How to make money selling on eBay: A guide for parents and teens

Whether you're helping your teen sell old Pokémon cards or you’re ready to turn weekend cleanouts into cash, eBay can be a powerful way to make money from home, on your own schedule. But what starts as a quick closet cleanout can become a side hustle (or even a full-time gig!) if you know the ropes.

Let’s walk through how to get started selling on eBay, smart selling tips, and what families should know before hitting “List item.”

1. Start with what you already have

One of the easiest ways to start making money on eBay is by decluttering. Think: toys your child has outgrown, electronics collecting dust, or gently used sneakers your teen wore once and forgot about.

High-demand categories include:

• Vintage toys and games (especially if they’re sealed)

• Brand-name clothes and sneakers

• Collectibles like trading cards or action figures

• Used electronics (phones, tablets, cameras)

You can research what similar items sell for by using the “Sold Listings” filter on eBay. This gives you a sense of the item’s realistic market value.

Be a financially smart family!

Be a financially smart family!

From saving for the future to understanding credit, see how families are thriving with Greenlight.

Try Greenlight today

2. Make your listing shine

Your photos and description can make or break a sale. Here’s how to make yours stand out:

• Use natural light and clean backgrounds for photos.

• Include multiple angles, and highlight any flaws upfront.

• Write clear, keyword-rich titles, like “Youth Nike Air Force 1 size 6 – Gently Worn.”

• Be honest — condition matters. Buyers will leave reviews, and negative reviews can hurt your ability to maximize your earning potential down the road.

If you’re selling with your child or teen, listing items together can be a great way to teach photography, writing, and business skills.

3. Price smart (and don’t forget fees)

Pricing too high can scare off buyers. Too low? You’re leaving money on the table. Here’s how to land in the sweet spot:

• Look at Sold Listings to gauge average prices.

• Account for eBay’s fees. For most items, this is 13.6% of the final sale price, but verify with eBay’s fee chart based on the item you are selling.

• Include shipping costs in your pricing, unless you offer free shipping, which many buyers prefer.

• Consider offering both auction-style and “Buy It Now” listings depending on your item’s demand.

4. Offer top-tier customer service

Great communication and fast shipping = happy buyers = positive reviews = more sales.

• Ship within one to two days of receiving payment.

• Provide tracking info.

• Respond quickly to buyer questions.

• Stay polite, even if a buyer is being difficult.

Positive feedback can boost your seller ranking, helping your listings show up higher in searches.

5. Learn the eBay lingo

If you’re new to the platform, here are a few helpful terms:

• BIN: Buy It Now, which is a fixed-price sale rather than an auction

• Auction: Bidders compete over a set time

• Feedback score: Seller rating based on buyer reviews

• Watchers: People keeping an eye on your item (hot tip: you can send them a discount offer to encourage them to purchase the item)

6. Reinvent your side hustle

Once you’ve sold what you have, here are a few ways to keep going:

• Thrift and flip: Shop yard sales or thrift stores, then resell items at a markup.

• Niche down: Focus on one category, like gaming gear or vintage books, to build expertise.

• Try dropshipping: You don’t hold inventory, but sell items directly from a supplier. Heads up: this takes research and time.

• List in batches: Set a weekly “eBay hour” with your teen when you list all of your items for the week to build consistency and keep your business going. Listing just three to five items per week can snowball into a real income stream.

7. Keep track of your earnings

Once you start selling regularly, you’ll want to track:

• Revenue: what you earn

• Expenses: shipping supplies, postage, etc.

• Fees: eBay and PayPal charges

• Profit: your income after subtracting fees and expenses from revenue

Consider implementing a system, either with a spreadsheet or budgeting app to track all of these metrics for every item you’ve sold. As you progress, set goals for what you want to do with the income, such as setting aside for the future or reinvesting in more items to sell, and for how you want your business to grow. 

8. Stay safe and smart

eBay is generally safe, but scams can happen. Here’s how to stay protected:

• Only ship to the address on file with the buyer’s account.

• Be wary of “overpayment” scams where someone offers extra for fast shipping.

• Keep communication within the eBay platform.

• Avoid cash or wire transfer transactions.

9. Know when it’s time to level up

If your child or teen finds joy in the process — photographing, listing, selling — this might be more than a one-time thing. Some families turn their eBay store into a part-time or full-time business.

Tips to grow:

• Open an eBay Store to unlock advanced tools like customizable branding, promotional offers, and more visibility in search results. This is ideal if you're listing frequently or in bulk.

• Offer combined shipping discounts to encourage buyers to purchase multiple items from you. This not only improves customer satisfaction but can also reduce your per-item shipping costs.

• Buy shipping supplies in bulk, like poly mailers, padded envelopes, and a postal scale. This cuts down on costs over time and ensures you're always ready to ship quickly.

• Use eBay analytics to see what’s selling, track your performance, identify trends, and optimize your listings. This data can help you make smarter decisions, like when to adjust pricing or double down on certain product types.

10. Turn eBay sales into financial lessons

Every item sold is an opportunity for a lesson in budgeting, taxes, or goal setting. Here’s how to make the most of it:

• Saving: Decide together how much of each sale goes toward a goal.

• Spending: Set a “fun money” portion.

• Giving: Consider donating a portion of profits.

• Investing: Older kids may even want to learn how to grow their money.

Whether you’re helping your child sell old toys or looking to build a family side hustle, eBay can offer a flexible, low-risk way to earn money, and learn valuable life skills along the way.

Empower kids to earn and learn. Manage chores, jobs, and allowances. Teach kids to earn, save, and invest with the Greenlight app. Try Greenlight, one month, risk-free.†

This blog post is provided "as is" and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice. Some content in this post may have been created using artificial intelligence; however, every blog post is reviewed by at least two human editors.

†Valid for new customers only. Subject to identity verification and minimum load requirements. Your first monthly fee will be billed to your parent wallet seven days after successful registration. To receive a refund of your first monthly fee, you must request to close your account on or before the day immediately preceding your first Monthly Billing Date. See the ‘Account’ tab of Settings by tapping the gear icon on the Greenlight app home page to confirm when your risk-free trial ends. See Terms for details.