What to Sell on eBay in 2011: Emerging Hot Trends

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What to Sell on eBay in 2011: Emerging Hot Trends

Welcome to 2011!

There’s nothing quite like the clean-slate of a new year. For me, this time of year is always filled with fresh ambition, determined goals and a sense that I have all the time in the world (well at least 12 months) to fulfill them.

Something else that I love about the beginning of a new year is all the theories about new and emerging trends that we can expect to see skyrocket in the coming months.

So in my first post for 2011, I want to share some of the trends (as predicted by experts and pop-culture gurus) and social changes that we can expect to see a rise in this year. I’ll also look at what they can tell us about which products will sell well on eBay and other marketplaces in 2011.

Social Trend: More People Staying in College Longer

As unemployment rates remain consistently high, many young people are choosing to stay in college longer in order to be more educated when they do leave and compete for a job.

Here are a couple of items which might see a spike in sales due to this new trend:

Costumes for dress up parties. No matter how much financial hardship college students seem to face, they always seem to be able to buy new fancy dress costumes. Some popular ones this year will be for Snookie, The Human Centipede, Lady Gaga and Thor characters.

Text books. These are a huge cost to students – I can remember having to fork out close to $600 one semester – so if you can provide students with a supply of second-hand text books, they will love you for it! For an expert guide to selling textbooks (which can be a highly lucrative niche) check out Used Books Big Business by used-book selling guru Adam Bertram.

Print t-shirts with funny messages. College students never seem to get enough of these. Anything to do with beer, girls, sports or nerd-culture are popular.

Other college-related items: College dorm-room posters and décor, backpacks and stationary and vintage college items like graduation rings, sweaters and t-shirts.

Social Trend: Baby Boomers Turning 60

Baby Boomers are edging towards their 6th decade with many of them entering their 60’s this year. While this brings many subsequent social changes, one of the majors is that many baby boomer couples will be selling up their three, four or five bedroom homes to down-size to one or two bedroom abode’s.

This could lead to an influx of household items such as furniture, art and home décor flooding the eBay market, meaning that this might be a niche you want to avoid!  

What you can expect though is that many Baby Boomers will have a bit of extra cash to go around when they downsize their homes so they will be indulging in electronic gadgets, new clothing items, hobby items like golf clubs and sewing machines, and travel guides for overseas adventures.

Social Trend: Homeschooling on the Rise

This is perhaps another effect of the economic downturn, with more parents at home and free to home school their children. A recent report by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics showed that around 1.5 million American children are currently being home schooled, and that number is rising.

For online retailers, this means that work desks and chairs, whiteboards, educational software and reference books could be on the rise on eBay and other marketplaces.

Check out HomeSchoolingSupply.com for some more ideas.

What other social trends do you predict will dominate 2011?

 
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Alice Delore

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23 Comments
  • thomas j jacob 12th of January
    hi and thank you very much i was just looking at stuff like that to sell but just cant find a supplers to sell this kind of stuff and it looks all good thank you
  • Ted 12th of January
    Alice should change her picture. She has gone past provocative and is bordering on indecency.
  • Don W 12th of January
    This is a terrific post..thank you for these tips
  • Susan 12th of January
    Good post Alice with some great ideas, thanks. You really need to put some clothes on in your pictures though.
  • normz2 12th of January
    Good idea about trends! Keep up the good work.
  • Norman E. Potter 12th of January
    Very informative, plain and simple info. I like that. It may be another trend this year; straight, to the point, no hype advertising. I think the public has had enough colorful, yet deceptive campaigning techniques; we're tired of the notion that we are all fools. Good job, thank you.
  • Alice Delore 12th of January
    Thank guys, I hope the post gives you some ideas for new products to sell in 2011!

    @Ted and Susan: The picture of the girl in the photo is not me - it's Snooki who is a person I mentioned in the article because she gained a lot of attention last year and therefore will be a big part of popular culture in 2011, hence why I included her.

    I'm sorry if the picture of her offends you, but rest assured, I would never take a photo of myself wearing something like that, let alone post it on the internet!
  • miraclefish 12th of January
    Thanks for the informative post. The picture of Snooks is charming and inoffensive. You'd have to lead a very sheltered existence not to see more flesh in any newspaper, magazine or most TV commercials. Lucky you didn't post a pic of the human centipede! Keep up the good work.
  • steff 12th of January
    thrift stores are an awesome place for sourcing! check if you have any goodwill clearance stores in your area. you get to dig through bins and find brand name items for less tan 1.00!
  • Julie 12th of January
    I have already had some success with selling used textbooks, they are from my teenage daughters. I wish I could get a hold of more!
  • Ed 12th of January
    Why are some people so prudish? This picture does not depict nudity or pornography. There are far more revealing costumes and dresses in the Miss World pageant!!!!!
  • GARY 13th of January
    GOD FORGIVE A SEXY LOOKING WOMAN IS IN A PICTURE AND ITS OFFENSIVE WHY BECAUSE SHE IS GREAT LOOKING GET A GRIP GUYS
  • Tg Ahmad Tg Muda 13th of January
    Thank you for the tips. As a newbie, I'm really appreciate with this tips. Thanks again!
  • CARRIE KING 13th of January
    **Thank you!! I appreciate your help! :):):) carrie
  • Peter 13th of January
    Some great tips here Alice. I'll be taking on board some of them for certain. As for the picture of Snooki, some people need to lighten up! There's worse out there.
  • Richelle Monfort 14th of January
    [quote]I have already had some success with selling used textbooks, they are from my teenage daughters. I wish I could get a hold of more![/quote] Hi Julie! We did a separate blog almost a year ago on selling used books online. Maybe this will help - http://www.salehoo.com/blog/used-books-big-business-review-how-to-sell-used-books-online-for-cash Cheers :)
  • Daniel Camacho 15th of January
    Great tips,and keep up the good work.
  • leonardo 17th of January
    Thanks for the post , no worries about the picture she is beautiful and atractive .. like a customer.
  • Eugene Case 21st of January
    Great tips Alice, thanks. As for Snookie, she could come to my house any time!
  • Hughan Mcvee 24th of January
    Hi Alice, Thanks for the tips. WE are also new to Salehoo and ebay. Do you think these trends would be the same in Australia. Ali
  • Alice Delore 24th of January
    Hi hughali,

    Welcome to SaleHoo!

    Yes I think these trends will be big in Australia :) If you want to get some extra ideas, perhaps you could try a Google search for "Australia trends 2011" and other search variations.

    Also consider what is coming up in Australia in 2011 such as sporting events or visits from famous celebrities such as Oprah which cause a stir - these can affect trends and spending habits too :)

    All the best and if you have any more questions, get in touch with us on the forum http://www.salehoo.com/forum
  • rooder2108 22nd of June
    Thanks for the advice!
  • Carlton 6th of July
    Hi Alice, thank you so much! I am a newbie, very confused and do not know what to sell. Thanks again for your advise.