‘Tis the Season! No, not that season, although that is just around the corner. I’m speaking of the back to school season. The second most popular “holiday” with mothers of school age children.

I don’t have school age children anymore, just a school age granddaughter, so what does this have to do with me or you? Just because you don’t have young ones around doesn’t mean you can’t capitalize on this season and make some money.

First things first, back to school selling is not limited to selling crayons, markers and filler paper. No way! School lists these days are much more detailed and long. They include such things as scientific calculators, dictionaries, thesauruses, disinfectant wipes and lots more. You should make sure anything from these lists that you have in your inventory is up for sale ASAP on eBay.

Next, broaden your vision of back to school items. Back to school also includes college students and they need virtually everything. Picture your average dorm room: sheets, quilts, blankets, little refrigerators, small appliances, trash cans, bathroom sets – pretty much everything. The new wave at my son’s school, Auburn University, is to house students off campus in apartments that have four students in a four bedroom suite. Each student has their own bedroom and bath, and share a common living area, kitchen, and laundry, so there is almost no limit to what you can market to this segment for back to school shopping.

Next, let’s think about who is doing all this shopping. Well, in most cases that would be mom. She’s out to get it done, save some money and save time! Be sure to offer her “Buy It Now“, “Make Offer” and combined (if not free) shipping to make it easy to shop from you. In addition, many moms will be so tired of shopping for needs, they might be likely to splurge on a little back to school mom item, like a first day of school care package or “the house is quiet” new book to read. Be creative, market to your customers and have a little fun.

Enjoy the season and happy sales to all!

2011 marked my third year as a guest on eBay Radio and I participated in a segment around back to school selling, which you can catch in the archives section if you missed. After participating in the segment, I wanted to share a few tips for eBay sellers during this prime time of selling.

Here are some current hot trends and items I feel will be popular throughout the rest of the school year:

1. Blue Jeans
2. Hoodies
3. Backpacks
4. Team Coats/Jackets
5. Sneakers
6. Pencils in bulk
7. Pens in bulk

The items above may be more relevant for middle school and high school students, but when thinking about back to school don’t forget the college-aged kids. College students are usually seeking cell phone accessories, laptop skins and the newest coolest gadgets on the market. If you need to find items to sell, eBay has a great section for wholesale shopping. Items can be purchased in bulk and can be created as single listings as a “buy-it-now” or auction item. While doing a search, adjust the search to “Lowest Price First”. This will allow you to find the best deals at the lowest prices.

Subscribe to online newsletters that sell these types of items. As a subscriber, you will receive exclusive sale emails, which will allow you to make your purchases at a discounted rate. If you are short on cash and not able to purchase the items needed, I highly recommend taking a look at one of eBay’s certified providers, Kabbage.com. Kabbage can provide you with the cash advance you need based on your eBay selling history.

Once items are listed, there are a few different ways to promote your items in order to maximize sales. Include important keywords, such as “Back-to-School” and “Back To School”. Also, promote your items on Twitter and include the hashtag: #backtoschool, making it easier for users to find what they need. Blog about your items and don’t forget to stop by my site, PowerSellingMom.com, where you can add up to five eBay items on my site for free. For store owners, create a special category for back to school items and/or a custom page providing school safety tips.

Back-to-school season is upon us so get busy, get selling and start listing those items on eBay. We’d love to hear from you if you have any questions or other suggestions.