What Small Home Business To Make Things To Sell On Ebay

[BKKdreaming]

I guess this is a double question,

What does it take for a Thai to sell on Ebay.com ?

just a bank account like everyone else ?

a question to anyone selling small things on Ebay , does being in Thailand stop people from buying because they are scared its a fraud ?

And then do you have any ideas on what would be good to sell ?

a "GF" of mine works at a factory full time , but its very littke pay ,

if we can figure out something else for her to do maybe she can get some extra spending money,

I was thinking of getting her a sewing machine and making some small things ,

Any other ideas ?

I do not want to "give" her money , I want her to learn how to do some things so she can make her life better for her daughter and parents , plus keep her factory job,

Thanks for your ideas

BK

[Absingjul]

Start out by researching which type of items are actually selling.

Go to advanced search, select:

1) Clothing

2) Completed Listings

3) Only show items located in Thailand

See which items are actually garnering bids.

Looks like someone is making bank sewing up medieval style dresses in Chang Mai and selling them for US$150+.

[BKKdreaming]

Looks like someone is making bank sewing up medieval style dresses in Chang Mai and selling them for US$150+.

Thanks for that idea ,

I have one small thing for her to do , a small flag I made years ago , they sold good for $15 USD each and cost less than $1 to make ,

its not worth my trouble to do it , but if she can sell even 2 a week thats an extra 4k baht a month profit,

I am not trying to make her rich , a little more comfortable would be nice ,

and also the pride that she can do something herself other than the factory job of assembling electronics,

Open to any other ideas , or better yet things that did NOT work

thanks again

BK

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

I think you will find the postage from LOS is the biggest drawback, it can cost more than the item you are selling, unless it will fit in a normal envelope. Good luck with it.

[BKKdreaming]

I think you will find the postage from LOS is the biggest drawback, it can cost more than the item you are selling, unless it will fit in a normal envelope. Good luck with it.

the one item will fit in a manila envelope and go regular mail ,

But yes postage is always a problem , you cannot ship surface post because it can take up to 8-10 weeks to arrive ,

it needs to be sent airmail so it needs to be lightweight , or worth enough to eat part of the postage.

If we can figure out a few good things we can have a chance of selling a few a week,

I look at this as a small investment (a sewing machine) that might help her out,

she can also sew other Thais clothes , but thats only going to be 20-30 baht each at most,

So thinking of small things to make and sell on Ebay looks like a better way to go...

BK

[dansexperience]

clothes for small dogs.

[LeungKen]

How about jacob's ladders

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/764310/jacob...l_illusion_toy/

P.S. Don't forget I want only 5% (At retail) for the idea.....

[BKKdreaming]

clothes for small dogs.

ummm like that idea , people love those little lapdogs ,

thanks

PS the jacobs ladder is neat , but I think its too big to ship cheap

[Shah Jahan]

if you are doing unique handmade items you can try etsy.com as well.

[H2oDunc]

I think you will find the postage from LOS is the biggest drawback, it can cost more than the item you are selling, unless it will fit in a normal envelope. Good luck with it.

As the seller pays the postage and the fact postage is very cheap there is no drawback. The ex ran a couple of Ebay shops selling card making and craft items. Very high mark up. A bag of 1000 various hand made butterflies was 300 baht and she was selling them for 20 assorted for 5 pounds plus postage. Same with the beads and other stuff. I had the job of taking it to the post office every day. She lost very little but the main thing with Ebay is you need to be computer literate and check your orders and dispatch them quickly to keep up your good feedback.

[AlexLah]

Dunno if it fits in but my sister in law when she came to my HC she started to make miniature models of life situations in Malaysia.

Very small models of clay that represented the life of farmers and life in the village and such.

Very detailed and that was what the customers liked.

Something more than a picture.

[BKKdreaming]

Thanks for the ideas ,

The clay figures are neat , but they take talent which the GF does not have,

The biggest problem with ebay is the fees when something does NOT sell,

I can always sell the stuff here in the USA, but that defeats the purpose of having her take care of herself.

BK

[thaibkk]

if doing Ebay business was so easy and every made tonns of cash, than EVERYBODY would do it...

i like the quote "i do not want to give her money"

hey, she is poor, you earn probably in a day what she earns in a month

so stop being a xxxxxxxx

[TomBrown]

i like the quote "i do not want to give her money"

Maybe his money is going elsewhere, he did say 'a "GF" of mine...'

BKKdreaming:

A year or so ago I got speaking to an English guy who said he had visited several craft workers in Chiang Mai area to make sky lanterns among other things, that apparently were popular abroad at New Year and Weddings, which he sold on eBay. Seemed plausible at the time, advertised as biodegradable and not harmful to the environment, however I found out the framework of these lanterns were made of wire which wasn't biodegradable and apparently also posed a risk to low flying aircraft or when the wire frames dropped out of the sky. So possible there is a market for sky lanterns which also have a strong enough framework but not harmful. Balsa wood was something that came to mind at the time. Maybe its already been done, don't know.

[BKKdreaming]

if doing Ebay business was so easy and every made tonns of cash, than EVERYBODY would do it...

i like the quote "i do not want to give her money"

hey, she is poor, you earn probably in a day what she earns in a month

so stop being a xxxxxxxx

I am not sure what that has to do with anything what I earn,

I come to Thailand a couple times a year , I am NOT going to support her,

but I will HELP her help herself,

If she learns something and can make a few 1000 extra baht a month great ,

just handing over cash does not do anything longterm, ,

I have made tons of money on Ebay in the old days when ebay rocked ,

But my stuff that I sold om Ebay had nothing to do with what she could make and sell except maybe sewing some flags , ,

Understand that my question can also be for other people trying to start a small scale business to help out ,

So if you feel it nessasary to slame me for trying to help someome , well so be it

anyway thanks for your ideas and lets keep adding to it

BK

[sambechtold]

fisherman pants AKA yoga pants are cheap here and there are several people(I think farrang) making a business out of selling them in bulk out of Chiang Mai. Possible idea might be personalized fisherman pants: embroidered, special material, etc.

[Phrakhanong]

Silk items are another possibility. I noticed some ebayers already selling the little silk elephants, ties, pillow covers. I'm thinking of doing something similar, although the ebay site will be conducted from overseas and the orders will then be posted through to Thailand, from where the goods will be dispatched.

[thirdeyedmt]

I guess this is a double question,

What does it take for a Thai to sell on Ebay.com ?

just a bank account like everyone else ?

a question to anyone selling small things on Ebay , does being in Thailand stop people from buying because they are scared its a fraud ?

And then do you have any ideas on what would be good to sell ?

a "GF" of mine works at a factory full time , but its very littke pay ,

if we can figure out something else for her to do maybe she can get some extra spending money,

I was thinking of getting her a sewing machine and making some small things ,

Any other ideas ?

I do not want to "give" her money , I want her to learn how to do some things so she can make her life better for her daughter and parents , plus keep her factory job,

Thanks for your ideas

BK

i think a "Wife disposing unit" would be quite popular, you could do it in a range of colors.

[BKKdreaming]

Still working out what "might" work ,

I really want her to be able to do all of it herself , BUT with Ebay you need to be able to use the computer and be able to understand the questions and answer in English.

Her English is just not good enough for that, I guess she could find someone who is better in English.

Yes I could do it for her, but that defeats the "doing it herself" plan.

How have you gotten around the English problem ?

Thanks for your thoughts

BK

[ScubaBuddha]

For what it's worth, I was able to link my Bangkok Bank savings account to Paypal easily using the Visa card they issued me. Already done a transaction and it works. Thais should be able to use Ebay same as anyone else. Just don't ship out Buddha statues or masks. It's illegal.

[Bangyai]

if you are doing unique handmade items you can try etsy.com as well.

My sister sells handmade stuff on etsy and gets good prices, better than ebay.

Here is the link : www.etsy.com

My girlfriend does English patchwork and cross stitch. English patchwork is done by hand using scrap material so you don't need a machine. It takes a long time but gets a better price; This quilt took her 3 months to make working full time.Couldn't bare to part with it after all that work

[Absingjul]

OP may want to read this thread also: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Wife-Addicte...ay-t277133.html

[jackdanielsesq]

One of my TGF in Pattaya has an eBay site, where she sells mainstream stuff, to the Farang in EU.

I have tried to get her to diversify, ergo make more money, but she is quite content for the while.

I bought her a PC, etc, and have taught her how to use it efficiently. She does not even know its Linux.

Might I suggest we put them in a room together - pm, if interested.

It will surely preserve our quality cocktail time.

BR>Jack

[BKKdreaming]

Hi Jack , sounds like a good idea , I sent you a PM

BK

[BKKdreaming]

Hi

Well I thought I would bring this up again,

"Girlfriend" got a decent job in a factory and never did anything about Ebay,

Now she has lost her job and is interested again,

So any new information ? Things that worked or things that did not.

And is there any problem with Thai post ? Do you send everything EMS or ?????

thanks for your help

BK

[PoorSucker]

Edit: sorry suggesting something that dirty men can by from a vending machine in Tokyo.

Edited May 30, 2010 by PoorSucker

[BKKdreaming]

Edit: sorry suggesting something that dirty men can by from a vending machine in Tokyo.

ummm Chang hand soap

[chiangmaibruce]

Just some feedback about clothing ... this may or may not be specific to Australia.

My wife was making womens clothing in Thailand and we brought a heap back to sell at the local sunday market. We haven't been in Australia for a couple of years and to our surprise found that clothing has greatly fallen in price here making the exercise non-viable ... I guess this is due to Chinese exports and the virtual lack of import duties now (not sure)

Unfortunately grocery costs, electricity charges, etc have really jumped ... but that's another story.

[BKKdreaming]

I think there are a couple ways to look at ebay,

sell stuff you can go down to the corner and buy AFTER you have sold it,

and making things just to sell on ebay , or adding something to the product you can buy locally,

the first way you have nothing invested in stock, you just HOPE its still there when you sell one,

but others around you can sell the same thing,

if you make something at least you have a window where you are the only one selling it,

if it looks like you are making money you can be sure someone will copy you.

I like the make something and sell it, if you know a market you can do well.

But this is the "Westeren way" and its hard to get Thai GF to think that way, if you have $$$ you spend it, where I would buy more stuff to resell and try and grow the $$$$ into more.

anyway I am trying, both ways, next month I will buy 5 items that are sitting in shops unsold and see if I can sell them on ebay.com or ebay Germany....

We will see......

BK