Yesterday I shared the 10 best used things to sell online. Hopefully you took a look around your house and garage and found some things you’d like to try to get rid of—and make some money in the process! Now let’s look at where and how to sell used stuff online. I’ll share what to do to give your stuff the best chance of selling, and I’ll also share some important things to do to protect your safety and make sure you don’t get scammed.

How to Sell Used Stuff Online

Craiglist vs. Facebook Marketplace

Both Craiglist and Facebook Marketpace are options if you want to sell something local and not have to worry about shipping or postage. It’s simpler to post items on these sites then on sites like eBay or Amazon, and there is no cost or transaction fees since you typically handle cash offline. That said, this also means you carry all the risks of these transactions. There is no seller protection offered by either Facebook or Craiglist.

Craigslist has been around for more than 20 years, and it’s still a bustling site where people sell things. The best things to sell on Craiglist are large items like home appliances, cars, power tools, electronics, and furniture. These items are obviously very difficult to ship far away. In addition to cars, we’ve had success selling a dishwasher, an entertainment center, and a twin bed and frame on Craigslist.

Facebook Marketplace has a bit less risk involved as you can check out potential buyers by looking at their profile. Also, if you sell through a buy/sell group on Facebook, many of those groups have policies where you can report someone who breaks the rules of the group. This offers a bit more protection for you than Craiglist. Facebook is good place to sell larger items as well, but you may also have success selling “lots” or “bundles” of things like children’s clothes or toys.

eBay has been around for decades as well, and while it does still function as an auction site, there is also the option to sell the item at a set price without doing an auction. eBay is a good option for selling stuff with high value or that is in high supply. One of the downsides of eBay is that they keep up to 10% of the total cost of the transaction—so if you choose to sell on eBay over a local site, make sure you’re actually going to be making money off the sale.

While it may surprise you, it is not recommended to sell new or slightly used electronics on eBay. Their return policy means that scammers can buy the item, strip it of the worthwhile parts, then return it to you for a refund. Now you’ve earned no money and you can no longer get anything for the item.  If you have electronics to sell, take lots of pictures and describe everything in detail.  Or even better sell accessories or parts (like keyboards etc.)

Some things that do sell well on eBay are in-demand stuffed animals or plush and complete LEGO sets.

Read More→