Selling Your Stuff
With Christmas comes gifts and the inevitable dilemma of what to do with them. You may not have enough room for your new presents, or may not actually want them. Instead of hiding them away, make money by selling your unwanted or unused items.
See our tips for deciding what you want to sell and whether you should sell online or in person to make the most of your unwanted items.
What to Sell
When you’re working out what to sell, try thinking about what you have used in the last year. In that time you’ve gone through big occasions, the changes in season, nights and days out, and occasions with friends and family. In short, you’ve had lots of opportunities to use items or wear clothing. If you haven’t made use of an item in that time, do you really think you will in the future?
Electronic items, DVDs, music and games which are still in their plastic wrappings sell very well online, as do designer and branded items.
Don’t dismiss things as junk – you’d be amazed what people will buy online. Some people will even buy broken goods (as long as they are marked as such) if they have the talent to fix them.
Selling Online
Ebay is by far the most popular site to use to sell goods online. Before selling, make a purchase or two as this will help give you a good ‘reputation’ on the site. When it’s time to sell people will bid on your item, pay through the site, and you will send the item out to them in the post.
Gumtree is a similar site to eBay and can be especially good for large items like furniture as you don’t need to walk to the post office to post them. The difference is that you meet people face to face to sell an item and exchange money. If you’re wary about selling like this, have someone at home with you when your buyer comes to pay for and collect the item.
Sites like Music Magpie, CEX, We Buy DVDs, and Amazon are also worth investigating if you want to sell your things online.
Once you’re familiar with your online selling site of choice, make a seller profile and start listing your items. Here are a few tips to help you sell online:
- Set up an account on the site of your choice (or both) and get to know how it works
- Search for items similar to your own to see what they sell for and how sellers describe them
- Sell related products together, especially if they are cheap, fiddly items like small clothing
- Be honest about the condition of the item – otherwise you could get a bad review
- Learn how to take a good photograph of an item and upload it to your computer. A decent photo could be the difference between a high and low bid
Selling in Person
If you would rather sell face to face then there are plenty of other options.
Car boot sales are still popular for buyers in search of a bargain, and take place around the UK – just be prepared for haggling. Try Car Boot Sales to find a car boot sale near you. As with selling online, it’s a good idea to do a trip to a car boot sale before you sell at it, so you can get a feel for what people buy and how much they pay.
If a local pawnbroker is a licensed secondhand item dealer then they can also make a good place to sell your goods, although you may not get the best rate for items.
Consignment shops may prove to be a good outlet to sell your unwanted items, especially if you have designer clothing or accessories. Around the UK new luxury secondhand shops are looking for people to sell them shoes, handbags, scarves and dresses.
Where else could people sell things to make money?
Rachel - Silversurfers Assistant Editor
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