Raise and sail – Sell your stuff

eBay: Sell your Old Stuff, Support OYT South

Are you really ever going to play that game again?

Is the best way to make sure that nobody ever finds out about your West Life CDs to get rid of them?
Are you ready to admit that your career as a professional hockey player is going nowhere and it’s time to say goodbye to all that kit? And you there, have you finally faced the fact that you won’t be wearing those leather trousers ever again?

Whatever your reason for getting rid of something, if you want to raise some money and make some space, what better way than eBay?

One thing. If it isn’t yours… don’t sell it. Sounds obvious I know, but it is easy to get carried away. People don’t like it when you sell their things. Ask around, of course but don’t even think of listing your sister’s handbag unless she says it is ok. Really. You’ll only regret it.

HOW TO SELL IT ON EBAY

Right. You’re ready. So here is how to sell stuff. Four steps and you’re done!

Step One: Create an account.
You need to register with ebay and create a seller’s account.

You can do this from any page on the eBay site, just look for the SELL link in the top right-hand corner. This will take you to a registration form. You’ll add your name and address details and you’ll also be asked for some bank account and credit or debit card information. Why? So that eBay can verify that you are you and you live where you say you do. This makes the site safer and gives the people buying your lovely stuff confidence. The details are handled securely so there is nothing to worry about.

Step Two: List your item
First, do a quick bit of research. eBay lets you search through completed sales, so you can have a look at items similar to yours. Get an idea of how much they sold for, so that you can set your price. While you’re there, read through the descriptions – this will help you see which ones worked best for sellers, so you can take a leaf out of their book and write yours.

Now you’re ready to list the item. You’ll need to decide how you want it to sell (auction or ‘Buy Now’) and write a title and description for your item. Don’t forget pictures – everyone likes to know what they are buying, so grab your digital camera and take a snap.

Step Three: Payment and posting
When you have finished your listing, you’ll choose the reserve price. Don’t forget that you will have to pay to pack and post your stuff when someone buys it, so include the cost of that in your reserve price. Then list the methods of payment you are happy to accept – for beginners, why not just stick with PayPal? It’s secure and trusted so it’s well worth setting up an account.

Step Four: Manage your sales
Once your item is live on the site, the My eBay tools allow you to track the sale.
Once the items sold, you’ll need to arrange postage – always wait until you’ve received payment; it’s only sensible.

And finally, if for some reason your item doesn’t sell, you can list again on eBay for free!