Blogging Vs. eBay For Making Money Online – Which Is Better?

by

For anyone with a keen interest in making money online (MMO), certainly, there are a plethora of different ideas that may be considered to make this outcome possible.  Blogging vs. eBay is something I’ve personally had a lot of experience in over the past 5-10 years PLUS.

I started eBay back in 2011 and I have been blogging on and off since about 2010. Between 2010-2020 blogging wasn’t really a big thing from me but more prominently I have been writing blog posts since the beginning of 2020 (just before COVID).

Now this has been something that has been pretty fresh on my mind lately because eBay has kept me pretty busy but blogging is something I still love doing.

I started blogging to supplement my eBay income back in 2020 but since the beginning of 2022, eBay has really started to come good for me again – so much so that I have relied a lot less on things like affiliate commissions from my blog posts.

But in regards to Blogging, I really don’t think this is something people should overlook. Of course, It is a lot harder typically to make money blogging compared to selling on eBay but since I began my 1st website In January/February 2020 one thing that has definitely become clear to me is the money making potential that blogging has to offer.

Although, doing both is maybe NOT really the most productive thing to be doing. The saying “spreading yourself too thin” is very true I think. Like, I would say if you can just put your time into only one of the two it is probably for the best.

Even though I am someone who does both I really do believe this. That you should choose one thing and make that work before starting something else. I think then if you really want to you can move on once you’ve grown your business to be profitable – when you actually have the time free – whether that be for a blog or an eBay store but STILL…

Let’s take a look at this…

Understanding Blogging vs. eBay Business

When comparing blogging and eBay as ways to earn money online they both have a lot of things in common. Like, In each case you can start for FREE pretty much if you want to BUT to really get things going naturally you will need to invest more and more of your time and money.

With Blogging, you can start for free on platforms such as Blogger, Medium or Siterubix but really if you are serious about going all in, you will want to invest in a website with a domain and hosting plan. This is very Important if you are really serious about making this work.

You will also find there are other things like services and tools you will want to pay for as you progress onwards too but even for email marketing which is a HUGE DEAL for bloggers you can still start with a free plan with a lot of providers such as MailChimp and I believe GetResponse.

*For eBay, you can create a free account too to get started. You can list your first items for free but if you really want to make a go of it you will need to invest in hardware such as weighing scales, and a thermal printer.

At first, You can use scales at the shop and print labels in store for free (or have them available with collection) but once you start to sell more this is something to seriously think about.

In Hindsight…

Each can be further developed with time spent and extra investment. Although eBay typically will make you money a lot faster than blogging will.

However, Blogging has many advantages over eBay!

If you can make a profitable blog there is a lot more freedom for what you can do with this is an income stream.

Many bloggers use this as an opportunity to TRAVEL THE WORLD! and work from their laptop. You can actually set your store to holiday settings on eBay too and make some money like this whilst away (for 15 days) but being a successful blogger is on a whole different pedestal.

eBay is certainly the easier route though. I will definitely share a few tips about what I do for those interested in this idea but first, let’s take a look at blogging in a bit more detail…

Diving Deep into Blogging: The Pros and Cons

There are a lot of good reasons why someone might want to consider Blogging as a means to Make Money Online. Really I’ve NOT had the greatest success at blogging compared to what I’ve done with eBay. Probably why I haven’t stopped doing eBay.

Blogging started Incredibly well for me – I made 11 commissions in my first month and a few the month after but I really struggled after this. I would like to say that after 4 years I have figured out the key to making affiliate commissions on a consistent basis but I really haven’t.

In many regards It hasn’t been much of a success story for me really. I think I would have done a lot of things differently if I could go back and start over.

For Instance, I wouldn’t have bought 5 different domains for different websites. For me this was a mistake – if all the time spent working on 5 projects at once had been spent on one project it would have made a big difference to where I am at now.

In my experience, I think you will find people that are successful who have many websites they are because they create one successful website after another rather than try to work on several at a time. It is something people don’t seem to understand when they start Blogging – there is a lot of work involved. More than eBay really but it is justified, as you can earn MORE!

That is a BIG CON about Blogging I think you can underestimate the work involved but the beauty of it is one good blog post can make you a commission or revenue from ads and you don’t have to do anything, and every good blog post is a potential Income stream and there is so much freedom compared to the alternative.

With eBay, you have to hold physical stock and you must meet customer’s demands but if you can set up a successful blog you don’t need to do anything like this. If you see my flat you will see the ugly side of eBay – I have stuff everywhere Including on top of my bed.

You don’t get this with blogging and you don’t need to commit any time you don’t want to.

I mean obviously you need to commit your time to make good blog posts as often as possible but if you want to take a week off it is no problem like it can be with selling on eBay.

With Blogging you can work whenever you want to, whereas with eBay you must get your orders out on time to keep your account healthy. It is a very slippery slope.

Although there is a HUGE con to Blogging to point out. You need to put a lot of time and at times money into making it work. Many in their first few months won’t even make a penny. I still have months now where I don’t make money but plenty of people DO make this work.

This blog post I think highlights this pretty well. It’s from Wealthy Affiliate, an e-learning platform that also provides hosting and other resources for bloggers. Old and new.

It’s a selection of different success stories from its members.

*Note I myself am a member of WA I haven’t had a lot of success here personally but others definitely have (as you will see from the blog post shared above). Try It Free HERE!

In my opinion, this is a great way to get started with blogging but about eBay as an alternative option. Here is what I can tell you.

Starting an eBay Business: the Benefits and Drawbacks

The benefits of eBay (I think) are pretty clear. If you have the internet but no money you can join for free. It is by far (I would say) the best marketplace to sell physical goods online where countless people can find the items you list for sale – and it really is quite easy to make your first sale on eBay. I am really surprised more people don’t use it.

Although, the drawbacks become more apparent as you go on. Getting negative feedback and late delivery marks can slow sales right down. PLUS there are the fees – in some cases these can eat right into your profits so BE very careful about what you charge. Postage for heavy items for example and International Shipping too you must be very careful about.

[After you make your first few sales you can use this calculator] HOPE THIS HELPS

So, That is one drawback and I think another big one is the clutter.

For me, this is definitely the biggest drawback. In my eBay store at the moment I have books, VHS, CDs, DVDs, Video Games, Electronics, Tools, and various bric-a-brac.

In my flat, I literally have stuff everywhere. Just the other day I bought a HUGE job lot of Lego. Almost 40 sets including big Lego Star Wars and Lego City sets and the whole lot I got bagged together. This is a good example I think of the sort of mess that might come up. You really get into some situations here but I was actually very excited to get this home.

In fact, I love finding a lot of things I buy to sell on eBay. As much as all the mess does my head in there is a side of getting this stuff for me that is quite therapeutic – maybe it’s a strange thing to say but as long as I get things that actually I can sell this is very true I think!

So Should You Save Yourself The Hassle of eBay?

You don’t get all this hassle and mess with blogging and if you can make it work it is the better option if you value your living space. eBay is easier to make money with but it does come at its own cost which is typically having to find room for the bits you sell.

It depends if you have the room I suppose but either way Blogging can be a lot less stressful.

[Check Out This Free Resource (EBook) To Get Started With Blogging Today]

*This is my own eBook I wrote and I think it explains things pretty well. If you’d like to read it. All I ask is that you sign up for my emails and with this you will also get extra tips and advice.

{If you would like to read check this out HERE}

Keys to Success in Blogging and eBay Business

Whatever you decide to do the road to success is paved with the same principles;

  • Passion
  • Commitment
  • Dedication
  • Research and
  • Resourcefulness.

Having the right success mindset in both areas (and many others) is key to your progress.

However, other success factors are;

1.) High Quality Content

On eBay, you want good photos and listing titles and in many cases good product descriptions. Even investing in a good store design could be something else.

With blogging, it’s also important to write good-quality content. Using good complimentary graphics will help keep your readers engaged and this is key to SEO.

2.) Consistency

In both cases, you must keep going through the good times and the bad. For eBay resellers, you want to try and keep a Top Rated Seller status – as this not only bumps up your listings but also saves you money on fees. And with blogging, Google likes to see activity but not just this the more content you produce the more money you’re likely to make.

3.) SEO and Marketing

SEO definitely is very important to bloggers. Getting to page 1 of Google is the license to print your own money. Especially if you have the right things in place. Although you can do very well too from other methods of marketing such as social media and email marketing.

eBay is a bit different in terms of SEO. Its website already has HUGE domain authority but you can benefit from marketing in many ways. YouTube for many eBay resellers is a very big deal as can be Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

I actually love watching these videos as very inspiring and it definitely does make a difference for the people who use these channels as a means of promotion.

4.) Customer Service

This is very important for eBayers. Neutral and Negative feedback is the last thing you want. eBay says it does not affect their algorithm but it definitely does. Also, you must get your orders out in time to retain a top-rated seller status.

*Blogging doesn’t really require as much of the same approach but if you have a store on your website people will ask questions. Then this becomes important but otherwise replying to comments is very important. The more you can get people to engage the better it is for SEO.

{Read My Post About SEO HERE}

Real Stories of Success and Failure in Blogging and eBay

Earlier in this post I shared a link for a blog post about successful bloggers with Wealthy Affiliate. I will share some of these links below. I’ve personally not had these levels of success. Really I think I’ve spread myself a bit too thin by doing too many different things but perhaps these success stories might persuade you to take this up;

Really when getting to this level with blogging the only reason you will even want to consider eBay is as a hobby or for helping to clear out clutter but STILL getting to this stage is a lot of hard work. It’s not that eBay isn’t but it’s definitely easier to make a modest income in doing short term.

Although, you can be very successful with eBay. $100K a year is definitely possible. Many people make this and much more by expanding their operations.

YouTube has plenty of videos of resellers who have been very successful with eBay.

It’s definitely doable. At the moment I make around £4K GBP before fees and shipping costs. Just short of $50K a year. Maybe £35K which could definitely be more if I put the work in but if I could make this with blogging instead I would have much more freedom.

So Deciding What’s Best For You: Blogging or eBay Business?

This is totally up to you. I would actually recommend doing eBay whilst you develop your website. You will need to pay for a few things if you start a blog.

By all means you can pay maybe £200 for 1-2 years of hosting and a domain but actually coaching is very important too so for this I would suggest paying for something like Wealthy Affiliate or the Affiliate Lab. The ROI might take 1-2 years but it’s big money if you can really get the ball rolling.

It is the perfect career for traveling as well. eBay does allow 15 days to take orders whilst you’re away but you you don’t need to stop work with blogging you can blog from anywhere in the world with just your laptop. In many ways it is really living the dream.

But what you decide is totally up to you. I actually love eBay and finding things that I can 10x my investment on. I got some DVDs just this week for free that I made £40 off, PLUS I made £80 from a trolley dumped outside my flat a few months ago but ALSO I made $500 in my first month blogging. Not done that ever since in 3 years lol but it is possible. Both eBay and Blogging I am glad I do.

In Conclusion

Understanding Blogging vs. eBay. Should you do both? I guess this is one question a lot of people will be wondering about. I would say YES you can but based on my own experience of about 4 years to really be successful in general it’s best to focus on ONE THING! Even if you decide to go on the blogging route just work on ONE website.

You can probably manage that actually I’d say. One day blogging, one day eBay, and so on but with blogging don’t start making one website after another. This was where I went wrong I think the more projects you work on together the more your time is divided.

Really reselling too can benefit without the distractions but on the contrary, I will say it’s a good source of income whilst you work to build your other business in blogging.

That’s what I do and I guess will continue to do for the foreseeable future.

I shall finish this blog here but if you have any questions please feel free to drop me a comment below.

Leave a Comment