Selling products for profit on eBay and Amazon is a quick small business idea that can help you earn lots of miles, points, or cash back.
Besides the rewards, certain cards offer a way to save money on purchases with select merchants. So you can use these cards to buy items at a discount, like apparel or auto parts. Then, turn around and sell them for a profit!
In Addition to Using an eBay or Amazon Business to Earn Miles & Points, Certain Cards Offer a Way to Buy Discounted Merchandise, Which You Can Resell for a Profit!
I’ll share the best credit cards for folks selling on Amazon and eBay.
Enhance Your Amazon and eBay Business With Credit Card Perks
Link: How to Qualify for a Small Business Credit Card (And Why You Should Get One!)
Link: Earn Big Miles & Points With These 7 Quick Small Business Ideas
Folks who sell items on Amazon and eBay can qualify for a small business card. The key is you must be aiming to make a profit with your business.
Remember, applying for a small business card does NOT require an EIN (Employer Identification Number). You can apply with just your Social Security Number as a sole proprietor.
Having a small business card for an online reselling business is a great way to keep your personal and business expenses separate!
Pay eBay Seller Fees Using a Small Business Card to Separate Business and Personal Expenses
For example, you can put these Amazon or eBay seller expenses on your small business card:
- Shipping materials like boxes, padding, tape, and labels
- Shipping expenses
- Listing fees
- Paper and ink
- Office supplies
- Products to resell
- Travel expenses if you attend trade shows or conferences
The best card for your seller expenses will depend on your travel goals. Some folks might use multiple cards. For example, one card to earn flexible points on shipping expenses. And another to earn cash back on other purchases.
Here are my top card picks for Amazon and eBay sellers.
1. AMEX Small Business Cards
Link: SimplyCash® Plus Business Credit Card from American Express
Link: Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express
Link: The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN
Link: The Enhanced Business Platinum® Card from American Express OPEN
Folks who sell products on Amazon and eBay can do well with AMEX small business cards.
Besides earning points or cash back with the card, you can save money on purchases with AMEX Offers. And you can combine these offers with other discounts for more savings! Plus, it’s possible to register AMEX offers on multiple cards.
So you can take advantage of this perk to buy a product and resell for a profit on Amazon or eBay.
Check AMEX Offers Regularly to See If There’s a Deal That Can Earn You a Profit
For example, Million Mile Secrets team member Keith sells on Amazon and eBay. He once registered for an AMEX Offer, used a coupon code, and shopped through a cash back portal to save money purchasing golf merchandise. And he later resold it for a ~$100 profit on eBay.
And Million Mile Secrets team member Meghan made over $1,000 with AMEX Offers buying and reselling Xboxes for a profit on eBay and Craigslist!
And each AMEX small business card has its own benefits for earning rewards.
For example, with the no annual fee AMEX SimplyCash Plus card, you earn:
- 5% cash back at office supply stores in the US and on your US wireless phone bill (up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year)
- 3% cash back on eligible purchases (up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year) in one category of your choice (like computer hardware & software, US gas stations & restaurants, and airfare & hotel stays purchased directly with the airline or hotel)
- The ability to “buy above your credit limit”
Use Your AMEX SimplyCash Plus Card at Staples to Earn 5% Cash Back on Purchases for Your eBay or Amazon Business
Or consider the AMEX Business Gold or AMEX Business Platinum to earn flexible AMEX Membership Rewards points, which you can transfer directly to airline and hotel partners.
The AMEX Starwood small business card is also a good choice. Because you earn valuable Starwood points, which you can redeem for free nights at Starwood, Marriott, and Ritz-Carlton hotels. Or transfer points to Starwood airline partners and get 5,000 bonus miles for every 20,000 points you transfer.
And remember, AMEX small business cards don’t appear on your personal credit report. So they do NOT count toward Chase card limits!
2. Chase Ink Business Preferred
Link: Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card
Link: My Review of the Ink Business Preferred Card
With the Ink Business Preferred, you earn my favorite flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which you can transfer to terrific airline and hotel partners like Hyatt and Singapore Airlines.
Pay for Amazon and eBay Seller Expenses With the Ink Business Preferred to Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards Points, Which You Can Redeem for Award Flights on Singapore Airlines
When you sign-up for the card, you’ll earn 80,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You also get:
- 3X Chase Ultimate Rewards points for every $1 you spend on travel, shipping purchases, internet, cable and phone services, advertising purchases made with social media sites, and search engines (up to a maximum of $150,000 in combined purchases per account anniversary year)
- 1X Chase Ultimate Rewards points on all other purchases
- Up to $600 in cell phone insurance when you pay your cell phone bill with the card
So you’ll earn a 3X bonus on Amazon and eBay seller expenses like shipping. And you can pay your internet and phone bill to earn bonus points and get coverage for your cell phone.
Keep in mind, the Ink Business Preferred card is impacted by Chase’s tighter application rules.
So if you’ve opened 5+ cards from any bank (except these business cards) in the past 24 months, it’s unlikely you’ll be approved for this card.
3. Chase Ink Cash
Link: Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card
Link: My Review of the Chase Ink Cash Card
Folks looking to earn cash back might consider the no annual fee Chase Ink Cash.
You can earn $300 cash back after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
With this card, you also get:
- 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on cellular phone, landline, internet and cable TV services each account anniversary year
- 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year
- 1% cash back on all other purchases
So shopping at office supply stores for your Amazon and eBay business can earn you 5% cash back!
Looking to Buy a Printer for Your Amazon or eBay Business? Consider Shopping at an Office Supply Store With Your Ink Cash to Earn 5% Cash Back
You can redeem rewards for cash back or toward a trip through the Chase travel portal. Or, you can transfer points from the card to hotel and airline partners if you also have one of these cards:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
- Chase Ink Plus (no longer available)
- Chase Ink Bold (no longer available)
Keep in mind, it’s tougher to get approved for the Ink Cash because of Chase’s stricter application rules.
4. Capital One Spark Cash Rewards
Link: Capital One Spark Cash Rewards
If you’re looking for a straightforward small business cash back card, the Capital One Spark Cash Rewards is a great choice.
Because you earn unlimited 2% cash back on every purchase. So you can use this card to buy items to resell. And you’ll essentially save 2% off each purchase.
The one drawback is the bank pulls inquires from all 3 credit bureaus, which can make it harder to get cards from other banks in the future.
Bottom Line
Folks who sell items for a profit on Amazon and eBay can get a small business card to earn miles, points, and cash back.
Even better, you can use AMEX small business cards to access AMEX Offers, which you can combine with other deals to purchase items at a discount. Then, you can resell the item for a profit. You can register for AMEX offers with cards like the:
- AMEX Business Gold Rewards
- AMEX Business Platinum
- AMEX SimplyCash Plus
- AMEX Starwood (Small Business)
Which card do you use for Amazon and eBay seller expenses?
