Serious eBay sellers are faced with the same dilemma each Christmas shopping season. What should I spend my valuable resources promoting this year that will give me the greatest return?

The obvious answer should be: Sell what people really want.

Unfortunately, most people get hung up on what they think will sell rather than what will in fact sell; which is why most people struggle.

So, how can you tell what will sell like crazy?

Well, here is what eBay Platinum PowerSeller Jason James recently had to say about this puzzle.

Most consumers are generally looking on eBay for the same types of items they are looking for in a traditional brick and mortar store. If it is "hot" at the department store, it will most likely be hot on eBay. So, if you are a thinking of selling on eBay, you need to know what is hot and what is not.

This can be accomplished by paying close attention to trends in local stores and by reading consumer magazines. You should pay close attention to what is selling and what you hear people talking about.

If you sell technology, listen to the teens. They know what they want and their parents want to get them what they want. If a large majority of teens thinks an item is "cool" it will be a "hot" selling item on eBay.

Other than careful consideration of the competition on eBay for a particular hot item, the only other major thing a seller needs to do is find the most inexpensive source for the item in question. Naturally, this is where liquidators and wholesalers (as well as drop-ship wholesalers) come into the picture.

Once you have possession of hot-selling items at dirt-cheap prices, the rest is, as Santa would say: in the bag.