E-commerce Discussion

Guest Post by James Maningo:

While it’s tempting to get sucked into selling ‘hot’ items like iPods, computers and designer handbags, the market for these items is hugely oversaturated, particularly on eBay.
Tens of thousands of sellers try to contend on these markets, but only a few succeed. The ones who do are generally fierce sellers with big budgets, and years of experience backing them up.
In particular, sellers offering iPods have the buying power and experience to meet Apple’s very strict reseller requirements. These include having to own a brick and mortar store, and having an annual turnover of $100k to become a general reseller.
The situation is similar for other luxury brands like Louis Vuttion, which retailers also are very keen to sell. Therefore, you are much better off selling niche items that are less main stream but still have a hungry audience.
Getting ideas for hot niche items is as easy as keeping up with the latest trends by visiting sites such as TrendHunter.com. To help you get started, here are 5 ideas on what to sell in 2010:
1. Anti Allergens
Is it just me or did everyone go out and get themselves a gluten intolerance? And how come so many kindergartens now have bans on peanuts? Whatever the reason, the new rise in allergy awareness provides us sellers with a fantastic opportunity.
Consider selling anti allergen recipe books, educational DVDs and books, or even food items.
Books are a great item to sell on eBay. The best part is you can simply enter your book title’s unique ISBN code and eBay will bring up all the information you need on the book for your listing, even pictures. So you will save a lot of time on getting your items listed.
Most food items are allowed to sell on eBay and other auction sites, with the only main restrictions on expired or unsealed products. Allergic aware families love being able to buy their allergen-free food online, especially if they are in a less populated area, where the items they need might not be readily available.
2. Peacock colored
Call it consumers trying to clash with the dull economy, but bright peacock-colored items are all the rage this year!
Peacocked themed makeup, clothing, accessories and home wares are so hot right now. To nail this trend, go for purple and jewel shades of green and blue.
3. DIY and Hobby Craft
Perhaps another product of the recession, DIY and hobby crafts like scrapbooking and sewing have got their second wind. Scrap booking supplies have an impressive sell-through on eBay, which makes them a likely candidate to do well on other online platforms. Knitting and sewing supplies are also big among buyers.
DIYers are on the hunt for paint and other renovation supplies such as power tools, paint brushes and rollers, and sand paper.
4. Eco friendly packaging
With more and more buyers making eco-conscious decisions, online retailers should keep up by offering their buyers an option for eco-friendly packaging, right alongside their option for express delivery.
If you are looking for a sustainable niche, consider selling bulk lots of eco-friendly, vegetable ink, or recycled paper packaging materials to other retailers.
Other options could be biodegradable packing tape and compostable tissue paper as an alternative to not-so-green plastic bubble wrap.
5. Glasses for 3D TV
2010 will see 3D TV going main stream. Major TV manufacturers including Panasonic, Toshiba, Sony and LG are all diving in and the good news is everyone who buys a 3D TV will need a pair of 3D glasses to go with it.
The great thing about selling these is that they are so lightweight and compact that they are easy to store, and cheap to ship. That means you will save money spent on storage which can be a huge cost to online retailers.
Consider selling family packs of 3D glasses to appeal to more buyers. Also hunt out suppliers with novelty glasses for girls and boys.
So there you have it. 5 solid ideas to niche up your 2010.
To go beyond this list and really expand your product range in the future, make it a habit to stay on top of trends by visiting the aforementioned TrendHunter.com website, or TrendWatching.com where you can sign up for handy free monthly reports on all the latest trends.
What-trend inspired items will you be adding to your product line this year?

Bio:
James Maningo is a writer for SaleHoo, an online dropship and wholesale directory with over 80,000 members. They provide product sourcing education and eBay Research Tools for online sellers.
James Maningo

Email: james@salehoo.com
Web: http://www.salehoo.com