How To Set Up a Work From Home Business On eBay
Many people want to know how to set up a work from home business on eBay. This
can depend on what you are selling, but there are some considerations that every
seller should follow. Laying proper groundwork for any business is an extremely
important step. Just like building a house, a business built on a solid
foundation will last for years. Overlooking these details can result in your
eBay business not going as well as you would like.
First you need to have a camera – preferably digital and internet access –
ideally from home. Without these items selling on eBay will be difficult at
best. Next, you should have a bank account and a PayPal account. PayPal is not
required to sell on eBay, but it is the easiest way to accept online payments if
you do not already have a merchant account. Find an area in your home, shed, or
rent a storage unit for your inventory. Be sure that any rental unit is rodent
and pest free. The same holds for a storage shed or attic. If possible, do not
smoke in the area where you plan to keep inventory.
Now you have the very basics in place. Are you ready to sell? Not quite yet.
There are still a few areas to cover. Check with your zoning regulations for
laws about running a home business. If your area has a property owners or home
owners association and there are restrictive covenants in your neighborhood, be
sure that you can legally run a home business. Starting out this may not be a
problem but once you start getting large deliveries several times a week, if you
are in violation of zoning or HOA/POA rules, someone will complain. Apply for
any variances now, before your business gets really busy. Just a few more things
to cover before you start to sell, get a resale certificate or sales tax ID
number.
In order to purchase from many wholesalers this is
required. Otherwise they will charge you full retail price or not sell to you at
all. You can sell under your own name, or file a D.B.A or fictitious name. D.B.A.
stands for doing business as. You can open a bank account in the business name
once you file the correct papers. Finally, be prepared to file quarterly income
taxes. If you are self employed and you make money in any quarter, you need to
file this. Now you are ready to sell on eBay.
You have found out the basics of how to set up a work from
home business on eBay. The
foundation is in place. Now what? You need to have an eBay ID. It's easy to
register on eBay. Go to ebay.com and fill out the registration form. You'll need
a credit card to verify your identity. Now you have everything in place to start
selling. Almost, what are you going to sell? Before answering this I suggest
that you take a look and search through eBay to see what is selling and what
items appeal to you. Selling off some of your unwanted stuff is a good idea, as
it generates easy capital for your business and it gets rid of unwanted items in
your home. Furthermore, you can get an idea of how eBay works.
These are the very basics of how to set up a work from home business on eBay.
There are a lot more details that you should cover such as product selection,
market research, choosing an accountant or accounting software and more. Before
you go and spend a lot of money, go through these basic steps and see how
successful you are at selling a couple of items or two. Then you will know if
setting up a work from home business on eBay is really right for you. This
article was designed to give you just the basics so that your work from home
eBay business starts off on a solid foundation.
