Do you have a niche?

When I first started selling on eBay, I just sold anything I thought I could make a buck on. Now, almost 2 years later, my business model has done a complete 180. I don't waste my time on the small stuff, unless it's something I had laying around the house. For example, I cleaned out the kids' rooms this weekend, and I have a box of toys I'll be listing for cheap. I figure even if I only sell them for $5, that's more than the 50 cents I could get for them at a yard sale.

But anyway ... I'm only a paragraph in and I'm already digressing. Geez .... Anyway! I'd always heard eBay sellers talk about niche markets, but I was never able to establish one. I was lucky to be able to find ANY inventory in my small town, much less enough of the same type of inventory to create a niche. But then I started road-tripping for inventory. Larger towns and cities have so much more to choose from! Obviously.

I started buying a couple pairs of shoes here and there ... and there ... and there ... and a couple more over there. At this moment, I have 178 pairs of shoes listed, and about 70 more in my eBay room waiting for their turn. So I think shoes have become my niche. The more I've worked with shoes, the more familiar I've become (hence the 6-part shoe series). 

We don't have to be experts about everything surrounding our niche, but once we decide on (or stumble on) a niche, education naturally follows that. This is where YOU come in... 

Over at eBay Underground, we're going to be starting something new this week. Each week, we'd like to have a new theme discussion. We want to generate TONS of participation (this means YOU, lurkers!).

 If you have a niche that you know a lot about, PLEASE let us know so we can get you on the schedule. We're not looking for a seminar or anything, but we'd love to have you post what you know, and be around to answer the questions that come up.

This week's topic - Homeschool Materials!  There are plenty of homeschool families and homeschool sellers around these parts. Check in this week and leave your two cents on what materials sell well, what don't, what you look for as a seller, what you look for as a homeschool mom, and anything else that strikes your fancy. Don't be shy!