letter...

[@yelltone]

Hi ,I'm really enjoying your KZbin videos ,what's your ebay user name ,Tony

[@beautifulangle1476]

Hi there Me n my hubby watched ur videos we really like that we gona start ebay selling business n we wana take some info from u I jus wana ask u how can we contect u? We also frm uk plz let me know ASAP m waitin thnx xxx

[@NicHills]

Angle Noor Just message me throughout the comments section on any of my videos - just like you have just done Nic

[@lukegriffiths4848]

hi i have been clearing out my house as i am moveing house can i sell on ebay as i have a lot of stuff or can only businesss sell in ebay

[@NicHills]

luke griffiths anyone can sell their own property on eBay - it's only if you are buying items to make money you need to register with the HMRC

[@lukegriffiths4848]

Nic Hills thanks

[@sreekanthkrishnan1984]

Fantastic vedio Nic

[@loriskalich2228]

Lok garbage picker. no just joking great tips. thanks

[@stephendavies6080]

Spoiling your channel with so many adverts👎