Lessons Learned Selling on Online Yard Sale Sites

Here’s the deal – unless you have some superhuman powers I’m not aware of, you probably have a bunch of junk laying around your house. You may not classify it as junk, but if you don’t absolutely love it and it isn’t useful to you today or in the near and known future – it might as well be classified to you as junk. The “I might need it one day” syndrome is rampant in American culture…and I could be the poster child for that syndrome! I get it – I grew up in a home where we had plenty of “I might need it one day” items or “that was too good of a deal to pass up” stuff.

With our latest motivation to declutter and embrace the KonMari approach to get rid of a bunch of stuff we didn’t need, Stacy took on her natural role of organizer and went at the decluttering with a vengeance. Each day we’d chat off and on about what to do with the things we decided we didn’t love and were ready to part with. Everything basically fell into three categories: donate, sell, and trash.

The donation items got boxed up and piled in a designated area until there was a car or truck load. I hauled 2 truckloads and 5 carloads of items to donate and split it up between a few of our local non-profits who have thrift stores. The trash got bagged up and piled in the garage until I had a truck load. I ended up hauling 5 truckloads of what we had in our home and were keeping for some reason that was simply trash. Seriously! *shakes head* The things we felt we could and should try to sell were what this post is all about, so we’ll get into that momentarily.

After spending a few minutes each day for several weeks while we went through the decluttering process I feel I can confidently tell you I am an expert at selling in our local online classifieds. We’ve sold all kinds of stuff for a total of over $2,000…so far. We probably have half of the stuff sold and are finding more each day we can list for sale. With that in mind, I thought you might like to know some of the things I learned that may help you as you clear out your clutter.

Use a template and follow a process

I primarily sold things through our local Facebook Online Yard Sale pages. I used Craigslist some, but had much better success with Facebook. Check if your local area has a Facebook online yard sale group. I could, in about 2 minutes, list an item and have it ready for the public to see.

How? I kept a little Microsoft Word document that had the basic info I’d need for every posting and to answer common questions. I have a long commute so my meeting location details that I would have to post over and over said, “I work in {town} and live in {town} I can meet immediately off an interstate exit anywhere in between exits {_} and {_}.”

Then I had the notes about the type of car I’d be driving, the hours I made my commute, etc. It was several short phrases that I would repeatedly be typing but instead could just copy and paste.

When it came time to list and update items, I used designated time frames. Each day on my lunch break or at night just before Stacy and I sat down for our relaxation time, I’d jump on Facebook and put up any new listings or renew any that I hadn’t touched yet that day. With the exception of Fridays when I knew I wouldn’t be making a commute over the weekend, I did this religiously. It almost always prompted some interest and it became routine during the #clutterclearout.

Take good photos and write good descriptions

Depending on what you’re selling, decent photos will make or break the sale. Don’t be “that person” who posts some blurry, terrible photo and tells you nothing about what is for sale. Just don’t, okay?! Stacy usually took photos with her phone, but did so in good light and with some detail shots. She’d email/text/message them to me and I could save them on the computer. I’m sure there are more efficient ways here, but since she is at home all day when the lighting is best, she could provide the best photos.

Know what you have…and price accordingly

It drives me nuts when someone won’t price an item or prices it in such a way it will never sell. If you have something to sell, who will know better how to price it than you? You know what you have in it and how much you’re willing to accept for it to go away. If you really want to sell it, you should know what it is and price it reasonably so it will sell.

Remember your goal

Your goal is to get rid of the stuff, right? This gets back to my previous point a bit, but it bears repeating – remember your goal is to get rid of the stuff and price accordingly. This doesn’t mean you have to give it away, but don’t ask retail and expect to sell it. If you want clutter that sticks around forever, price your stuff at retail. However, if you want to pile up cash and clear out your piles of clutter, price it to sell.

Stay safe

There are horror stories of people getting mugged, kidnapped or murdered by meeting people to buy/sell items from classifieds. Most of that danger can be avoided…and should be! I never met someone in a private place. I always met people in mutually convenient and in very public places. Stacy always knew when/where I was meeting someone and had full access to my communications with them. If I wasn’t comfortable while I was talking to someone, I never arranged to meet them. I never felt as though I was doing anything less safe than going to the grocery store for a gallon of milk. Use common sense, be diligent and if you’re not comfortable with something, don’t do it.

Summary

I’m quite pleased with all the stuff that has simply gone away. It is amazing how much less space cash takes up vs. all that stuff and how much happier I am with cash instead of all that “junk.” I don’t regret getting rid of the stuff and I have talked to several buyers who have been quite pleased with their purchase. Everybody wins, right?

Have you had success using online classifieds? Why or why not?