since 1954
Selling Your Stuff Online: The Rundown
Selling your stuff is an age-old side hustle we’ve all considered at one time or another. The internet has provided a way for people to sell with relative safety and it has become so popular that there are many ways to go about it. Here’s some tips to help you maximize your selling profits while minimizing the work behind the scenes.
ONCE YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SELL
Clean It
Even if it works great, no one wants to buy something that looks dirty and well…used. Before you start taking pictures, wipe it down, hose it off, give it a bath or whatever you need to do.
White shoe hack: take some toothpaste and a toothbrush, a little elbow grease and some water and they’ll look next to new in a few minutes.
Take Good, Well Lit Photos
- Natural and soft lighting is best.
- The item should be in the center of the frame and relatively close to show the details.
- A tripod will eliminate blur and motion.
- Photograph all damage, scuffs, and any special features the item has.
- Clean your room if that’s where you are photographing your items. The background of a photo is important. While your cat sleeping on a pile of unfolded laundry looks perfect to you, it looks unkempt to a potential buyer.
Be Descriptive
If creative writing has never been your thing, that’s ok. Look around the website and see who is selling well. Check out their descriptions, what kind of verbiage are they using? What seems to be the messaging that draws people in?
Know Your Worth
Well, in this case, know your items worth. You may have stumbled across your Mom’s antique collection of pottery and she knows it’s valuable but has no idea for how much. Obviously, you have no idea, but you want to get your mom the best price she can, right? Do your research and make sure you aren’t underselling your items. Collectors will jump at the chance to find a novice who doesn’t know what they have and under bid, so they can get the best deal possible.
Websites to Get Started Selling
eBay
Ebay is probably the original of all high-volume selling platforms, it’s a classic and hasn’t changed much since its origin. Going strong with over 800 million items being listed at any given time, they charge a 9% fee on final sale amount. There are other potential fees, but it depends on how you list your item. If you have a collectible or are looking to sell just once, eBay is usually the best bet.
Amazon
Amazon is where you can list multiples of items to sell like a retailer without a store front and without a website. Did you score a bunch of Ugg boots on clearance at a local store having a final close out? Amazon is the best place to unload them. The monthly fee for selling is $39.99 so keep that in mind if you are only trying to sell a few of your collectible stamps, eBay is where you want to go for that.
eBid
Ebid is like its big brother eBay but the market has smaller fees and a more targeted audience. It offers a lifetime membership of $49.99 or you can opt for selling items occasionally with a 3% sellers fee.
Decluttr
Check out Decluttr if you’ve got some items you know have value, but aren’t sure who would want them, or how to reach those people. They accept things like electronics, textbooks, Legos, DVDs and more but the things they accept are limited so it won’t always work for you. Decluttr asks some questions about quality of the items and then offers you a cash price. Payments will be sent to you the very next day so there is no paying for listing fees or shipping costs. Decluttr is one of the quickest and easiest routes to go.
Poshmark
Poshmark is the used clothing communities fashion stalwart. Brand names taking up space in your closet that never get worn? List them on Poshmark and sell them to someone who is looking for that brand name, but at a discount. Selling items under $15 will get you charged a flat $2.95 fee but anything over that is a 20% cut of the final sale. It’s a growing community of used clothes sellers but more and more “Poshers" are selling items they buy new from discount stores and reselling at a slight markup for a profit.
We hope you find the best way to sell your things and make sure you have somewhere to stash all that cash you make with Solidarity!
