PURGING, PHOTOGRAPHING & SELLING YOUR HIDDEN TREASURES.
I am downsizing yet again. With all my DIY projects & no time to do things, I am finally purging out things that I don't use or want any more. What a great way to find hidden money.
SAFETY
Any time you are selling & meeting someone, play it safe. Have someone with you & if that is not possible, take the item outside & do the transaction outside. I like to meet them at a public location.
PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR ITEM
Have you ever tried looking for an item online & the photograph with poor lighting & awkward positioning makes you say, NEXT?
IF YOU WANT TOP DOLLAR FOR YOUR ITEMS- You have to, HAVE to, absolutely have to take GREAT PICTURES. Show details, especially if it has flaws. Use natural lighting to show the true color. Don't underexpose it. STAGE IT.Sometimes a lot of times people don't know how to place/use it. Give them ideas. MEASURE. This keeps you from wasting your time on answering questions that could have been answered if you put all the information correctly in the first place.
Ask yourself; what would you want to know, as a buyer, about the item? Original owner? How old is it? Any defects? Size? Weight? color? Can you utilize it any other way?
I despise measuring & writing details I find it so tedious & throwing tantrums has not worked in my favor. If anyone owns a magical wand that will miraculously do this for me, can I borrow it? Though it's not the best part of selling (in my opinion), it must be done. You don't have to do this all at once & you can break it down & do a little at a time.
ONCE YOU HAVE YOUR ITEMS YOU WANT TO SELL, PHOTOGRAPHED & MEASURED, NOW IT'S TIME TO CHOOSE WHERE YOU WANT TO SELL IT.
If you have vintage, handmade or supplies then this is the place for you. Now just selling random things on Etsy can be a down fall too. I learned that your Etsy store should be cohesive & makes sense. Like a store. Make it interesting & fun. Now this will require some work, but once you set everything up it is the most inexpensive way to sell vs Ebay.
HALF PRICE BOOKS
IF YOU WANT TOP DOLLAR FOR YOUR ITEMS- You have to, HAVE to, absolutely have to take GREAT PICTURES. Show details, especially if it has flaws. Use natural lighting to show the true color. Don't underexpose it. STAGE IT.
Ask yourself; what would you want to know, as a buyer, about the item? Original owner? How old is it? Any defects? Size? Weight? color? Can you utilize it any other way?
I despise measuring & writing details I find it so tedious & throwing tantrums has not worked in my favor. If anyone owns a magical wand that will miraculously do this for me, can I borrow it? Though it's not the best part of selling (in my opinion), it must be done. You don't have to do this all at once & you can break it down & do a little at a time.
ONCE YOU HAVE YOUR ITEMS YOU WANT TO SELL, PHOTOGRAPHED & MEASURED, NOW IT'S TIME TO CHOOSE WHERE YOU WANT TO SELL IT.
CRAIGSLIST
About 80% of my hidden treasures, I sell on CRAIGSLIST. Dan has a great how to video about scammers. I don't allow sellers to respond to my emails. For contact information I write the following.
About 80% of my hidden treasures, I sell on CRAIGSLIST. Dan has a great how to video about scammers. I don't allow sellers to respond to my emails. For contact information I write the following.
call or text for faster response.
(AUSTIN AREA CODE)eight six 7 - 5 three O 9.
Of course this is a Tommy Tutone song & this is not my phone number. But you get the idea. Since I have done it this way I have not had any issues with any scam artist. AS OF YET. There is still a possibility.
Items that sold quickly that I never thought they would; selling it in bulk... makeup (scraped, cleaned & wiped with alcohol), half bottles of nail polish, perfumes. Even if you sell them for $5 it's FIVE more $$ in your pocket then what you had before.
ETSY
If you have vintage, handmade or supplies then this is the place for you. Now just selling random things on Etsy can be a down fall too. I learned that your Etsy store should be cohesive & makes sense. Like a store. Make it interesting & fun. Now this will require some work, but once you set everything up it is the most inexpensive way to sell vs Ebay.
HALF PRICE BOOKS
Books sometimes can go for a great deal. For instance I purchased a box set of books for the kid about a few years ago, box set is still brand new and in good condition. I thought maybe $ 20 NOPE the darn thing is worth well over a grand. $1000 seriously? That's crazy. Who knew anime is worth so much. I couldn't stand the stupid books in the first place & now I am thinking, ehh not so bad. However, if you really want to make money, this may not be a way to go. They can sometimes only up to 10% of what the book is worth. They have to be able to sell it & make a profit as well. Half price books also will buy movies, electronics, games & game consoles.
eBAY
In order to sell on eBay & actually profit, you have to make certain that you price your item correctly. You have to consider fees for your listing, percentage fees (after item sold), shipping & paypal fees. It's also a great idea to wait for a promo sale when they are waiving listing fees. eBay also has a valet service where they will sell the items for you. I DID NOT have luck with this. The person that sold for me took terrible pictures & my $200 dress that I sent in only sold for $7. No need to ask what I received. Also time your item to sell at a decent time. You do not want a listing to end at 3am. Though as a buyer it has worked in my favor.
AMAZON
I don't know much about Amazon. I am still learning how to sell on Amazon & only sold one item. It isn't as user friendly as I would like it to be, however this could be user error. There fees for selling is a flat rate & this feature I do like.
OTHER PLACES TO SELL
Varagesale.com is a new place to sell, however I DO NOT LIKE that it is attached to my personal facebook. I know this is for safety reasons, but there is a reason why my personal fb is private. I don't know if this app will still allow me to keep my facebook private or not. I will find out & if you know the answer let me know. Virtual swap & yard sale FB pages, allow you still keep your FB page private, using online swap & local garage sale FB pages. However, I do not like that it from buyers, but I don't like that it shares what I sell on my friends news feed. Who wants to see that? This being said it is free from extra fees.
Which ever way you decide to sell, remember, just because someone else is selling the exact item for a certain price or its worth a certain price, it doesn't necessarily mean that you will get it for that price. So be flexible, research & know what price you are willing to take for it. You could be sitting on a gold mine, or maybe not. But spending a little time researching it could be worth $$ in your pocket book.
AMAZON
I don't know much about Amazon. I am still learning how to sell on Amazon & only sold one item. It isn't as user friendly as I would like it to be, however this could be user error. There fees for selling is a flat rate & this feature I do like.
OTHER PLACES TO SELL
Varagesale.com is a new place to sell, however I DO NOT LIKE that it is attached to my personal facebook. I know this is for safety reasons, but there is a reason why my personal fb is private. I don't know if this app will still allow me to keep my facebook private or not. I will find out & if you know the answer let me know. Virtual swap & yard sale FB pages, allow you still keep your FB page private, using online swap & local garage sale FB pages. However, I do not like that it from buyers, but I don't like that it shares what I sell on my friends news feed. Who wants to see that? This being said it is free from extra fees.
Which ever way you decide to sell, remember, just because someone else is selling the exact item for a certain price or its worth a certain price, it doesn't necessarily mean that you will get it for that price. So be flexible, research & know what price you are willing to take for it. You could be sitting on a gold mine, or maybe not. But spending a little time researching it could be worth $$ in your pocket book.
So get off your bum, start purging, take pictures, be safe & go $ell. Don't wait for spring or fall. Summer needs some Lov'n too!
IS THERE A WAY YOU PREFER TO SELL? WHAT HAS WORKED FOR YOU? Like to hear about it.
IS THERE A WAY YOU PREFER TO SELL? WHAT HAS WORKED FOR YOU? Like to hear about it.
Warning, selling items can be addicting! Not responsible for your sanity or lack of sleep.
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