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Essential Tools For Resellers

Below is a list of all the tools and supplies I personally use in my resale business on eBay and Amazon. Anyone who has ever tried to do a job without having the right tools to complete it knows how vitally important it is too have all the necessary tools are your disposal. Some of the supplies and basic tools listed below are no brainers that as a reseller you likely already have. Hopefully you will be able to find a few things you don’t have or have never heard of that will help you in your resale business.


Shipping & Packaging

Accuteck ShipPro 110lbs x 0.1 oz. Digital Shipping Postal Scale This is the exact scale I use everyday in my resale business. It can handle upto 110 pounds which makes it great for FBA shipments. It also has a detached display so that it can be easily read with a box on the scale.

Aviditi SIZER Carton Sizer This carton resizer has saved me TONS of money. Being able to quickly cut down a box is great because by making the box smaller you are making it lighter and you won’t have to use as much packaging supplies. Also, sometimes the only box you will have for an item will make that item oversized which will cost more money to ship. If you can cut down the box so that it is a regular sized package you can save big on shipping! (VIDEO)

SKIL 2354-12 iXO Power Screwdriver With Cutter Attachment I use this cutter in conjunction with the above box resizer. Its the perfect way to cut boxes without having to worry about cutting yourself or struggling with scissors. One of the best purchases I have made for my business. (VIDEO)

Ecolite Kraft Bubble Mailers Over the last year I have used these bubble mailers more then any other shipping supply. They are a great way to SAFELY ship your small items.

9×12 VALUEMAILERS POLY MAILERS ENVELOPES BAGS If you plan on selling clothes polymailers are a must have. These 9×12 mailers are my favorite

Shrink Mini Wrap with Dispenser: Stretch Film Plastic Wrap 2 Pack Stretch wrap is a great low cost way to protect certain items. For Amazon FBA sellers some items have to be wrapped in plastic and stretch wrap is the best way to get start for beginners. On eBay I wrap board game boxes to hold them closed while being stored and shipped. I also wrap plush animals and large fabric items such as comforters. This really is essential for me because I have dogs and it helps to keep their hair off the items.

ValueMailers 350 ft 3/16″ SMALL BUBBLE CUSHIONING WRAP Bubble wrap is pretty self explanatory. I buy mine on Amazon because of how easy it is. On occasion I have actually found better deals at local flea markets. Where ever you decide to buy from make sure the bubble is perforated every 12 inches, its a life saver!

DYMO LabelWriter 450 Turbo Thermal Label Printer A Dymo Label Printer is not exactly an essential. But it is much faster and more professional looking to use these thermal labels. In addition, if these labels get wet you don’t have to worry about the ink running or becoming unreadable. For full details on using one of these on eBay or Amazon check out THIS POST.

DYMO-Compatible 99019 1-Part Internet Postage Labels If you are using, or plan on using, the above mention Dymo Label Printer then these are the labels you will need to use for printing postage on eBay.

1000 Half Sheet – Best Print Shipping Labels If you are not yet ready to spring for that nifty Dymo printer then these half sheet shipping labels are the next best thing!

FRAGILE(1×3) Sticker Handle With Care Fragile Label/Sticker I’ll be honest, these labels fall more into the category of “could help, can’t hurt” then they do in the “essentials” category. Throughout most of its journey your package will be handled by machines that more or less drop the item off a cliff. But if you sell breakable items you will sooner or later get buyers complaining about you not using fragile stickers… yes even when the item arrives safely.

Clothes Folder – Adjustable Fast Folding of T-shirt, Shirts, Pants, Towels and Sweaters This thing is so cool and its perfect for someone like me. 1. I hate folding. 2. I am HORRIBLE at folding. This little folding board makes it much easier, much faster and makes the shirts I package look much more professionally done! If numbers 1 or 2 sound like you then this board may be just what you need.



Listing & Prep Tools

2.4GHz Handheld Wireless USB Automatic Laser Barcode Scanner I have been using a bar code scanner for years with my Amazon business but over the last year or so eBay has really been pushing adding UPC codes to listings so I use it all the time on eBay now also. At first I had a corded version of basically this same scanner. I decided to give this wireless one a chance and I love it! Its one less cord to get tangled up at my desk and it has a great range so I can scan stuff on shelves around my office without have to go get the item and bring it back to my computer.

SD/MicroSD/MMC Card Reader/Writer Before I bought this little USB card reader I was constantly plugging my digital camera into my computer and having to use up my camera batteries to transfer pictures to the computer. I have found that it is much quick (and a battery saver) to use a card reader. Plus it was another way to get rid of all the cords around my desk!

Scotty Peeler – The Original Label & Sticker Remover If you have never heard of a Scotty Peeler…well… You’re welcome. These things are awesome! They are simply the best way to remove stickers from items. I started using them to remove stickers from books that I was sending into Amazon FBA but these days I use them on all sorts of things. They are great to use in conjunction with a heat gun and a little Goo Gone!

1500 Watt Dual Temperature Heat Gun I use this heat gun EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. And have been using it for 5+ years. I use it to help me remove stickers and with shrink wrap. If you don’t want to spring for a heat gun a hair dryer will also work but it is SLLLOOWWWWWWW.

16″ 24/7 Packaging Hand Impulse Sealer I have a confession to make. I have an unhealthy love affair with my impulse sealer. I use it all the time, for things that don’t even need it! (DO NOT try to reseal a bag of chips with this thing. The graphics on the chip bag melt and are a real pain to get off off the impulse sealer!!) I seal most of my items in plastic. Part of my inventory storage system involves assigning SKU numbers to my products but you don’t want to put sticky labels on all your items. This is why I seal them in plastic first and then slap a label on them. It is also useful for resealing things like board games. I know some sellers just use the food saver machines but I rather be more professional then that. (I even use this sweet tool to resize my poly mailers!)

16″ Hand Impulse Sealer Repair Kit Sooner or later the heating element will break on your sealer. Its just a few screws, really easy to change and my original element lasted over a year but eventually it will break.

12″ 75 Gauge Polyolefin Shrink Film This is an example of the type of film you will need to go with your impulse sealer. It comes in all different sizes, I have found that I use the 12″ wide film most often. I was lucky enough to score a great local deal on thousands and thousands of feet of this film so I haven’t had to buy it online in a couple of years.

4 Piece Continuous Photography /Video Studio Digital Lighting Kit Its really important to take high quality pictures and part of doing that is having great lighting. I know most people would advise you to use natural light but sorry I can’t work my listing schedule around what days and times I have the perfect natural light. Instead I use this kit and have been very happy with it.

Cowboystudio 24-Inch Photography Tent Studio Light Box I love this folding light tent. It helps me take great pictures and it folds up flat, in its own case when it is not in use. I mostly use the white and black back drops but on occasion the red and blue can really make your item stand out!

FBA Supplies

Suffocation Warning Labels Amazon has A LOT of rules for sellers sending things into FBA and one of those rules involves things being wrapped in plastic. Basically, anything that you seal in a poly bag or if you seal in shrink wrap like I do, you will need to slap one of these bad boys on the item.

DYMO-Compatible-30334 Medium Multipurpose Labels If you are using, or plan on using, a Dymo Label Printer for your FBA labels then these are the labels you will need to use.

Amazon FBA Label 30-up labels 1″×2-5/8″ If you are not going to be using a label printer for your FBA labels then you will need a LASER PRINTER. And you will be using these labels.

Brother HL-L2300D Monochrome Laser Printer This is an updated version of the laser printer I use for my packing slips and used to use for my FBA labels back when I first got started.

This Is a Set Do Not Separate Labels These labels are used for FBA sellers who are sending in multiple quantities of an item that are meant to stay together as a set. Have you ever seen an Amazon listing that ends with “Pack of 2” or “Pack of 4”? Thats when you would be using labels like these.

Storage Solutions

4-Shelf Shelving Unit – Chrome Its essential to stay organized and shelving units like these are a great way to do it. I have a mixture of wire and plastic shelving but I prefer the wire ones. They do come in different sizes so make sure you are maximizing the height of your room. If you buy a 5 shelf unit and the top shelf is right up against the ceiling then you only needed a 4 shelf.

54 Quart Storage Bin, Clear with Blue Aquarium Latches I use clear 54 quart storage bins for storing my inventory. You can find better deals locally, the Amazon link is just for reference. I prefer paying a little bit more for the clear tubs so that I can easily see what is in each tub and so that I can also see how full each tub is.

Econoco Commercial Rolling Z Rack This is the only item on this page I don’t personally own and use. All of my clothing is on clothing rods that are bolted to the wall with 3 inch lag bolts. And those bolts have already been ripped out of the wall once. That solution won’t work for most people but the point is you don’t want some flimsy, cheap Wal-Mart special clothing rack. It WILL break and you will be gathering your clothes up from the floor. What you want is a high quality Z Rack. They cost a bit more but are far better then those cheapo racks.