If people search the internet for “great” or “easy” ways to make money online, it is almost guaranteed they will come across the suggestion of selling their old or unwanted products. This is a practice that can be done on various platforms in a couple of different ways.  Sites like eBay and Amazon are among the most commonly used, and users can pretty much sell anything. Now there is basic selling where users simply post the product they are looking to sell on one of the aforementioned websites, however, there is also another way of making money online that utilizes the method of buying and selling products known as dropshipping.

Selling old and/or unwanted products online is not only one of the most basic ways, it is also one of the most popular ways of making money. As mentioned previously, eBay and Amazon are two of the more popular sites people use to sell products, but there are plenty of other options. For instance, if people look around on Facebook, the odds are they will find a virtual yard sale made up of people in their community. Keeping the idea of a person’s local community close, Craigslist is another decent site to keep in mind. These two more local based platforms work best when dealing with heavier and bulkier products that would cost a fortune to ship.

People are looking to sell some more particularly niche products, luckily there are plenty of websites that provide the perfect place someone to sell their more specific products to a more specific audience. Boy, what a time to be alive! A good example of this would be a site like Etsy which specializes in handmade crafts and vintage products. Again, selling on niche websites is a good way to narrow down the user’s audience to find someone willing to purchase thier product.

Now to elaborate on dropshipping. This is a money making method that, just a few months ago, no one had idea about. Many people still don’t completely have a grasp on just yet. Based on the information found in this article on shopify.com, dropshipping is a retail fulfilment method where a store does not keep the products it sells in stock. Instead, they purchase the product from a third party. So the biggest difference between dropshipping and standard selling is the fact that is the selling merchant (or third party) never actually owns the product. If someone is as enticed by this money-making method as I am, be sure to check out that shopify article to take a more in depth look into the world of dropshipping.

Before people dive headfirst into selling their products, there are some important notes to take down. First, put thought into the product being sold, what is the best platform to post it on, how much should be charged etc. Be honest about the condition of the product. Secondly, be prepared to deal with nonsense every now and then. Whether it be problems with buyers or shipping issues, not every transaction is going to be a smooth ride. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, know that when it comes to making money online or anywhere for that matter this may be one of the easier ones to get started with, it is never guaranteed one will make a lot of money, let alone any at all. Someone may have an old or unneeded game system or home appliance that may be in great condition, but it could just happen to be something someone does not need at the moment. With that being said, as is the case a majority of the time when starting something new, patience is key.

Rachel Futterman I The Oswegonian