Selling High Risk

[StealthLannister]

Hi everyone!

New to this forum because I just got my first stealth account!
(TLDR @ the bottom )

First off, I want to say that I've done a very good amount of research throughout the forum before anyone blows up on me to search the other threads.

So I wanted to taper to become self employed because I have a degenerative disease which makes it harder for me to get to work everyday. I've been looking at alternative ways to make a living off working from home, and I'm trying to make a relatively "comfortable" income from doing so.

Was planning to sell high risk items. I just started a stealth account, I was wondering whats the ball park amount of the monthly sales range I would want to hit in my first few months to avoid getting flagged / fly under the radar? I was reading $2k-$5k for the first few months, some say as low as $250? Its Xmas season so I'd obviously want to hit the $2k-5k range, but is that too much risk?

Once my account is flagged, I was thinking of taking all listings down, chill on that account for a bit and then put it back up maybe after x amount of time? (weeks or months?). Or once an account is flagged, is it pretty much done as the suspension is coming inevitably, doesn't matter how long I "chill" from posting on that account?


TLDR;
Overall question: any recommendations on best way to jump start a new stealth account with no feedback and intend to sell high risk items (not electronics).

Thanks so much in advanced!

[ebaystealth1974]

Originally Posted by migx333

First off, I want to say that I've done a very good amount of research throughout the forum before anyone blows up on me to search the other threads.



Was planning to sell high risk items. I just started a stealth account, I was wondering whats the ball park amount of the monthly sales range I would want to hit in my first few months to avoid getting flagged / fly under the radar?

Based on the second paragraph, you haven't done enough!

[slapped]

The easiest and BEST way is to rotate multiple accounts,,if your goal is to sell about 5k a month it is FAR easier to do with 10 accounts as opposed to 2

[rsot]

Originally Posted by migx333

TLDR;
Overall question: any recommendations on best way to jump start a new stealth account with no feedback and intend to sell high risk items (not electronics).

Welcome to the forums - all the best as you master stealth

As far as recommendations to jump start with no feedback and sales of high risk items - DON'T

[phaz0rz]

I generally max out at ~$500 first month, $1500 2nd month, $2500 3rd month. After the third month I'll either upgrade it to a business account and increase sales volume exponentially each month afterwards, or keep it a "purely stealth" account and only sell a few hundred $'s each month.

Frankly I recommend you start working towards the business account route if you want to make a comfortable living with solid cash flow. It is FAR HARDER to sell $5k per month on 10 accounts opposed to a single account. That comment doesn't make sense to me. $5k is nothing. A good year-old business account can easily do 60-80k per month and I have screenshots to prove it, lol.

The actual best way to make a comfortable living with stealth accounts is to have a mix of high-volume business accounts and low-volume "stealth" accounts you sell on throughout the year.

Start with the one account you have now. Work on building up good feedback and metrics. When Paypal starts asking for a tax ID, get an EIN from IRS.gov and upgrade your Paypal to business. As cash starts flowing from your business account, start investing some of the profits in more eB/PP accounts (either bought or made yourself). Repeat the process until you have at least 1 good business account and 2 good fallback accounts.

Note that for this plan to work you have to start with low-risk/low-price stuff for the first couple of months - or you risk PP limiting your account and asking for invoices. I used to use dollar store crap but there's tons of other cheap stuff you can start an account out with.

[ebaystealth1974]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

After the third month I'll either upgrade it to a business account and increase sales volume exponentially each month afterwards

How "exponentially"? Doubling, or...??

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

A good year-old business account can easily do 60-80k per month and I have screenshots to prove it, lol.

You have my attention, now! You think 50k in 6 months is feasible?

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

When Paypal starts asking for a tax ID, get an EIN from IRS.gov and upgrade your Paypal to business.

I've read on here that it's better to upgrade BEFORE they ask. What are your thoughts on that? Which, I guess if you don't have any problems doing it your way, then your way also works!

[phaz0rz]

Originally Posted by ebaystealth1974

How "exponentially"? Doubling, or...??

Saying "exponentially" might have been a stretch, lol. It's more like once I make an account a business account I stop purposing limiting sales. Here's one of my business acct's so you can see what I mean. I generally peak out at 60-70k/mo

You have my attention, now! You think 50k in 6 months is feasible?

Yes. If you do it right.

I've read on here that it's better to upgrade BEFORE they ask. What are your thoughts on that? Which, I guess if you don't have any problems doing it your way, then your way also works!

I'll PM you on that one.

[ebaystealth1974]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

Saying "exponentially" might have been a stretch, lol. It's more like once I make an account a business account I stop purposing limiting sales. Here's one of my business acct's so you can see what I mean. I generally peak out at 60-70k/mo




.

Awesome, thanks!

[newjerseymax]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

I generally max out at ~$500 first month, $1500 2nd month, $2500 3rd month. After the third month I'll either upgrade it to a business account and increase sales volume exponentially each month afterwards, or keep it a "purely stealth" account and only sell a few hundred $'s each month.

Frankly I recommend you start working towards the business account route if you want to make a comfortable living with solid cash flow. It is FAR HARDER to sell $5k per month on 10 accounts opposed to a single account. That comment doesn't make sense to me. $5k is nothing. A good year-old business account can easily do 60-80k per month and I have screenshots to prove it, lol.

The actual best way to make a comfortable living with stealth accounts is to have a mix of high-volume business accounts and low-volume "stealth" accounts you sell on throughout the year.

Start with the one account you have now. Work on building up good feedback and metrics. When Paypal starts asking for a tax ID, get an EIN from IRS.gov and upgrade your Paypal to business. As cash starts flowing from your business account, start investing some of the profits in more eB/PP accounts (either bought or made yourself). Repeat the process until you have at least 1 good business account and 2 good fallback accounts.

Note that for this plan to work you have to start with low-risk/low-price stuff for the first couple of months - or you risk PP limiting your account and asking for invoices. I used to use dollar store crap but there's tons of other cheap stuff you can start an account out with.

This is solid method that has worked for me for many years.... I have couple BIG accounts and bunch of SMALL accounts to fall back on if anything happens to the bigger accounts.

Honestly 5K a month is sales is not much if you margin is not so high....

[StealthLannister]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

I generally max out at ~$500 first month, $1500 2nd month, $2500 3rd month. After the third month I'll either upgrade it to a business account and increase sales volume exponentially each month afterwards, or keep it a "purely stealth" account and only sell a few hundred $'s each month.

Frankly I recommend you start working towards the business account route if you want to make a comfortable living with solid cash flow. It is FAR HARDER to sell $5k per month on 10 accounts opposed to a single account. That comment doesn't make sense to me. $5k is nothing. A good year-old business account can easily do 60-80k per month and I have screenshots to prove it, lol.

The actual best way to make a comfortable living with stealth accounts is to have a mix of high-volume business accounts and low-volume "stealth" accounts you sell on throughout the year.

Start with the one account you have now. Work on building up good feedback and metrics. When Paypal starts asking for a tax ID, get an EIN from IRS.gov and upgrade your Paypal to business. As cash starts flowing from your business account, start investing some of the profits in more eB/PP accounts (either bought or made yourself). Repeat the process until you have at least 1 good business account and 2 good fallback accounts.

Note that for this plan to work you have to start with low-risk/low-price stuff for the first couple of months - or you risk PP limiting your account and asking for invoices. I used to use dollar store crap but there's tons of other cheap stuff you can start an account out with.

Oh wow thank you very much for your post, I find this very useful and everyone elses' posts as well.

I've been selling very good over a year in one of my accounts, but just recently I was flagged. Would you say that account is pretty much a bad one already if its listing was taken down due to unauthorized trademark reasons? (No suspension, just listing taken down)

^
because I would like to upgrade that account to a business account as it has been doing very well in regards of feedback, top rated seller, etc. for the past year...until that happened last week.

Originally Posted by StealthLannister

Oh wow thank you very much for your post, I find this very useful and everyone elses' posts as well.

I've been selling very good over a year in one of my accounts, but just recently I was flagged. Would you say that account is pretty much a bad one already if its listing was taken down due to unauthorized trademark reasons? (No suspension, just listing taken down)

^
because I would like to upgrade that account to a business account as it has been doing very well in regards of feedback, top rated seller, etc. for the past year...until that happened last week.

I don't waste any account that isn't suspended/dead. That being said, I also wouldn't waste a new bank account or tax id on an account that already has infractions.

[phaz0rz]

Originally Posted by StealthLannister

Oh wow thank you very much for your post, I find this very useful and everyone elses' posts as well.

I've been selling very good over a year in one of my accounts, but just recently I was flagged. Would you say that account is pretty much a bad one already if its listing was taken down due to unauthorized trademark reasons? (No suspension, just listing taken down)

^
because I would like to upgrade that account to a business account as it has been doing very well in regards of feedback, top rated seller, etc. for the past year...until that happened last week.

Depending on your sales volume you can potentially get dozens of trademark violations without ever having your account suspended. If your feedback and selling metrics are good, I personally would go ahead with the business upgrade.

[slapped]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

Depending on your sales volume you can potentially get dozens of trademark violations without ever having your account suspended. If your feedback and selling metrics are good, I personally would go ahead with the business upgrade.

That is NOT True,,,Trade mark violations are VERY serious,,,Multi Million dollar lawsuits are started over Trademark Violations, Not Ebay or ANYONE are knowingly going to allow you to keep your account if you constantly violate Trademark Law plain and simple

[SaiJin]

I agree with slapped. ONE trademark violation and your account and the very least you'll get is a limitation on your account.

If Amazon violated my trademark, I'd drag them to court and they'll do the same to you.
So take this one very seriously.

[empirestate]

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[dallis]

I wish you all the luck in the world on this project, and I don't doubt phaz0rz, but the facts are these:

1. 60K per month trouble free accounts are rare as hen teeth. Never going to happen, for a gazillion practical reasons, first of all I've seen no evidence you have a product line that will sell that volume, that you have the experience to successfully fulfill and meet the demands of that volume, or that you have the financial strength to withstand the inevitable high scam rate.
2. High risk, for most people, = DOA.
3. The questions you are asking seem to indicate you are relatively new, and I think under the circumstances a more cautious, limited approach would be the best bet.

Good luck!