Saturday, March 12, 2011

Who Else Wants to Know about Selling DVDs on EBay?

By Strand Davis


If you are just starting out, the first thing you must know is that legitimate wholesale DVDs--even though they are wholesale--are expensive. That means, for example, that you really can't buy brand new releases--non counterfeit releases--of box office hits for $2, $3, or even $5. I know that this contradicts the low cost that you see on eBay and with Amazon merchants. $2 and $5 and far less may be accurate for lower demand older movies, but you cannot pick up a copy of, say, "Batman Begins" for $2 or $5 or $7. The real wholesale cost for a single copy is closer to $19 and change. That is if you are purchasing from a true wholesale distributor authorized by the studio to sell to the retail trade.

There are two basic questions that almost anyone interested in selling DVDs want to know the answer to. The first is, "How is it that eBay sellers have such low prices?" And the second is, "Who are the leading, authorized wholesale DVD distributors?" These are, in fact, trade secrets. Even though there is nothing truly secret about this--certainly the wholesale distributors are not hiding from you, these can be hard questions to answer since people who know don't generally speak up.

As a DVD seller, you need to know how to determine real wholesale prices. Remember, true wholesale prices are those prices established by legitimate wholesalers. If you open an account with a wholesaler, then you will then have all pricing revealed to you. But let's say you don't want to do that just yet but still want an accurate idea of wholesale DVD prices. In that case, check the Walmart price for new release DVDs. I'm not a fan of Walmart, but they do frequently sell new release DVDs right at or a little below wholesale. Another resource that provides a very close approximation of wholesale prices is Deepdiscount.com.

The next point to be aware of, and this is key, is that selling DVDs on eBay is a cut throat business. The competition for conventional movies is very stiff and the profit margins very slim. Keep in mind that if you go into business in the eBay DVD market, that you will be competing with low cost counterfeits and Power Sellers who can afford to take the loss by starting auction prices for box office hits at $2 or $5.

The third point to consider is how to profit as fast as possible from your DVD auctions. If you are starting out small with little start-up capital, this is essential. Selling new releases is probably not the way to begin your eBay DVD business unless you have factored that into a well thought out business plan. Do you want to know where the DVD money is on eBay? Niche video. Yes, you will do much better at the outset by zeroing in on a niche such as exercise, sports, or self-improvement. You might consider getting hold of CCTV footage of police raids or getting a police scanner and following the police around with a video camera and putting your footage up for sale on eBay. This is probably not what you had in mind when you thought of selling DVDs on eBay, but you are more likely to profit by going after the niche then trying to sell yet another copy of "Smokin' Aces."

These few short paragraphs have provided valuable, basic information. Please heed the words given. Don't fall for bogus marketing that promises wholesale box office hits at $2 or $5 a DVD. Older, off market DVDs may sell for that, but not the new releases, and never from a wholesale distributor.




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