eBay can be an excellent source of supplemental income for anyone, but especially for stay at home moms. It can be challenging finding the right merchandise to sell on a small budget.

All those getting started in eBay should begin by selling off the extra, useless items contained in their own homes. Practice your research and listing skills while you clean out your clutter! This is an excellent way to make some extra cash.

Once done with that, ask family and friends for items they no longer want. Tell them that you are learning how to sell on eBay and that you could use the practice. The money you make with these two methods can then be put towards the purchase of more products to further your eBay career.

For those without a great deal of money to spend, start small. Take your eBay earnings and see how far they will take you.

Garage Sales
Nearly every eBay seller has at one time or another converted something found cheap at a garage sale into a lot more cash on eBay. Last week, I picked up a brand new fishing shirt with tags on it at a garage sale for $3.

My husband rolled his eyes. This week, I sold it for $59.95 plus shipping. Spending a few dollars here and there and reselling for $20, $50, or $100 can be a great way to earn money!

Look for inexpensive items at yard sales that might bring you some extra money. Things to keep on the lookout for: high value items, brand new items, name brand items, unique items.

Estate Sales
Estate sales are just like upscale garage sales. And their prices are upscale too! Figure on spending a lot more at an estate sale than you would its yard sale counterpart.

The good thing about estate sales is that you can still get an awesome deal, on more expensive items. This usually means your profits will be much more.

Get familiar with a certain type of item, such as porcelain dolls, for example, and seek out estate sales in your area that feature them. Just be careful buying items you are unfamiliar with.

Craigslist
If you haven't checked out your local craigslist yet, now is the time! This free, local, online classifieds website is an excellent source of eBay merchandise.

Most people who choose to post on craigslist do not want to take the time to list on eBay. The prices vary; sometimes sellers want more than eBay values, while other times their prices are next to nothing. You can negotiate all prices on craigslist.

FreeCycle
Would you believe that some people give away valuable items for free? Your local freecycle is a great resource to find all kinds of treasures that others simply don't have time for.

You may want to volunteer to become a moderator for your local freecycle. Often, moderators see posts before the rest of the group and have a slight advantage (deservingly for all the time and work they put into freecycle for free) over the rest of the members.

Hopefully these suggestions have got the wheels in your head turning. Have fun with your eBay treasures!