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Whether you’re organising your home and sick of having so much stuff to clean and put away, whether you just want to make a little extra on the side or you need to top up your savings here are 5 steps to sell your old stuff online efficiently and quickly.

1. Make sure it’s sales-worthy

The first thing you need to do is really inspect your items for sale. Many owners think their stuff is more saleable than it really is. If you’re trying to sell an old jumper coming apart at the seams, you’ll likely have trouble. Consider whether you’d be interested in buying the item if you were in need of it. Is it in good condition? Carefully consider whether your treasure is really just trash. One thing that will almost always sell no matter the condition is furniture, given the right price. Unless it’s in such bad shape that it’s now just a few planks of wood, however if the wood is good enough even that is likely to sell to a local buyer.

2. Price your old stuff

When putting your old stuff for sale online you’ll have to determine what you should charge. If you’re going to be selling on a site where you also need to determine shipping costs, keep this extra cost to the buyer in mind when determining the cost of the item. If you’re not sure what you should be charging, then do your research. Have a look at similar items to what you’re selling on eBay and other online shopping sites. If you’re still at a loss, consider starting the bidding at $0.99 if you just want your old stuff gone.

3. It’s all about the photos

When posting your old stuff for sale online it’s all about the photos. Make sure you take numerous photos in good light (take your stuff outside if you have to). If your items have any damage make sure you photograph that too to highlight it in your listing. While a good listing should include lots of information about the product, buyers can get more information through good photos than your words. This is the step you should be spending the most time on. If you can, edit the photos with photo editing software to help appeal to more buyers.

4. Write clear and appealing copy

While the photos should hopefully do most of the talking you’ll also need to write clear and appealing copy. You don’t need to write an essay on your old stuff, but it is good to give as much information to potential buyers as possible. While writing good copy can take time, it takes a lot less time to write everything a buyer could want to know before buying than to have to answer endless questions from multiple buyers about your ad. If you’re selling furniture or similar items make sure you list the dimensions, if not you will be asked.

5. Use multiple platforms

If you’re really looking to sell, don’t waste your time only hawking your wares on one online site. There are multiple options around so don’t limit yourself. Your photographs and copy should be able to simply be copy/pasted to similar online classifieds sites so it should not take you a lot of extra time. This way you’ll be able to target a lot more buyers. Make sure to mention in your listing that you’ve listed elsewhere and mark as sold as soon as possible.

Chiino
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