In recent years, many households have experienced challenging financial circumstances. There has been a developing cost of living crisis in many Western countries fuelled by rising inflation levels that wage increases have not matched. With the ongoing war in Ukraine, energy prices have risen dramatically worldwide, and some staple goods have doubled in price in the last year.
These factors have combined to make family budgets tighter than ever, reducing disposable income levels. Many people are choosing to sell their unwanted household items online to generate some extra money.
It can be the ideal way to free up space in the home while adding some much-needed funds to the family budget. However, many people need to gain experience selling items online, and the process can be a little confusing initially.
Thankfully, this article will provide advice and guidance on selling household items effectively online to ensure they sell as quickly as possible and generate the highest prices.
Shipping Considerations
Before you start selling online, you should be aware of the shipping options that are available to you. When you successfully sell an item, it is essential to ship it securely to the buyer. Problems will arise if the item arrives damaged, and you may need to give a refund to the buyer.
For high-value and potentially fragile items such as TVs, it is wise to use a TV shipping firm with extensive experience providing a reliable TV moving service. Such companies can ship these products securely and will ensure that the item reaches its buyer promptly.
Check online to find these shipping firms and choose one competitively priced with positive customer feedback.
Choose Your Online Marketplace
It is important to determine which online marketplace you intend to sell your household items on. One of the most popular platforms for selling a wide range of goods is eBay. This site has millions of daily visitors and has an intuitive user interface that makes it easy to sell and bid for items.
There is the option to set a “buy it now” price for your goods or allow people to bid from a low starting price to attract more interest. However, consider that eBay charges a 12.8% total selling fee, which must be factored into the value of your goods.
Some smaller national sites, such as Gumtree, may have lower visitor numbers but may charge lower fees for selling. In short, look at various online marketplaces and determine which site best suits your needs and the product(s) you are selling.
High-Quality Pictures
Once you have chosen the online selling platform, it is important to take high-quality pictures of the items you are selling. Potential buyers will be dissuaded by poor quality or blurry images that do not show the thing in its best light as it gives the impression that the item is poor quality or the seller needs to make more effort to sell it.
Take pictures from a range of angles in good light conditions. Be sure to highlight any scratches, marks, or defects on the item so buyers know its actual state.
