Have you ever wanted to sell your stuff online but weren’t sure how to do it? Or maybe youhave tried it but weren’t able to sell much (if anything at all).
Making money from online classifieds, such as Kijiji and Craigslist, is not as simple as posting the ad and watching the money roll in. In order to make the sale, you have to be prepared to put in a little work.
Here are some tips to help you sell your stuff online:
Take a great photo.
Photos often sell the item for you, so make sure you have a very good photo of your item.
Even better, post multiple photos of your item from different angles.
If your item has any defects (scratches, stains, etc.), be sure to take a photo of those as well. It shows people you are honest.
Do some research.
Before you post your ad, do a bit of research on the item you plan to sell.
Take a few minutes to see how much money others may be selling the same (or a similar) item for.
Ebay is great for this, because you can also see how interested people are in that particular item by viewing how many bids have been placed.
Include a catchy headline.
The very first thing people see is your headline (the title or item name), so you better make it good if you want people to click on your ad.
You want to pull people in without being obnoxious. For example:
Good Headline: Brand New Baby Boy 6-12M Clothes, NWT (new with tags)
Bad Headline: **Lots of boys clothes for sale!!!**
Another good example:
Good Headline: Solid Maple Wood Dining Room Set – Table, 6 Chairs, Buffet & Hutch
Bad Headline: Kitchen Set
Add as much information about the item into the headline as possible so people know what to expect when they are viewing your ad.
Include lots of detail in your description.
Finally, you must add a description for your item. It’s best to be very descriptive.
Be sure to include dimensions, colours, scents, and make note of any damages (if applicable).
You may also want to include your nearest intersection (or nearest intersection of the place you plan to meet), so that people know if you are close enough to them to make the deal worth it.
If you offer delivery, let people know. If you don’t, mention that as well.
Act fast to inquiries.
When you receive a phone call or email about your item(s), be sure to respond in a timely manner.
The longer it takes you to get back to an interested party, the less likely it will be that you end up making the sale.
Be prepared to negotiate.
Many people treat online classifieds as online yard sales. Just as most people would haggle on prices at a yard sale, you can expect the same thing from your online sales.
Not everyone will try to get a discount, but there are quite a few people that will (myself included!). Be prepared for this and price your items accordingly.
Keep information of everyone interested.
If you get interest from more than one person, be sure to keep the contact information for everyone until you have actually sold the item.
It’s not unusual to have someone tell you they are interested in your item, and then not show up to buy it when they say they will.
Because of this fact, it’s important to keep a list of “back-ups” that you can contact to purchase the item instead.
Re-list your items weekly.
Since Craigslist and Kijiji are free websites, there are thousands of people posting on them on a regular basis.
Your sale items will never stay on the main page all day. It doesn’t take long for more people to post – bumping your items further and further away from the main page.
Make a habit of re-listing your items once a week for 4 weeks. After that, consider donating them instead.
Selling online is a fantastic way to make some extra cash, but it can take some time to actually sell the item(s) that you are listing.
Make a deadline for when things need to be sold (4 weeks is the norm for me) and if they don’t sell by that date, they probably aren’t worth selling. Perhaps a donation to your local thrift shop would be a better idea.
Source: Cassie Howard at MrsJanuary
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