What business can one run from a laptop and make more than £1 million a year with less than £5,000 starting capital?

Then, in the most basic outline, you follow these steps:

1. Join eBay. If you're not already an eBay member, you'll need to get an eBay account. This is the same kind of account that eBay shoppers use. It's the only kind of account on eBay. It's free.
2. Make some purchases. Buy a few things that you need on eBay to learn how eBay shopping works. Look at listings in a few different formats. Come to understand eBay bidding. Before you'll be able to successfully sell on eBay, you'll need to see how people on eBay buy.
3. Make some simple sales to gain experience. Start by listing one item for sale on eBay—just something around the house. If you're having trouble deciding, look at lists of common first-time sellers items or go through your house one room at a time to find things you don't need any longer. Use the "Sell" link at the upper-right of eBay's website and fill out the selling form to actually post the items for sale. Do your best to make compelling listings that will draw buyers. Package and ship your items. Ask for and leave feedback.
4. Learn the ins and outs of eBay. With some basic buying and selling experience under your belt, do some reading to get a feel for eBay's rules and basic features and culture. Take notes.
5. Make a clear decision. With some buying and selling experience in hand and a clearer idea of what eBay is about, ask yourself some questions. Did I enjoy doing this? Am I willing to work hard to build an independent business from the ground up, knowing that it's a job like any other, not a get-rich-quick proposition and that there will likely be tough times ahead before the light at the end of the tunnel is reached? Give honest answers.

1. Put your feet on the pavement. If your answers lead you to think that an online selling business is for you, it's time to start the real work. You can't make a living selling things you've found around the house. You'll need to find things to sell—things that you can buy with regularity, mark up, and sell with predictability. Finding shopping trends, niches, and great product opportunities, then finding and establishing relationships with sources and suppliers or drop-shippers and wholesalers of goods is up to you, as is managing the capital needs of getting started with an initial inventory, whatever these may be; eBay won't and doesn't help with this process. You will have to do research. Send email. Make phone calls. Visit other businesses. Build relationships. There is often no easy step-by-step here. You'll need to think about business models and your customer service values and everyday retail questions like whether you'll handle the goods you sell or use a fulfillment partner, how your accounting will be done, and what it takes to operate as a business legally in your area.
2. Work and grow. Getting up and running is just the beginning; in time, you'll want to outfit an office, set financial and other kinds of goals, and use market research to help you to balance your books with sustainable average selling prices, sell-through rates and volume relative to your costs. You'll probably want to branch out beyond eBay since eBay is just one selling venue amongst many that are online. In short—you'll want to take your start and turn it into a functioning company and business process that's all about what you sell and your relationships with customers and suppliers—not about eBay itself.