The Best Way I've Found to Sell Stuff Quickly!
Sell Your Stuff
I Have Too Much Stuff!
We just moved into our first house from a two bedroom apartment. I could not believe how much STUFF we've accumulated in the five years we've been married. And we've only lived in that apartment for two and a half years. Even though we were in a fairly small apartment, all of that stuff doesn't fit in our new HOUSE. Pretty crazy.
I know there are a lot of people like us who just have too much stuff. I don't want to be a hoarder. I want to live a more simple life. Time to downsize.
My husband and I have tried eBay, Amazon, and Twitter, all with little avail. But I've found a way that has been working wonderfully!
I Would Say Garage Sale, But...
Garage Sales aren't ideal for me because they're a lot of work and you have to be among a lot of people. They're also all weekend long (my husband works weekends) and you have to get a permit. Then you have to make signs and buy balloons and hope it doesn't rain.
Then, once you've done all of that, you have to set up all kinds of tables and get everything out on the driveway or wherever you're going to put everything.
Ug.
But what if I told you you could have a garage sale at your leisure from inside your home?? When I found out about these, I jumped right in. Full disclosure: I've only actually sold two items, but I've had a lot of interest, and I JUST started.
Facebook.
Facebook Garage Sales!
It's targeted and it's local! There are people there who want to buy and sell stuff, and they're near you. You can get into even more targeted groups too! One of my garage sales is for moms! Perfect!
Facebook Garage Sale DON'Ts!
- If you don't hear from the first person who's interested, don't just give it to the second commenter. You have to give the first person a chance to respond! I think five days has been deemed the acceptable time frame.
- Don't be rude. Obviously. To anyone.
- Don't have buyers come to your place at night when you're alone. To avoid having people over all together, just suggest a parking lot of a big store near buy where you can MEET the buyer.
How to Get into Facebook Garage Sales & Sell Stuff!
1. Simply search "your town's name + garage sale". Or "your town's name + treasures" or similar.
2. Then search all the surrounding towns. Join as many of these groups as you need / want!
3. Take awesome pictures of your stuff. Make sure they're clear and well-lit.
4. Write great descriptions, especially ones that tell how used each item is. "Gently used" or "hardly used - no stains", etc are reassuring to possible buyers!
5. List smaller items together, especially if they're similar. List big items individually.
6. Use an app like PicSay to put your desired prices right on the photos. Don't price them too high; this is, after all, still a garage sale.
7. Write OBO (Or Best Offer) on everything! Learn all the acronyms (below).
8. Give a time table. "Looking to unload this in a week or so!"
9. Follow up with people who show interest in the comments. If they don't answer, LIKE their original interest comment. If they still don't answer, try PMing (Private Messaging) them.
10. Make sure someone is with you when the buyer comes to your place to pick up the item(s).
Collage of Items
Where Do You Sell Things?
Where have you had luck selling the items you don't need?
The Abbreviations You Need to Know
OBO - Or Best Offer
NIL - Next In Line
NIP - New In Package
NWT - New With Tags
ISO - In Search Of
P/U - Pick Up (Where the item is located.)
For all sites (not just garage sales):
DD / DS - Dear Daughter / Dear Son
DH / DW - Dear Husband / Dear Wife
LO - Little One
SO - Significant Other
Unexpected Things I've Sold
While we were at the apartment, my husband and I were in a big hurry to get everything out and over to the house. There were a bunch of things we didn't want to drag all the way to the new place, and so we fully intended on leaving them at the dumpster. But before we did, I told my husband that we should try to sell them.
1. Our Mini Fridge. We got $30 for it!! NICE!
2. Our Living Room Area Rug. $20!
We're also about to sell the old washer / dryer at our new house. $100 for the pair.
There are still a lot of things I have to photograph, price, and post, but I'll update this hub when and if I sell those things!
What about You?
Please tell me where you have had success selling your used or extra items! I would love to hear your stories and possibly even find more sites or ways to unload all of this excess. Thanks for reading!!
