When it come's to sorting through my wardrobe (floordrobe/chairdrobe/beddrobe) I like to think I'm pretty darn ruthless, if it doesn't make the cut - it's gone. Well... not so much. Admittedly clothing items do seem to move home to the hidden under-bed storage, where I can easily forget about them. Out of sight, out of mind after all. However should the occasion ever call for the a pair of horrendous bollywood-inspired flats (don't ask) I'm sorted. Don't pull that face, we are all guilty of it. But there are just some items I cannot bare to part with, either I paid a high price for them at the time or I really just did 'love' them on first sight.
This is where
Hannah and
Sophie made a startling entrance, armed with their addiction to eBay and top notch advice I was intrigued. For less than two Sundays work (plus a few disgruntled journeys to the post office) I have made just a little over £200 smackers for selling twenty three items I never intended in wearing in broad day-light again. No wonder Sophie is parading around with a new Mulberry and Hannah just came back from a weekend in Paris, could another girl's junk be another's treasure? Of course, armed with a few tips from the girl's - let me talk you through how to get to grips with
eBay.
What you will need:
- Jiffy bags, I bought a bag of 50 from
this seller for a reasonable price.
- Duct tape, from Wilkos for 60p!
- Sharpie.
- Labels - bits of A4 cut in quarters.
- Motivation. Lots of it.
1) First step, is cull. Be ruthless. Heck - get all SATC and get your girlfriends/mum/boyfriend to tell you what needs to go. If you haven't worn in the past year, it's likely you won't again. Why let it sit in the wardrobe when it can earn you a tidy little sum?
2) Set up an eBay account, its super quick, easy and simple to do. Even for the most anti-technology of us, eBay has good instructions and user guides available. Whilst you're there, download the eBay app - you'll thank me for this. Next up you need to setup your Paypal account - this is where your funds will be paid into. Completely safe, its a third party that allows you to transfer funds - again, super easy.
3) Now it's time to list those items, I went through each item writing a short blurb/description in Word first. Explain its condition (don't lie!) - have you simply worn it and washed it, but it happens to be in excellent collection? That's cool! Just note it down.
4) Talk about the material, colour, size, length - keep it brief but include the need-to-know. Give a reason to why you're selling, my main one was 'simply never got around to wearing' which
technically is the truth. I also threw in a little snappy 'would look fab in the summer paired with jeans and sandals' - it's all about the sale baby.
5) I then did some research into price, searching for similar items on eBay and understanding what's realistic. Don't sell your self short, but don't think your item will sell for megabucks either. eBay will charge you for listing an item (depending on the starting price mine was always 15p) or if you start the bid at 99p it's free. It's all down to guess work, if you really don't want to let that Zara blazer go for £2.49 then start at £5.00. However don't fool yourself with Primark items, 99p is the way to go!
6) Next up its judging a price for delivery charges, it can get quite confusing and you enter murky waters but this what I follow: I always send my parcels 2nd Class, recorded delivery (which basically means the parcel can be tracked online) for your peace of mind and the buyers. This is will come in form of a code which you can then tap into eBay for the buyer to see and provide proof of purchase. Most of my parcels delivery are charged at £3.15... however it's always best to advertise a delivery charge a little more expensive (for profit *wink* and to cover the cost of the jiffy bags & parcel tape etc). Here's a rough guide, but change to suit what you think is correct.
blouse/t-shirt - £3.25
jumper/cardigan - £3.50
skirts/dresses - £3.60
shoes - £3.80
7) Now its time to get snap-happy. Using a good quality camera to take item shots is the best option, the clearer the shot and attention to detail, the better! But snapping away on your iPhone is just as good, it boils down to whatever suits your preference. Make sure the item is photographed in natural daylight and the item is fully in shot. You can list one photo for free, and additional photos are charged at 15p - so again the clearer the first picture - the better.
8) Listing your items to eBay is one half of the lengthy process, but will be worth it when the pennies start rolling in. Simply add a catchy brief title, including the brand, description and size. Copy and paste your description from your word document, upload your photo and set your price, bobs your uncle you've done it! I always add the additional: pet/smoke free home (technically a fib but my mum can do wonders with a Dyson), no returns (too much faff) and UK sellers only (again, lets keep it simple).
9) The listing will last for a week, in the mean time you will notice each item will gain 'Watchers' these are people keeping tabs on your items, sussing out the bidding situation. Once someone bids on an item, they are instantly in a contracted position of buying the item when the listing ends.. or unless someone else outbids them. It can get pretty heated at the last minute and depending on the item, biding amounts can jumper from a penny to a few pounds.
10) Once someone has won the auction at the end of the listing, wait patiently to for the buyer to transfer the funds into your Paypal account, only then should you post their item. Simply bag up in a jiffy bag, pop in an invoice (a little polite note of thanks and how much was paid etc), pop an address label on the front and seal it with duct tape. I also always pop a little label on the back with a return address, just incase the parcel gets lost - your house number and post code will do.
Next up, is the mammoth task of detailing with the post office. Ruder than your doctor's surgery receptionists, the post office is an almightily chore. But once you get in a routine, it will soon be as easy as pie (and a right middle finger to that grumpy cow).
Finally, all you have to do is decide what to spend your profit on!
A few tips:
- If you are selling shoes, photograph with one sole facing the camera to show wear.
- If you are selling an item with intricate detail, it's probably best to add a close up shot.
- The best time to list is on a Sunday, as it will finish when more people are online/browsing.
- Download the app to keep track of whats happening whilst on the go! Warning - it gets addictive.
- I keep an list of whats happening during the process, simply ticking off when it's been sold, when i've received payment and when it's been posted. Organisation is the key.
- Every now and then eBay will offer free listing weekends, so if you have a lot to sell it may be worth waiting.
- I was selling a freebie Marc Jacobs t-shirt for 99p, when a buyer messaged me to say she would like to buy it right then for £30! You can revise the listing to add a 'Buy it now!' price to work around this.
- People go CRAZY for Topshop and Primark!
- If Tom, Dick and Harry wouldn't buy it, don't bother! Needless to say the mentioned above bollywood-esq pumps didn't sell.
I hope this post helped if you are planning on entering the world of eBay, should you have any tips be sure to share! Thats £200 popped in my Mulberry fund ;-)
