If you have a lot of stuff to get rid of, why not try eBay? It's easy and you can reach a much larger pool of potential buyers than in your neighborhood yard sale.
Before you dive into this blog entry I recommend that you read my 4 Effective eBay Strategies.
Don't Bite off More than You Can Chew
It might seem like a good idea to list everything at once. Voila! Your clutter will be gone in a week! Think about when it comes time to ship all of that. Do you really want to bring dozens of packages to the Post Office and stand in line with them? Not so much...
Listing 5-10 items per week seems safe. If there's a larger item make it a lighter week. If things are smaller, like clothing, it's okay to it's more items. Remember that eBay allows you to list 50 items for free each month. (You still pay seller fees but not the listing fee.) Ten items per month fits nicely with this plan.
Another time saver is to box items up for shipping as you list them. This way you have accurate measurements and weight of the package so the buyer can pay actual shipping charges. There will be no delays in shipping the item after it's purchased because there are no excuses for waiting around to get it ready to go. I recommend using post-it notes to label the boxes so you know what's inside. That way, if the item doesn't sell this week, you won't forget what it is and have to rip it open!
Cross-Promote so More Eyes See Your Item
Do some research to see if there is another website where you can list your items for sale. ModelHorseSalesPages.com, for example, is a website that's exclusively for model horse sales. There is an option to link up eBay auctions to the listing so people can see what you've got for sale but know they must go to eBay to bid.
Consider Selling on Other Sites, Instead
- Craigslist - Craigslist is great for large items or anything that would be difficult or expensive to ship. For example, I sold a toddler bed (not mine!) and a Pilates machine via Craigslist. Pros - there are no fees and you can just make the listing and forget about it for awhile. Cons - people are unreliable and you've absolutely got to meet in a public place to avoid bad things happening!
- Amazon - I prefer to sell my books here. Old textbooks are just bestsellers - you can get rid of anything. Be sure to price competitively - within a few dollars of the lowest price will ensure you sell your item. Pro - large audience. Con - prices are sometimes too low.
- Etsy - This is a site I've just begun using and I will certainly be blogging about it more in the future. Pros - reach people looking for your items, easy to use, and lots of tools built in. Cons - lots of fees (although they are not overly expensive) and there's no "ending" time so orders could come at any time.
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