The pandemic and now thoughts of a recession have made a lot of people desperate for money. One possible solution that you may want to explore is to sell some of your unwanted items online as a way to generate some cash. Doing so will hardly replace your salary, but selling some of your stuff can certainly help pay a few bills or groceries that can be worrisome now. It also can be great therapy because cleaning the clutter is one type of situation that you can control unlike this pandemic. If you never thought about how to sell your unwanted items online, then I will break it down for you on the best way to go about it.
The first order of business is sorting through your stuff. Do you have closets bulging with too many outfits? If so, rooting through your wardrobe may be a good place to start. Look at your favorites and reconsider the pieces that you haven’t worn for a long time. After deciding the outfits to go, check if all the buttons are attached, how the zipper works, loose threads, stains, etc. before snapping photos and writing a description with the size, style, length, fabric, etc.
As you browse through your home, you may find decorative items such as vases, figurines, electronics, glassware, pottery, toys, and small household appliances just to name a few. Whatever you have too much of that is cluttering up your home or that you really don’t use much such as collection of salt and pepper shakers to that teapot collection, then before you think of listing it do your research.
For instance, you may have paid a small fortune for a certain designer label or another item, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll get that much for it. In order to come out ahead, you need to do your homework. Find out the current going rate by researching what that used item usually is listing for at various selling sites first. This will give you an idea of what amount you might expect if you chose to sell it there. More important, it helps to also keep track of what those items actually sold for at the site.
Another tip is to remember is visual appeal. This matters as far as how to sell those unwanted items online. You might have unwanted items that you packed in your garage, basement or attic. Instead of just pulling them out to snap pictures, you want to clean them first for a better presentation. Things that are freshened up are more attractive to a buyer than ones that are dirty or covered with a coat of dust.
After you finished your homework on what items have the best chance of selling at the price you want and clean them up, then it’s time to work on the wording of how you’re going to sell the item. Your mission is to entice as many different buyers as possible through your words. Try to use as many keywords as you can to lure in a variety of people along with specifics of the condition, the make, etc.
Finding the Right Market Matters for How You Sell Items Online
Besides sites like Ebay, there are several others that you can also want to investigate. A few general ones are Bonanza, Sheepbuy, Etsy and Amazon where you can sell anything from clothes, household goods, garden stuff, handbags, jewelry, etc.
Specialized selling sites include ones such as:
Poshmark is the website to buy or sell women and men’s fashions.
Reverb is a website where you buy or sell musical instruments.
Ruby Lane is the website you want to go to buy or sell antiques and vintage items.
Research, tidying up the item, photographing, and an enticing description are all essential in how to sell unwanted items online. Yet, you also need to remember that your responsibility as a seller doesn’t stop after someone presses the button to buy your item. You must always politely answer questions promptly and inform customers of tracking numbers and expected dates of delivery. This may seem like extra work, but it a good practice to follow to build a good reputation as a trustworthy seller.
Furthermore, a credible seller takes care in how they package their items for shipment. Throwing something in a box or envelope without sufficient material too secure and protect the item from rain or rough handling can damage it. Therefore, be sure to stuff your box inside with crushed paper, bubble wrap, tissue to wedge the item in will help safeguard it. You also want to use a plastic bag over the item to save it from the weather.
If you follow these steps on how to sell your unwanted items online, you will stand a much better chance of selling those items than just randomly jumping into an already crowded pool of online sellers.
