Customer Reviews

What to Sell on eBay and Where to Get It: The Definitive Guide to Product Sourcing for eBay and Beyond

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Upon first reading "What to Sell on eBay and Where to Get It," authors Lisa Suttora and Chris Malta seem genuine in their efforts to provide the eBay seller with legitimate sources for items to sell on this extremely competitive marketplace. It isn't apparent until you are well into the book, that the ulterior motive behind it all, is to drive you to the two web sites owned by the authors. At first, I was so impressed with the information that I was receiving, that it didn't bother me that I might have to sign up for both websites in order to actually utilize the information in the book. After all, Chris Malta and Lisa Suttora are two of only a hand full of certified eBay providers. How could I possibly go wrong by signing up for their services.

First, I signed up for Chris Malta's, "Drop Ship Source Directory," at a one time cost of $69. While I have no question that Chris is an honest guy, and makes an all out effort to provide subscriber's with a plethora of wholesale distributors that are willing to drop ship, it soon becomes apparent that it is virtually impossible to find any drop shippers that can provide you with competitive enough pricing to make listing the product on eBay a profitable endeavor. After literally spending weeks looking through the entire list of drop shippers, and comparing closed auction prices on eBay, I have come to the conclusion that either drop shipping is not the way to run an eBay business, or the list of drop shippers that Chris Malta supplies is inadequate to help the eBay seller who wishes to use this method to run their eBay business. The web site is very difficult and time consuming to maneuver, and unless you have the patience to spend months searching for the niche drop shipper that will enable you to make money on eBay, I would stay away from this product. Malta also offers other wholesale product sourcing databases, but these are at extra cost. He now admits that it is best to use a combination of drop shippers and light bulk wholesalers when selling on eBay, however for many years, his Drop Ship Source Directory was touted by Malta as being "the source", for making a great living on eBay. Sorry Chris, but it no longer works.

As for Lisa Suttora, I got sucked into signing up for her web site, "Whatdoisell.com, as well. While she provides a ton of information on how to go about selling on eBay, when it came down to actually researching her list of wholesale suppliers, I ran into the same quandary. I compared wholesale prices from product sources on her web site with prices for closed eBay auctions. In all cases, the prices for closed eBay auctions were either lower than what I could have purchased the items for, using her list of wholesalers, or the items had not sold at all. I canceled my $19.97 monthly subscription, as I found it to be useless. In addition, and even more troubling was the fact that I emailed Lisa Suttora several weeks before signing up to her web site subscription. I had a long list of questions and concerns. When I didn't hear back, I contacted one of her employees and asked if she had received my email. Her answer was an emphatic yes, however Lisa never bothered to get back to me. Rude behavior, to say the least.

So, in review, there will be those who think this book is great, however, I am not one of them. Upon reading the book, if you are willing to look between the lines, you will discover that what you are being told is nothing more than an advertisement for the authors goods. If you follow up and purchase the goods, as I did, you will most likely be extremely disappointed with the results.

These are all my opinions and protected by my rights of free-speech. I hope you find them useful. Good Luck.

UPDATE: It is so weird that people are spending time "reviewing my review". It looks like the authors have alot of friends. Yet none of these refute my point that this "Product Sourcing" book does not have a single source. And notice that one "review" even says "I personally know both Lisa Suttora and Chris Malta (...)" -Why am I NOT surprised?

Before buying this book, take a look at some pretty obvious issues on conflicting interest:

1) The biggest review on this book is by another author of Ebay selling techniques....Hmmm, like that's a coincidence? I think not. Can you say back-scratching? Update: Now the 2nd biggest review is someone who "knows" the authors personally.

2) The Author is a "Certified Ebay Service Provider" or whatever Ebay is calling it. On the surface, that seems to be a good thing right? Not Really. Go Check Out some of the Ebay "Certified" whatever-they-want-to-call-it...Most of them CHARGE for thier services. So Ebays promotes the "certified" business and they in turn give people just enough knowledge (ussually without specifics) to THINK they can make money selling online. This is all a self-serving cycle for EBay and these "certified" people. More sellers=more sales=more commission on GROSS sales. GROSS sales is what an item sells for...not the profit you make on an item. You can very easily lose money on every sale and Ebay will still love you becuase they get a percentage of the selling price.
To put it simply: Ebay gets a piece of every sale (oh, and if you use Paypal, then Paypal gets a nice slice of the sale price too...and of course, Ebay owns Paypal). They get these listing and "Final Value Fees" whether you made a profit or not. Ebay ONLY makes money on SELLERS...so they want to encourage people to become sellers...the more the better...but make no mistake; Ebay's profitability is in NO WAY tied to your profitability.

3) The author has her own site "whatdoIsell" that charges a MONTHLY fee to connect "Product Sources" to Ebay sellers...Considering the monthly fee is about the cost of this book, what makes you think the author is going to give you any CONCRETE leads (addresses, etc) or other SOLID info that she currently charges people MONTHLY for? This book will wet your whistle enough to go to her website and sign-up, becuase let' face it, there isn't enough info in the book that is going to make her website useless right? You don't kill the cash-cow that feeds you...instead the book (however implicitly) is an advertisement of the Authors and thier pay services.

4) Let me say it again...NO ADDRESSES !!...Kind of strange for a "DEFINITIVE Product Sourcing" book to not have at least a FEW addresses in it, don't you think? Fact is, this book, like all books on "EBay Selling", gives you vague, "Guidelines" for how to find sources. Then you will be spending all day on the phone calling "Manufacturers", only to be rejected due to your small-business volume, or becuase you are an EBAY-Seller(major stigma there!)..the work is ALL still squarely on your shoulders. And should you find one? Hey, good luck on making a profit...Again, it is about fees...If you sell and fail, Ebay still makes money. There "Certified" service people still did thier job....Create Sellers !

5) Don't be fooled by "Ebay Radio" and other Ebay affiliations...Do a tiny bit of work and you will quickly find that Ebay "Certified" services is a "cottage-industry" built on the backs of hardworking people looking to strike out on there own and make a business for themselves. They promise the moon, and (charge for the help) only to give you enough confidence to try (and not necessarily suceed). Don't get me wrong, they don't want you to fail...they just want your money for the book or the services, or whatever. If you accidentally becomes successful, then hey that's great too. My point is: Once you become a successful Ebay seller and have revenue, how likely are you to keep buying books and paying for services? (think about that last question for a while !).

6) Can you sell on EBay and make money? Yes. Can you make a living? Possibly. Will it take alot more work than buying a book? DEFINATELY! Will you make as much as your current full-time job? Depends of course, but chances are your will NOT make as much PER HOUR. Fact is, two-thirds of all small buisinesses fail...and that is pre-Ebay...Ebay is a huge audience of buyers, but they all want dirt-cheap prices. The markups are slim (heck most sellers are just making money on the insane shipping fees!). Do yourself a favor and go to a "wholesale" site like Evertek (google it...and no, I have no affiliation) and compare the price you can buy to the Ebay selling price...and this is real wholesaler (or close at least)...they require a TAX-ID. And look at that, I gave you a concrete lead and I didn't need to write a book...Imagine that!

7) Frankly, there are better books out there that gives you some decent tips as well as the same (vague) sourcing ideas. Check out Secrets of Ebay Powersellers....It shows you many FREE neat little reasearch tools and when it comes to product sourcing basically states "It's alot of hard work and NO one is going to give you CONCRETE leads...but here's where to start"...hey at least they are honest. Product sources are THE MOST protected secrets on Ebay, especially by powersellers. The reason I suggest that book is that it gives you an idea of the work these powersellers have to do and the income they generate in real terms...and they are still working ALL the time. Still, I say don't even buy the power-seller book, go to the local store and check it out (and this one) and save yourself some money.

8) This author spams her own newsletter-subscribers with email promoting the sale of her book. Now why would someone paying a MONTHLY fee to her for product sourcing assistance need a book on the same subject with no concrete leads? Sounds to me like her website isn't worth the fee they are paying if they need to buy her book too !!

You want to know the Ultimate Ebay Secret??
There is no Ebay selling magic bullet or magic book. PERIOD. They are all just guides and tips. And they do sound great in theory...they give you just enough specifics to buy the book or the service, but in the end, it is just general (mostly common-sense) theory. But, to me, this book is in a whole new class...written by an author that sells the same services, and a book PROMISING to be a DIFINITIVE guide, WITHOUT A SINGLE DEFINITIVE CONCRETE LEAD. I am writing this review becuase of all the Ebay books I have read and seen, I have never found one to concentrate on one subject; "Product Sourcing" and then leave you at the end, without a single solid lead...In my opinion, this is a perfect case of false advertising. By the way, I am niether bitter, nor dissappointed. I just think a book should provide what it promises. This is not a personal attack, it is a review of a book and speculation as to why such a useless "resource" would be written by a purported expert.

These are all my opinions and protected by my rights of free-speech. I hope you found them useful. Good Luck.

There's good information in this book, but you have to wade through a lot of verbiage to get to it. The authors appear to know their stuff, but they do tend to make the same points over and over. I found myself flipping pages to get past the stuff they'd already told me. Still, if this tome keeps you from falling victim to the many "wholesale" scams out there, it will have been worth reading. Don't look for lists of suppliers, because there aren't any. What you will get are some basic principles (sometimes spelled out rather vaguely) on how to identify legitimate suppliers on your own. The title promises somewhat more than the book delivers, but it's worth reading, anyway.

This book, and others like it, hold out the promise of wealth and power through eBay selling. But they do not deliver on their title premise. All of the so-called wholesalers you are ever referred to charge YOU the same or more than you could buy it yourself here on Amazon. This is hardly wholesale.

As someone who owned and operated an actual incorporated wholesale and retail (show room) business for years, and had net 30 and better accounts with major wholesalers, manufacturers, I can tell you a real wholesale price is in the vicinity of 50-60% of the msrp, or lower if your quantities are high.

What this and books like it offer is only a way to make the writer and publisher rich.

The most frequent question from new sellers is, "What do I sell, and where do I find it?"

It's obvious that the author is an authoritative source for this information, he's the Product Sourcing Editor for eBay Radio. In this new book, he explains that many new sellers jump in without an understanding of inventory selection and the wholesale buying process. Many of these sellers dump their money into schemes involving middlemen masquerading as wholesalers, drop-shippers who don't really have the advertised product, or for some get-rich-quick book promising a "magic bullet" to making big money selling online.

The author also dispels the myth that sellers should sell "what they know" and what they're passionate about. Instead, the author explains that if you really want to build a business, you must find out *what buyers want* and how you can get it for them at the best price. And this book explains exactly how to do it.

This book exposes many fraudulent eBay get-rich-quick schemes, concluding: "A real eBay business takes time, commitment to learning, and a good deal of hard work to build." Truer words have never been said, and they apply to entrepreneurship everywhere, not just eBay. So people hoping to crack some secret code and make a ton of cash without hard work will be sorely disappointed with this book (or any other realistic book).

This book is intended for online sellers who want to build a business that can be scaled larger over time by selling new merchandise in quantity. It's not intended for those who want to sell only collectibles or one-off used products. The premise is that new, standardized goods obtained in quantity can be sold faster and in higher volume, compared to unique collectibles, where a tremendous amount of effort is expended in finding each item, not to mention the labor involved in listing them for sale, researching and describing each one accurately, taking photos, etc. So while your profit margin may be lower with new merchandise, you can more than make up for it with volume -- if you know what you're doing.

This book explains why it's best to focus on selling in a niche and how to discover a niche you can concentrate on. It explains how to find products people want, and how to get them at the lowest price. This book contains numerous tips on finding legitimate wholesaler suppliers, and a comprehensive discussion of how the wholesale industry works and how to build long-term product sourcing relationships.

In the chapter about finding wholesalers, the author explains why *real* wholesalers don't advertise in search engines, and why the *fake* wholesalers do. This is must-have information for someone who is looking to expand their business, but doesn't have a thorough background in the wholesaling industry.

For eBay sellers in particular, this book warns against three dreaded parasites that consistently rip off new sellers: Product sourcing middlemen, product-sourcing multi-level marketers, and "junk" product sourcing information. Middlemen try to trick you into thinking they're a wholesaler, but they're really a retailer who will take a big cut from your profit margin. After reading this book, you'll be able to spot the frauds a mile away. Successful sellers work with real wholesalers who work *directly* with product manufacturers.

Other sections of this book cover:

Fundamentals of Product Selection
The Product Sourcing Mindset
The Product Sourcing Notebook
Idea Hotspots
How to Find & Identify a Niche Market
Evaluating Your Product Ideas
Creative Product Selection
Building Your Long-Term Business
Why Wholesalers Exist and Why You Should Use Them
Middleman, MLMs, and other Dangerous Things

I read this book from the perspective of having been a full-time online seller (of used books) for five years. So my business mostly involves trying to find scarce one-of-a-kind items, as opposed to the thrust of this book, selling new merchandise. My impression is that dealing with one-of-a-kind scarce products (as I speak of in my book "The Home-Based Bookstore") is less risky and has higher profit margins than selling new items. That's because selling used items is more time-consuming but your costs are lower. With selling new products, unless you have an exclusive deal, you face the risk that a new seller will pop up, selling your item for less than your cost. Since you have more money at stake with a line of new merchandise, it's vitally important to educate yourself first. Reading "What to Sell on eBay and Where to Get It" will get you up to speed pretty quickly.

When I purchased this book, I was a bit concerned that it would contain a hidden agenda, or that its real purpose would be to promote the company of the author (his company connects sellers with wholesale suppliers). But I'm happy to say that the book is not an "infomercial" for another product or service, as is so often the case these days. Instead, it's a treasure trove of legitimate, helpful advice that I haven't seen elsewhere. It may not be exactly what you *wanted* to hear, but it's the real deal. I highly recommend the book to sellers of any experience level.

all hype, nothing else. Basically what chris malta is doing is subliminally pointing you to his site, where he will try to sell you an array of books and services. yes, his services tend to be price-worthy, but what the hell do you need the book for? not sure who this book is for, but if you cant understand REAL basics, such as - oversaturation of product on ebay - more importantly what the word oversaturation means, than no book will help you. the title of the book is SO MISLEADING to the point that publisher might be challenged over it - for lack of fully examining the content, and allowing it to go to print under this titles. contents and the title have nothing to do with 1 another. misleading, repetitive - just to fill pages, WORTHLESS!!!

Title is very misleading. Never a mention of particular products or sources to find them. A lot of good marketing info but, no specifics.
Sorry, but I cannot recommend this to anyone.

What a diappointment. Again I have been hood winked by a books title. It amazes me how the author could write so many words and say nothing. The book is about a lot of psycological babel about what and where and how to sell on ebay. You noticed I said psycological, because he does not tell you anything at all as to what to do. It is just lick the stock recommendation books that tell you to look at what people want and need and that is what tells you what to do. My last sentence equals his 250 pages of babel.

I have yet to purchase this book, but I wanted to make a small point by comparing 2 comments from the 2 reviewers quoted below.

"When I purchased this book, I was a bit concerned that it would contain a hidden agenda, or that its real purpose would be to promote the company of the author (his company connects sellers with wholesale suppliers). But I'm happy to say that the book is not an "infomercial" for another product or service, as is so often the case these days."
Steve Weber February 3, 2006

"Don't look for lists of suppliers, because there aren't any."
Hubies Brother "Printmaker" March 13, 2006

This book is titled "What to Sell on eBay and Where to Get It" but it apparently doesn't tell you where to go to actually get the product so it's a misleading title, as was pointed out by another. Based on this and that he happens to run a business that connects ebay sellers with wholesalers, I'd say it's EXACTLY the same agenda that some ebay (& real estate) books have which is to funnel readers straight to the "teacher" so they can buy yet another book, course or service.

Adam Ginsberg does the same thing with his (incomplete) dvd and book. Adam mentions a website for buying ebay merchandise called auctionproductsources(DOT)com and when you get there it seems to be another one of Adam's websites, complete with a greeting from Adam. If you go to networksolutions(DOT)com and click on the WHOIS tab you can enter the website name and see who it's registered to, and that will lead you to worldwidebrands(DOT)com which is Chris Malta's website. It appears that auctionproductsources(DOT)com is Adam's middleman site for worldwidebrands(DOT)com, but I could be wrong.

At the top of the worldwidebrands(DOT)com homepage it says "We are the ONLY Drop Ship and Wholesale Directory Publisher that is CERTIFIED BY EBAY" so if that's true and Chris Malta is eBay Radio's Product Sourcing Editor then I guess that has to count for something, but....

Chris Malta may very well be an honest man with a great company and this could always turn out to be a great book, but I'm giving this book a neutral 3 stars for now. I'd like to invite the author (Chris Malta) to clear up any confusion that exists.

I'm not sure what happened to Fresno, but s/he doesn't seem to understand eBay at all. I've been selling & buying on eBay since 1999; I started selling my old clothing & accessories and sort of "accidentally" grew my business without realizing it (still selling clothing & Native American jewelry), until one day I discovered I'd become a Powerseller, and was able to quit my "regular job" ... now I have my own business which is dependent upon how much I put into it! I'd always dreamt of owning my own boutique, but could never afford it. eBay has helped me realize my dream, as well as the many other successful sellers who otherwise wouldn't have had the chance to do what they love.
Okay, that said, I am concerned that "Fresno's" review will discourage potential eBayers from dipping their toes into the eBay waters. Let's see if I can help out here a little ...
1. eBay does indeed care whether sellers make money--it's true that eBay makes money up front on the listing fees, but they stand to make much more on "Final Value Fees" which are a percentage of the final sale price. The more the item sells for, the more money the seller makes, and the more money eBay makes. In addition, sellers have the option of listing items in a store format, which runs about $15 per month and just .03 per listing. If eBay didn't care about sellers, if they didn't offer the support that they do offer (you can find it EVERYWHERE, starting with the Community pages), if sellers weren't making money--from the person who sells a few items from her closet each month to the millionaire Titanium Powersellers--then it stands to reason that there would be very few of us sticking around! I attended eBay Live! last year and my husband & I, at the time in the lowest rung of the Powerseller program, were treated like VIPs! It was amazing--we're grossing $1500-2,000 per month, and eBay is feeding us gourmet food, freebies like you wouldn't believe, treating our entire families to free bbq cookouts and amusement park trips ... I felt as special and important as the multi-millionaire Titanium seller!
2. Frankly, I am amazed by Fresno's open hostility toward eBay ... s/he seems consumed with anger over a lack of supplier addresses ... I started going to department store sales & outlets, searching for bargains, then reselling them for a profit on eBay. I did it all on my own, no need to find "secret suppliers" or search out such places. I provide a service--I sell new clothing at huge discounts to people who don't have the time to scour through the sales & warehouses. I sometimes buy lots from people & estate sales ... I've never needed to avail myself of any of these providers. I do understand that eBay is a business, out to make money by providing an enormous online mall which is open to ANYONE who wants to try her/his luck at running a business. I don't LOVE the fees, but my overhead is MUCH less than if I were to have a brick & mortar store, paying rent, utilities, etc. etc.
3. Additionally, eBay has other ways for its members to make money, such as the Education Specialist program (a bargain at $150 or so, plus a $50 yearly update), wherein you take online classes, pass an exam, and you can then go out and teach eBay buying & selling to anyone you want, using the eBay logo & materials, with the potential to make as much money as you want, regardless of whether or not you actually sell items on eBay!
4. Fresno's #5 simply makes no sense at all! Don't be fooled by eBay Radio? Huh? It's a free service wherein eBay members can listen to different guests & regulars discuss different aspects of eBay, and listeners have the option to call in to ask questions, any questions at all (no charge for the call!)
And who promised whom "the moon?" And I'm completely flabbergasted by Fresno's "self-answering questions" -- s/he's correct, no book will do the work of a human being. And these little stats, "two thirds of small business fail" --what's the point there? With eBay you can test the waters without losing your shirt as you might with a mall store, or a franchise. eBay can actually be a terrific training ground for the dabbler to see if she has or can learn what it takes to become a small biz owner, with very minimal investment.
This book provides a great overview of the pluses & minuses of buying through eBay's Certified Service Providers ... though I don't personally use the services, it has given me some ideas, and helped to clarify what is involved in these services. There are lots of fly-by-night product sources; at least with eBay Certified wholesalers you know the company has met certain standards and is not likely to rip you off.
I'm not employed by eBay, I don't even own any stock in the company (though I wish I did!) ... I'm simply a seller who found some sources of my own--not wholesalers--and for the past seven years I've been running my own business, making as much money as I want to or need to in any given month. It's dependent upon ME to do the work. Think of eBay relative to a regular shopping mall--would you expect the mall to let the stores build on their property for free? Malls make money from their sellers regardless whether they fail ... same with franchises. Duh? And a failing retail mall store is a very expensive failure indeed. Where's Obviousman when you need him, anyway?
-I suggest that anyone who is interested in selling on eBay first try her hand at selling a few items before investing in any books ... the eBay community is incredibly rich in info you can find free. Later, when you decide to learn more details on a a specific subject, or just want to have a bound book of info at your fingertips, THEN go buy this book or one of the many others out there. I recommend "The eBay Bible" by Griffith--yes, he has a large stake in eBay, yes, he "works" for eBay, but you know what that means? That he has inside info you might not get elsewhere!
I guess my entire point here, though not too cohesive, I'll admit, is that "Fresno" is simply disparaging something he apparently knows little about; reading his "critique" of this book should have no bearing whatsoever on whether or not you actually purchase the book. I do recommend it.