I’ve been selling things online and at sales for years – everything from cars and prams to clothes and toys. I hate having cupboards stuffed with things that we no longer need. I give some items to charity but also enjoy making some money from my de-cluttering, and there’s no better time for a clear out than the New Year.
Gumtree selling site for big items
I’ve had a lot of success on Gumtree over the years when selling big, collect only items. I’ve sold numerous cars, a freezer, a bike, a dining table and even an oak front door. The site is easy to use and creating ads is quick and simple. There are no listing fees and you can add up to 20 images at no charge. There are additional paid for services should you want. These include adding a link to your website (£5.21) and numerous ad promotion options.
Go to: https://www.gumtree.com/
De-cluttering baby equipment
I amassed so much equipment when the children were babies especially as the twins needed additional specialised items. I found Preloved UK a great selling site for this type of stuff and items such as feeding cushions, a Medela Double Electric Breast Pump, the iCandy Peach Blossom and a Silver Cross 3D Pram System were snapped up.
The site is extremely easy to navigate. Again it’s free to list and you can upload three photos for free. If you’ve subscribed to Preloved Premium membership, you can add unlimited photos. You can set a specific price, invite offers, say you’ll accept near offers, very near offers or offers above ‘x’.
Go to: https://www.preloved.co.uk
Selling children’s clothes locally and further afield
Outgrown clothes accumulate quickly so serious de-cluttering is needed regularly. I find the local selling pages on Facebook great for bundles of lower valued items as well as higher value pieces. My go to is Kidz Stuff Surrey. This is great as people can see exactly where you’re based and can usually collect, which saves on faffing on postage and packing. There are also even more localised selling groups. For designer/high end items there are some brand-specific groups such as Mini Boden and Joules childrens’ clothes. The audiences on these sites know exactly the worth of the items listed so these are the perfect venues. However, you are likely to have to post the items. Facebook marketplace is also a great option.
Vinted for children’s and adult’s clothes
I’m quite new to Vinted, but am finding it a good platform, which is really easy to use. You can add up to 20 photos and there are lots of drop down menus that help you to describe the item as well as select the brand. I initially thought that the suggested prices for items was too low, but soon discovered that this is recouped on the shipping costs, which are paid for by the buyer. Vinted even generates the shipping label for you. You also receive updates about the progress of the order and you’ll be alerted as soon as the buyer receives.
Go to: https://www.vinted.co.uk
Top tips for selling online
- Good pictures are vital
- Be realistic, if you price too high you’ll put people off
- That said, don’t go too low as you might be bartered even lower
- Descriptions should be informative but succinct
- For something like a buggy, people will want the instruction manuals, without these you can’t expect to get as high a price
- If you are sending items by post, don’t buy posting and packaging until you have received payment (or at least a deposit)
- Be prepared for time wasters and learn how to spot them
- If someone is coming to pay in cash for a larger item and requests you take it off the market, then you need to get a deposit
- If you’re not doing a face-to-face transaction, then PayPal is the way to go
De-cluttering with a Nearly New Sale
Keep an eye out for local Nearly New Sales. These are great for shifting large volumes of items in one go. You have to pay for a table (and rail if you want to hire), but if you’ve got a lot of stuff and some higher value items, it’s very easy to recoup and make a healthy profit. They are often publicised with posters at church halls and community centres and you can use the following links to find out where your local NCT sales and Mum2Mum Markets are taking place. These two are the biggest out there. Whilst I haven’t done an NCT sale, I have done a number of Mum2Mum Markets. You can find out more about this here.
Happy de-cluttering!
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So what’s the clearest indicator(s) of a time-waster?
I’ve found the number one, one to be people who ask questions about the product that are quite clearly answered in the advert. Or those who ask lots and lots of questions and request lots more information. If it’s a product they are genuinely interested in/specifically looking for, they would usually already know that kind of info.
Great tips, we’re just about to move (fingers crossed) so will need to do a lot of clearing out. We also sold a lot of CDs and DVDs on Music Magpie recently – you don’t get very much for them at all, but it’s probably more that you’d get on eBay x.
A lot of my friends have sold CDs on Music Magpie. Sometimes it isn’t all about the money, de-cluttering is so cathartic!
Good luck with the move. Where did you decide to move to in the end?