Whether you are looking to make a bit of extra cash and clear out your house at the same time, or you want to try and find a way to build a business selling secondhand items, there are lots of great websites out there that can help you to do this. Before the Internet, the only way to resell your stuff was to have a Garage Sale or take it all to a Car Boot Sale.
Now, however, there are so many ways you can turn your old things into cold hard cash from the comfort of your own home, with no fee, no sale terms. Once you list your items you can just get on with your life and wait to see what happens. It’s that easy. So let’s take a look at what we believe to be the 10 best sites to sell used stuff.
There will be the ones that you have heard of that have become household names, but you may be surprised to find a few trusted niche websites that will help you maximize your profit on particular items.
Amazon
Let’s start with the obvious one. Jeff Bezos started his online business, Amazon in 1995. He started by selling books to people online from an office set up in his garage. Amazon is now the Worlds’ largest online retailer selling over 390 million products.
It is simple to set up your online account with them. All you need is an email address and bank details and you are ready to start listing. Once you have sold your item on Amazon, you will get paid straight into your bank account. The downside is that it can take up to 21 days for you to receive the payment.
There is also a small fee of 75p that Amazon charges for each item that you sell using a basic account. For those looking to start up their own business online, there is a dedicated Amazon Seller account as well as an Affiliate Program. One major benefit of selling through Amazon is that it is a trusted source for buyers, which mean they are willing to pay a bit more than on other seller sites.
Since Amazon has such a huge product catalog, there will most likely be a product code otherwise known as ASIN to match the product you are selling. This makes it quick and simple to list and easy for potential buyers to find. However, you will need to undercut other sellers with this item in order to guarantee you sell your product first.
eBay
eBay is another big one but the major difference between eBay and Amazon is that you can buy things in an auction. This is a great feature for a buyer looking for a bargain if you know the right way to bid. It can work out very lucrative for the seller as well, but it is a bit of a gamble on your profit margin.
You are able to set a reserve if you are really precious about the price, however, this can slow down the bidding as more people are likely to get involved if the price is super low.If you want to speed up the selling process, you can add a Buy It Now price, which gives you an instant sale and stops the auction.
One really important thing to consider when listing your item on eBay is the product details. Do some research on the site and on search engines. If you are too specific with the description, people may not find it.
Make sure you put what the item is the make and model and people don’t often search for specific models. Once you have sold your item, you will get paid into your PayPal account, this can take up to 21 days.
Gumtree
Gumtree is the number one website for classified ads and is categorized by geographical areas. Some classified ads are free to place, depending on the category.
You can sell most things on Gumtree, but as the listings are placed by location, it is usually the larger items that need to be collected, that are more popular. The payment method is agreed between the buyer and seller. Usually the item is paid for in cash at the time of pick up, otherwise, PayPal is the best online option.
Shpock
If you love a car boot sale but don’t want to get up at 6am, then this is the app for you. Registration is super simple. You can just use your Facebook or Google profile or you can opt for email and text message if you prefer.
You can sell anything that would be acceptable for a car boot sale and more. The added benefit of using Shpock is that you can also list things that would be more difficult to sell or even to get to a car boot sale, such as concert tickets, bicycle or car. You don’t get out of haggling on this one. Buyers are able to make you an offer if they think the price is too high. Payment methods are either PayPal or in person.
Vinted
This is a website for selling secondhand clothes and accessories. There are no sellers’ fees but the buyer will be charged 4% of the cost of the item plus a fixed fee of 60p. As well as being able to use a credit or debit card or PayPal for transactions, there is also the option to use your Vinted Balance.
So you can keep what you sell in your Vinted account and use it to buy something else on the site. There is also a swap facility, which is pretty cool, as long as you can agree to a mutual swap value for your items.
Preloved
It’s free to buy and sell your stuff on Preloved. This classifieds site advertises over 500 categories of products listed by location. It is more than just a classifieds website though. If you have a specific hobby or interest, you can find community groups to join and discussion forums.
Groups include things like Pets, Holidays, Camping, Motoring, DIY, Sailing and more. So it’s a good way of finding someone with the same interests who is more likely to want to buy your used item.
Music Magpie
Music Magpie started out just selling secondhand CD’s, DVD’s and games. Now they have expanded their products to include books, mobile phones, cameras, Kindles, tablets, laptops and even Lego. They have a catalog of products, which means you only need to scan the barcode of your item and it will upload the details for you.
Once you have listed your items, you send your boxed goods off to the Music Magpie warehouse. That way you don’t have the items sitting around your house and you only have one box to post, rather than each item individually. A major bonus of this website is that you get paid into your bank account the same day your item sells.
We Buy Books
Why would you use this website instead of Amazon? Simple. You get paid the next day instead of having to wait up to 21 days. They also provide you with pre-paid labels so you don’t pay any postage costs yourself.
It works by scanning the barcode of your book using their app or entering the ISBN number. You receive an instant valuation, if you are happy with that you print off your label, box up your books and send them off. Then all you have to do is wait to get paid. WeBuyBooks.co.uk won the Feefo Gold Trusted Merchant award for 2016.
Tootle
If you are looking to sell your car, Tootle is a great auction website where dealers bid for your vehicle. It’s really simple to use as you put in your vehicle registration number and all the details are loaded onto the site. All you need to add is the mileage and a couple of questions about service history and sat nav equipment.
At the moment Tootle only accepts vehicle less than 10 years old. They also allow you to sell cars that still have finance on them. Once you have listed your cars, you just wait for the dealers to submit their offers and pick the best one.
Baby Swap or Shop
I think the title says it all, but in case you haven’t already guessed, this is a website for parents to buy or swap baby or toddler items ranging from 0 – 4 years. Having a dedicated site for parents has attracted manufacturers, so you also get the added benefit of competitions and promotions. There is also a page for parent and toddler classes and franchise opportunities.
Jen Starr is part of the community team at Next Day PC . Jen enjoys staying on top of the latest tech trends and sharing how new tech can positively impact people’s lives.
