Whether you’ve had a good old clean out of the garage, want to get rid of unwanted gifts, or the kids are looking to sell some of their old toys to make some cash to buy new ones, the key to successfully selling your stuff is the same: you want to get in front of the biggest number of people ready to shop till they drop as possible.
It’s the same rule for those wanting to nab a bargain. Forget wasting time posting on numerous message boards and groups; you want to find the best choices all in one spot.
It’s all about knowing the best places to buy and where to sell. Here are the best tried-and-true ways to sell your stuff and buy new stuff.
Buy, swap and sell groups
Facebook buy swap and sell groups and Facebook Marketplace are hugely popular and with good reason. They have a large number of followers who all live in your area – great news if you don’t want to travel to the other side of town to pick up your purchases.
How they work is that members post a photo of the item, along with a description and price. Interested buyers post ‘sold’ in the comments and the happy customer who gets the goods are the first to respond. Items are often left on your doorstep for pickup, with the cash left in its place.
There are a lot of feel good vibes in BSS groups, which come from knowing you’re helping members of your own community.
A word of advice: when organising pick up, never post your address or phone number in the comments section. It’s best to check out the profile of the person you’re selling to, just to make sure they are a real person and that no one has had bad selling experiences with them in the past. Only then, give out your address to the person in a direct message.
Gumtree
Gumtree is the Australian version of eBay and is a great way to buy and sell items a bit more expensive than those you would see in a BSS group. Items are sorted into categories, including home and garden, cars and caravans, baby and children, sport and fitness, and clothing and jewellery.
With over seven million regular users, items listed on Gumtree are guaranteed to be seen by numerous shoppers. You’ll ask the buyer to come to your house to pick up goods and hand over the cash, but other times you may need to post the item. Same with buying.
Targeted groups
Sometimes the item you want to sell or buy is so unique, you may need to search out places where people who might be interested hangout. For example, you may wish to offload a school uniform your kids have outgrown, or you might be looking for a piece of farm equipment not found in the average suburban home. In these cases, it’s not so much the number of people who see your listing, it’s the right people.
Does your school have a Facebook page you can post your ad to? Is there an online forum dedicated to your area of interest?
One of the best things about buying from online groups is that even if you don’t see the item you’re looking for, often it’s just a case of asking and you shall receive! Simply posting, “Hey neighbours, does anyone have a dog kennel they’re wanting to sell?” will bring a surprising number of offers from people who haven’t even posted.