How to Make Money by Selling Your Spares: 10 Tips

by: James Adams 3

Everyone can always use extra money, but in this tough economy, an extra income can be hard to come by. However, this problem can easily be solved by simply cleaning out your house! By selling spare items you have little use for, you can remove your clutter and get a few extra bucks for spending! These 10 tips will tell you the best ways to get the most for your stuff by easily getting rid of your spares, whether it be clothes, computer parts, or anything else. There is always someone willing to buy what you have, you just have to know where to go!

(1.) eBay

eBay is the ultimate online marketplace. Here you can post a picture of your item, name your price, or allow bidding wars to get the most money for your spares! eBay has cheap listing prices, often only a couple cents, and it is an international website, allowing your offering to reach people across the world. With this audience, you are bound to get a good deal.

(2.) Craigslist

Craigslist allows you to target people in your area, and the postings are free. You can post pictures and a description, and post it in several categories so that you will reach a broad audience. Craigslist can save costs on shipping, as most interested buyers are in a close vicinity, and you can arrange for pick up or delivery of your spares.

(3.) Gumtree (UK)

Gumtree is a classified service that caters directly to the UK. This service, similar to Craigslist, allows you to post listings of your spares, and ensures that many people will come across your item. It has a wide variety of categories for postings, including for sale and community, so that you can cater your listing to the audience you want to reach.

(4.) Amazon

Sell Your Stuff allows you to list your items on Amazon Online Marketplace quickly and easily. The plus with this Amazon service is that you don’t have to pay a cent until your item sells, so you can re-list as many times as it takes for your item to sell without any cost to you. The website reaches millions of people and will list your product right next to Amazon’s own, giving you maximum exposure.

(5.) AtOncer

AtOncer is an online marketplace as well, and it allows you several different options for selling your items. You can list your items individually, and name your price, displaying it to a huge number of potential buyers. There is no listing fee, and its online interface is convenient and easy. However, if you plan on selling a large number of products, you can also create your own e-store where you can list a lot of items, which is perfect if you are cleaning out your spares and have a lot to get rid of. This allows buyers to see all you have to offer on one screen, instead of individually, increasing the possibility that they will buy more than one product from you.

(6.) Buy My Stuff

Buy My Stuff is a website that has been designed specifically to eliminate the hassles of trying to sell your used items. It is designed to be an online replacement for garage sales, and makes selling an item problem free. Once you enter an item into the system once, you do not have to keep refreshing the listing. It remains in the system until you sell it, with no hard work by you!

(7.) Facebook Marketplace

Facebook is the biggest website in the world, with over 500 million users. This is the perfect place to market your goods. The Marketplace allows users to place an ad online and ensures that it will be seen by people all over the world. Buyers can search by location, or by item, so that people both local and international can see your spare items.

(8.) Gazelle

Gazelle works as a trade-in service for your spare electronics. You can visit the site and get an online quote instantly, and then you ship your item in. If your item has been deemed worth more than $1, you get free shipping. Once Gazelle receives your item, it is checked for problems, and if it is ok then you are sent your payment! The service is free to sign up for, and can ensure that gadgets that you don’t use anymore will get use somewhere else.

(9.) Garage sales

Garage Sales can be a great way to get rid of your spares. Many people will peruse garage sales on nice weekend days, and the opportunity to see and hold the object often works in your favour. People are more easily persuaded by you in person rather than through a computer, and you can convince someone that the item they are interested in is a quality piece worth buying.

(10.) Thrift Shops

Thrift shops do the work of a seller for you! Spares are brought into the store and you are given an evaluated price. The item is this placed in the store, and when it sells, you are given a percentage of its retail price. You simply have to bring it in to the store and wait for an eager customer to walk in and spot your prize.

Use these tips to get rid of your spares, and soon you will have pockets overflowing with cash to go buy more items. Remember, you can also use these places to get the best deals on items you want!

James works as a writer with a UK based specialist in hoover bags for vacuum cleaners. If you are interested in reading more of his writing, click here.

Image: Arnoooo