How to Sell Online With No Money: A Quick Guide
After thorough research and personal experience, we have put together this guide on how you can sell online without any money. It is possible to sell online without any money and it is advisable to start this way as you learn the ropes.
Do not start selling blindly when you can learn from the mistakes of those with experience. Follow these four detailed steps to start selling online with no money and taste the fruits of your hard and honest work.
How to Sell Online With No Money
You can sell online with no money or experience by following these 4 easy steps.
Step 1: Identify what you want to sell
Step 2: Decide on how to sell
Step 3: Act on your decision to sell
Step 4: Start selling on various platforms
Continue reading to get more in depth details of how you can sell online with no money.
Step 1. Identify What You Want to Sell
The first step is to identify things around your house that you no longer need. These are what you will start selling. All they require is a little dusting, cleaning, mending, or making minor adjustments. It can be your old clothes, electronics, jewelry, furniture, outdoor equipment, books, or garden tools.
They could also include bicycles, motorcycles, fitness equipment, cars, sports gear, kitchen appliances, or your children’s clothes and toys.
This list is not exhaustive as you can sell anything of value. You can also sell stuff belonging to your friends or family members, if they let you. Selling unwanted stuff is the best way to raise money in case you want to later venture into an online flipping business.
You should decide whether you want to sell one particular item or a variety of items. Continuing to sell depends on your level of interest or the discoveries you make in the marketplace after the first few sales.
If you’d like to learn which 10+ items are easiest to flip for cash click here or for a more comprehensive list click here.
Step 2: Decide on Where to Sell
The internet has a wide choice of marketplaces where you can sell. The most common sites are SheepBuy, eBay, eCrater, Etsy, Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, Rakuten, and Craigslist. You can also sell items to niche-specific sites for instance; sell electronics to SellCell, MaxBack, Best Buy, or AT&T.
If they are books, sell to Half Price Books or Book Scouter.
Note that most of these sites such as eBay, Etsy, and Amazon deduct a commission, listing, and a subscription fee from your final selling price.
The percentage deducted varies depending on the site used. Other sites like our very own Sheepbuy, allow you to sell three items per month free of charge. Though you do not pay to use Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, there are risks involved such as being scammed easily. Exercise precaution whenever you advertise on these platforms.
If you’d like to learn where to sell your items online for free, check out this article we put together.
Step 3. Act on Your Decision
Start selling on your preferred site or sites as selected in the previous step. It is a good idea to sell on one site first so that you understand how it works and avoid mixing yourself up.
As a precautionary measure, start with the less risky sites. This means a site that has clear rules, regulations, and return policies.
Ensure you understand everything concerning your chosen site. Read as many reviews about the site as possible from people who have sold through it. Subscribe or register on that site and fill out your profile. Avoid sharing sensitive information such as your mobile number and email address.
You can instead register a new number to use for the selling business only. As for the email address, create a new one for the purposes of selling only, to avert incidences of individuals invading your privacy.
Step 4. Start Selling
Sell the items on your preferred site. Be careful with the way you price the items. Find out how similar items that have recently been sold are priced and sell around that figure. Be sure to include the fees that will be deducted otherwise you may get losses.
You want to sell, therefore, make your price attractive enough to earn a profit and beat your competitors.
Avoid giving out your bank details but opt for setting up a PayPal account through which buyers pay you. If you must use a card, consider a credit one instead of your regular debit card. Keep in mind that you only ship out or deliver goods after the customers remit cash.
Some Other Online Business Ideas You Can Try
Online business ideas should match your interest, level of expertise, and the amount of time you have. All you require at the very least is an internet connection. Whether it is freelancing or selling products, online business ideas are many.
Note that when you start an online business, put your customers first by addressing their pain points. Consequently, think of a business that can solve their problems.
Some business ideas include an E-commerce store, selling handmade crafts, blogging, web design, virtual assistance, app development, SEO consultancy, affiliate marketing, freelance writing, and graphic design.
Others are social media management, ghostwriting, remote tutoring, digital marketing, advertising, social media influencing, proofreading, data analysis, data entry, lead generation, and drop shipping.
Starting an Online Business from Home
Having an online business from home gives you the flexibility you desire to set your own time, concentrate on something you love, and reduce startup costs. Starting the business is one thing, maintaining, and growing it is another. Here are five simple steps to help you:
- Brainstorm different business ideas and settle on one that appeals to you the most
- Make a background check on your chosen idea to establish whether it will work. Do this by reading consumer reviews and assessing your prospective clients
- Have an online presence dependent on your business idea such as creating a simple website, writing a profile in relevant places like LinkedIn, or Upwork, and building an online store
- Execute your idea in the best way possible for instance, by pitching, writing, selling, or marketing.
Related Questions
How Can I Make $50 a Day?
There are offline and online ways to make $50 a day. You must be committed and put in the effort to make it. You can later turn them into passive income channels making you financially independent. Some offline ways include working as a delivery person, pet sitting, driving for pay, and babysitting.
Realistic ways will take you a while setting up but after that, you can make $50 or more daily. These ways include blogging, freelance writing, virtual assistance, setting up an online store, and affiliate marketing. You can also start an online course, teach online, or write an e-book.
Click here to learn 100 ways to make money from home.
How Do I Start My Own Online Store?
Even without prior knowledge, you can set up your store easily using these steps. Because you want to start an online store, you already know what you are going to sell.
- Find a brand name that will be the domain name. You need to find about five names linked to what you are selling and pick the best that has not yet been taken up. Choose a name that reflects what you are selling. Decide whether you want .biz, .net, .com, or any other.
- Plan your e-commerce solution according to your resources and technical expertise. This is in terms of hosting, licensing, and open source solutions. Examples you can consider include Shopify or WooCommerce by WordPress.
- Set up your store based on your decision above. Learn how the site functions and create the necessary pages consisting of home, landing, content, product, and category pages.
- Put in place a system of payment with the most common being Paypal, though you can also consider credit card payment.
- Start advertising the business as soon as you complete setting it up. Use email, social media, or other content marketing strategies to drive traffic to your site and increase sales.
Conclusion
If you follow the above quick guide, you will make it and earn a profit in the process while perfecting your business skills. Reinvest the money you earn into buying more items cheaply for sale.
The more you do this, the better you will become and the more refined your selling process will be. Before you know it, you will have a start-up that you can take to the next level and run as an income-generating project.