Wholesale Overstock, Closeout, Liquidation and Customer Return Merchandise Distributors.

Somebody with deeper pockets than yours will buy up inventory from closed businesses (liquidation). Or businesses will raise cash by selling off excess inventory (overstock) Think of your local department store's after-Christmas sale merchandise (closeout). And how about all that Christmas return merchandise (customer returns). Now think of all that stuff loaded on a couple of trucks and sold for pennies on the dollar!
All of these are inventory or bulk lots of goods that have found their way into the hands of wholesale distributors that specialize in this market. Many of these distributors will sell less than truckloads, 1 or 2 pallets at a time. This is one of the best places to get VERY inexpensive merchandise to sell on eBay. You are these distributors bread and butter. Where do you think the "Cheapo Depot" discount store gets it's merchandise?

Buy Direct and Save Millions!

Some manufacturers will sell to you in small quantities. The smaller and more unique the manufacturer, the more likely that they'll work with you. The same thing goes with small distributors. Distributors will buy from several manufacturers at a discount, then resell to you at a mark-up (they won't be as cheap as the wholesale overstock guys above) but with any luck, the mark-up will be slight enough that you can make a profit on eBay. This is extremely difficult, and requires a lot of homework. You will often need documentation as a real business. Look for companies that are physically close to you, in the same county or state. You can find these folks by talking to your Chamber of Commerce or various state agencies that promote business. Your size is a limitation, and many places won't deal with you if you say you sell on eBay. With some experience, though, some will be interested in talking to you about representing their items!

West Coast Trading Provides this article for free as a help for people interested in selling on eBay. We make no guarrentees or endorsements of it's content.