How to Source Products to Sell on Shopify and eBay?

Selling on marketplaces like eBay and through your Shopify store can be overwhelming. You may discover that sticking to proven selling categories can be better than testing niche categories you initially thought sounded interesting.

The most important aspect becomes where you source your products, as it can determine your ability to sell on eBay and Shopify to make a profit. This brings you to identify suppliers who can provide goods in fast-selling categories essential to Shopify and eBay inventory sourcing.

Create Shopify Store and connect with eBay

The first step to selling online is to get a Shopify store by subscribing to a plan and setting it up with the help of Shopify Experts. The experts make it simple and easy to get the store up and running in no time.

The next step is getting yourself an eBay seller account. Once you’ve set up your account and are ready to start listing your products, get yourself an integration application. The smart way to get the best of both is to have a Shopify store and an eBay seller account. You can link them both and sell your Shopify items on eBay.

The application maintains your inventory in one place, allows you to manage everything in Shopify, and gives you fast access to eBay’s buyer benefits.

Know What to Sell

Selling the perfect product in your selected category is the key. Prioritize doing product research and complete strategic sourcing for products. It will increase your profits through optimized operations by beating the competition.

The rule of thumb you need to follow if you want your products to sell – list products people want to buy from your eBay and your Shopify store. Sourcing items in demand (or about to be) guarantees consumer interest in your selling, providing an audience to target, which you can later leverage through targeted ads and promotions.

Are your Products Easily Shippable?

Any eCommerce business’s success depends on efficient shipping. Items need to be shipped to customers quickly, safely, and inexpensively. Consider the size and durability of the products to determine whether customers can receive their purchases intact, without damage, and affordably.

Is there enough Demand for your products?

Your product choice must be somewhat popular. Consider whether your products can add value or bring something new to customers. Using Google Trends is one of the best ways to find data to support your choices.

Type of Local Product Sourcing Options

Wholesale

Between a manufacturer and a retailer, a wholesaler acts as the intermediary. A manufacturer offers Wholeseller a bulk order discount when they buy huge quantities of identical items. The retailer then again buys smaller (but still large) quantities from the wholesaler with a discount.

It makes buying from a wholesaler a cost-effective but risky method of sourcing items to sell on eBay, as you’ll also need to acquire a significant storage space.

However, one must know that buying so many items at one time is a big commitment. In terms of finances, it is a big burden, and sales are never guaranteed. In addition, storage and inventory management can also be an issue.

Thrift Stores

Thrift stores have become great contributors to Shopify and eBay sellers. Moreover, they can offer great products for listing and selling on eBay. You can source your products for eBay and Shopify from thrift stores and use them to create listings that you update several times a week.

Local Resellers

Networking can be a great ally if you know other people that resell. This networking can lead you to outlets and stores that can help you with products as they know what you buy. Similarly, they can contact you when they need to sell extra inventory.

With networking, you’ll gain access to inventory others may not have access to, giving you an upper hand over competitors. But, you must remember that the cost of items can be higher. Also, there might be instances where you will be forced to buy products just to keep your network strong.

Flea Markets

Flea markets are an awesome place to source inventory and a fun place to shop. You need to find sellers who appear to be having a garage sale. You may find a variety of items to buy at a cheaper rate. The flea market lets you bargain with the sellers to decrease the rates.

Dropshipping products for Shopify and eBay

Dropshipping businesses offer ecommerce entrepreneurs a lot of freedom, but there are some key points to consider when sourcing products for your store’s inventory. Once you identify winning products perfect for your Shopify store and eBay, you’ll need to find a dropshipper who can make things easier by accomplishing the shipment and order fulfilment requirements.

Printify

Print-on-demand products are a popular choice. It becomes a great tool to inject some of your creativity into what you sell. With Printify, you get a wide array of products you can customize with your designs on products like T-shirts, Hoodies, Tote bags, Coffee mugs, Wall decals, Posters, Beach towels, Notebooks, and Pet beds, among many options.

The Printify print-on-demand service is free to use (you only pay for the products you order), but if you want to scale, you can upgrade to a paid plan to enhance your profit margins.

Printful

Printful is another print-on-demand service, but it differs from Printify in some significant ways. With Printful, you also get more robust product customization options. And, it also empowers its sellers with the ability to brand their products with stickers, package inserts, and labels.

Printful lets you order product samples for T-shirts, Posters, Leggings, Embroidered hats, Sports bras, Socks, Phone cases, Pillows, Joggers, and Bomber jackets, among many options, at a discounted price.

Dripshipper

Suppose you are a coffee enthusiast who aims to sell top-notch perfect arabica and robusta coffee but are worried about selling a defective product. In that case, the coffee dropshipping app Dripshipper might be for you. They ensure they ship whole beans the same day they’re roasted to preserve their freshness.

You can upload your logo, choose the kind of coffee you want to offer, and customize your labels to sell white-label coffee under your brand directly to your customers.

Dripshipper lets you sell Single-origin coffee (Laos, Papa New Guinea, Columbia, etc.) in 12/60 packs of single-serve coffee capsules and Decaf coffee. You can also customize your coffee product based on roast, size, and bag.

Syncee

There are many factors to consider when sourcing a supplier, from inventory to reliability to delivery times.

With Syncee, you can browse a catalogue of trustworthy suppliers worldwide and easily import products into your store to start selling. Baby products, Watches, Fashion, Toys, Fishing accessories, and Perfumes are the most popular categories available to sell.

Creative Hub

The Creative Hub lets anyone sell art online without being an artist. Therefore, your store can sell contemporary art from this UK-based marketplace. The retail price of each piece is provided to you along with your share as a vendor (the amount you can make at the retail price).

You can sell to anyone worldwide for £6 fixed international shipping, keeping shipping simple.

Things to Consider

Before making money selling items on Shopify or eBay, you must source your inventory for lower prices than you sell them. Connecting with the right suppliers can keep your revenue stream flowing and help you sell items quickly.

Use various methods like dropshipping that seem feasible and easily accessible. Do not forget that the prime motive is not only to make money (profit) selling but also to provide the perfect experience to your buyers by selling quality products.