Facebook Marketplace is another great way to sell your items locally.
There are very few limits to what you can sell on the social media platform, with local buyers easily able to see what you have to sell.
This is very useful as this means that potentially, your buyers are close enough to you, to be able to come and collect the items from you directly and possibly even pay you in cash, rather than using one of the expensive payment processing systems, such as PayPal or giving out bank account details etc.
Be ready for people trying to knock you down on price, it comes with the territory, and also people not turning yp to collect, with no recourse! It's annoying, but the service is free, and I guess you can't complain really!
Facebook Marketplace is totally free to use, and Facebook free to join, and in my experience a very effective selling method.
A great free way to sell your items and check in with your friends at the same time!
You can also make use of Facebook Selling Groups, which have also sprung up.
You will find vast numbers of local groups that have been set up, locally to you, to sell your products. It's basically a classified selling site, that allows you to list an item and sell it in your area.
The trick with this is to be descriptive about the item you are selling, or indeed giving away, (Sometimes easier, and better to give something away, than taking it to the dump, as it saves you all the hassle, and hopefully is of use to somebody), make sure you give as decent description, upload photos, give the dimensions, if applicable, and ensure you state where the item its located. Going through the selling process, to then find out the person is 500 miles away from you is very annoying, so make sure you state where the item is to be collected from.
With photos, try and ensure the picture quality is decent. It doesn't need to be a master piece, but try and make it as high quality as possible, and take/list a few. A picture speaks a thousand words, the better the photo, the less chance of having to answer lots of questions, that could be answered by a decent photo in the first place!
Make sure you can see the item properly, in the photo, ensure it's not out of focus or really dark, and try to keep other items out of the picture as well. Lovely as your kids are, them being sat on the sofa you are selling, in the picture, is probably not going to add value to the sale, possibly quite the opposite!
When you list an item on the selling group, at the end you will that you are given the option of adding your listing, to other local selling groups at the same time. Sometimes there can be dozens of other local selling groups, and by simply clicking the groups, you can then hugely increase the number of people who see your advertisement, and better the chances of you selling your item quickly.
I once sold an items in 4 minutes, using Facebook, things can get snapped up pretty quickly!
Think about when you list your item. If you list it at 4am, the chances of your advert being seen by huge numbers of people is less than it would be, if you listed your item at 7pm, while people are sitting down after dinner to watch Hollyoaks etc..
Make sure you are realistic in what you are wanting to charge for the item. Do a bit of research. Have a look at Google Shopping, Amazon or EBay, to see what sort of price your item is going for there. Your buyers are probably doing the same thing, so they will know if you are offering a genuine bargain, or actually it's no cheaper than the high street.
People love to feel they have got themselves a bargain, so again, be wary that, chances are that you are going to haggled for a better deal, so bear this in mind when you are pricing the item. If you want £20 for something, offer it at £25 and then that gives you a fiver haggling room!
In the interest of safety, don't let people into your home. It's quite normal to conduct 'business' on the door step, for smaller items. Nobody really wants strangers in your house! If the buyer is wanting to look at a larger item, such as a sofa or table, ensure that somebody else is there with you. Try and set up an agreed time for them to come and view, don't offer the viewing as a just turn up whenever scenario. Not only could this be a security issue, it also means that potentially you are stuck in the house all day, and that can be really annoying! It can be a bit scary having strangers inside your home, and on your doorstep, so it's a safety in numbers scenario, just be sensible and be careful. I've never had an issue, but it only takes one...
This post may contain referral links. Commission earned from such a link, helps to pay our website costs and keeps this website free for you to enjoy.