Jim Cockrum

Consignment selling on eBay is simply selling other people's stuff. It's a good way to get your feet wet with an easy-to-start online business.

Finding products to sell is easier now than it ever has been. Cash is king right now and a lot of people are willing to part with items that are quite valuable.

Some rules of thumb when selling items for other people on eBay:

• Whenever possible just buy the items outright and then sell them. It's much easier and more time efficient to do it that way. Only do this with items that you know a lot about and know what profits they'll bring you.

• Get yourself listed in the "trading assistant" directory on eBay. Use this link to learn more: ebaytradingassistant.com/index.php

• Use the above link to find other consignment sellers and see how their operation works. You'll get some great ideas from other sellers on what types of products to sell, how to advertise, and what their auctions look like. Look for sellers with high feedback scores to learn the most from.

• To find customers run a craigslist.org ad advertising your services. You can also talk to family, friends and neighbors and likely come up with plenty of customers. Offer your customers incentives to send you referral business.

• Only sell items likely to go for $30 or more. A higher minimum is even better. Keep a minimum of 30% of the selling price as your fee. Some consignment sellers keep 40%.

• Don't get caught talking to people about their junk. Extended conversations about other people's stuff will drain your time and kill your business.

• Have a clear contract that states what your duties are and what they can expect. This will help you avoid negotiations and changes later.

For information on what to sell on eBay, go to: www.mysilentteam.com/members/department34.cfm