Where To Sell Used Items

man placing crafted wooden mugs in shipping boxes

PM Images/Getty Images

En español | Need a fiddling cash? Looking to declutter? Online apps and platforms are helping people sell unwanted stuff by reaching a wider audience and targeting buyers looking for specific items.

Some of these digital marketplaces are newer and accept recently gained traction. Others, like eBay and Craigslist, have been around for quite a while. Either way, a few best practices tin assistance y'all find a heir-apparent and get rid of unwanted items.

That's what Brynn Wren, 68, did when she decided to movement in with her sister a few years ago and had to winnow down the contents of her 2,100-square-human foot dwelling house to fit into two rooms.

"I started selling everything that I nerveless over the concluding vi to 8 years, pretty much just getting down to what I really need," says Wren, of Roseville, California. While necessity initially drove Wren to start selling on eBay and Facebook Marketplace, she discovered she enjoyed it.

"I kind of got the fever and just kept selling stuff," she says. While now Wren buys and sells for fun, the hobby has also added a little actress income to her budget. Over the last few years, she has sold some 400 items, earning a few hundred dollars a month.

"When you get a sale, the app on my telephone makes a little noise like a cash register, and every time I hear that I perk up," she says.

Wren is hardly solitary in using online marketplaces to buy and sell everything from brooches and sleeping accommodation furniture to campers. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook Market place has more than than i billion users.

And then where should you sell? Some apps and platforms specialize in certain items. If you desire to connect with younger buyers who want your '80s T-shirts and '70s jewelry, apps similar Mercari and Depop may be the all-time options. If you want to unload that gently used iPhone, Swappa may exist your best bet. If you're looking to unload a big piece of furniture, remember local and post on Facebook Market place or Nextdoor's classifieds.

And if the idea of selling online sounds daunting, hither are some tips from the pros to help go yous started.

one. Know your worth

Do some research so you know what similar products are selling for and try to find the sweet spot for your asking toll — not likewise high and not too low.

Wren mostly sells online for fun, merely she doesn't want to lose money, either. "I take my smartphone with me and look up things that I find at manor sales on the spot, to see if they sell and what they sell for," she says. That means she's not wasting time or coin hawking something no one wants. Wren says information technology as well adds a "treasure-hunting aspect" to the process.

two. Create a targeted title and description

Coming up with a good title for your online listing is cardinal to connecting with customers. "Your title is of import and will depict buyers in, so be sure to utilize make and product names like 'vintage Pyrex mixing bowl,'" says Tiffany Olson, a trend expert at Mercari.

Kristi Carambula, 68, of Portage, Michigan, is an gorging Facebook Marketplace seller. She says the listing — pregnant the clarification of the item exterior of the championship — tin can be equally important. "I similar to write a catchy phrase at the starting time of my listings," she says. When she sold an RV, her listing started with "All the comforts of home." When two copper mugs were upwards for sale, she asked "Moscow mules anyone?" The phrases are designed to grab the eye of people scrolling through.

Once she has a potential buyer'south attention, Carambula quickly provides all the information needed. "I list the things a buyer is likely wanting to know," she says. "For the RV I sold, I included its historic period, all updated items, details about the appliances and towing package, etc.," she says.

Where to Sell Your Items

There's a digital market place for whatever you desire to sell.

Selling anything:

Bonanza
Nextdoor
eBay
Facebook Marketplace
Mercari
OfferUp

Local sales and larger items:

Facebook Market
Nextdoor
5Miles
OfferUp
VarageSale
Craigslist

Vintage items/Antiques:

eBay
Cherry Lane
Etsy
Chairish
Mercari
Depop

Article of clothing/Shoes:

Poshmark
ThredUp
Depop
Mercari
Decluttr
eBay
Stock

Electronics:

OfferUp
Swappa
Glyde
Facebook Marketplace
Nextdoor
Gazelle
5Miles
eBay
Bonanza
Decluttr

three. Think keywords

Keywords are the words and phrases people blazon into a search engine to detect what they're looking for online, so if you're selling on the net it helps to exist a savvy here. This ties in to Olson'due south emphasis on titles. For example, "Vintage Pyrex Mixing Basin" is the exact phrase that someone might blazon into a search engine.

Keywords are important whether you're selling or buying, says Karen McMahon, 55, of East Schodack, New York. "As a buyer, I frequently look up brand names that I'g a fan of on Facebook Marketplace to see if anyone is selling an item I'm interested in," she says.

When she is selling online, she'll include brand names in her listings to assist buyers find the exact items they want — both in titles and in item descriptions. "Provide equally many details as you can on the detail," Olson says. This helps a buyer make a purchase decision, but information technology also helps interested parties notice the items among the vast offerings of the internet.

iv. Pictures, delight

When McMahon posts items to Facebook Marketplace, she uses high-quality photos and lots of them.

"In my experience, the more images the meliorate, so you give prospective buyers a good idea of the item earlier they make a purchase," she says. McMahon takes the time to stage the particular, whether furniture, an antiquarian or an appliance, putting information technology in natural light and refraining from flash or filters, to "aid buyers envision the detail in their ain life."

5. Be responsive

When a buyer is interested in an item, ane of the most important things a seller can exercise is be available to respond queries as soon as possible.

"Being active on the platform and making myself available to quickly answer questions, coordinate meeting times and facilitate payment helps people feel comfortable with the process," McMahon says. "I also find that when people know what they're looking for they're likely contacting numerous Facebook Marketplace sellers with related items. Being quick with my responses allows me to shore up interest and ensure that I'm getting the sale."

If you don't want to be stuck on your computer all day while trying to sell an particular, take a tip from Carambula and set up a specific block of time to postal service items when you lot can be available to chop-chop respond inquiries as they roll in.

"Some things generate lots of involvement and people are eager to buy, and then my quick response, honest answers and tracking the order in which offers come up in is more than than a courtesy, it's essential in establishing credibility," she says. Once an item sells, Carambula quickly marks it every bit sold and alerts other interested would-exist buyers about the auction and then they can motion on. "They seem to appreciate that and thank me for letting them know."

6. Be honest

"I always recommend being forthright with the condition of your item — specifically telephone call out whatever flaws or wearable and tear that your buyers should be aware of before purchasing," McMahon says. "The last affair you desire is for someone to feel duped that what they purchased was not as advertised, especially when they've gone through the problem of traveling to choice information technology upwardly."

7. Brand the bargain safely

The neat news nigh online selling is that typically the buyer or the site pays for shipping. For example, on eBay, aircraft is automatically calculated and a buyer usually gets an guess of cost.

Other sites, similar Decluttr, pay for the aircraft, making it fifty-fifty easier for buyers and sellers to make an exchange. Even Facebook Marketplace allows sellers to choose whether they want to ship items or allow for local pickup. "You'll be surprised by how broad people cast their net when looking for an particular they're really interested in, so as a seller, it might be worth because aircraft your item or accommodating nonlocal interest," says McMahon.

If you are making sales in person, use common sense when meeting upwardly with buyers. If the item being exchanged is small, people often set a public identify — like a schoolhouse or restaurant parking lot — to run into up. If you're selling a big item that would need to be picked up from your dwelling, it can be trickier. Sellers may prefer to do exchanges during daylight hours and have a relative or friend at home with them when the buyer arrives.