15 Jul 2021

Nothing like being trapped in your house to realise just how much clutter there is. Maybe you’ve got some clothes you haven’t worn in a couple years, some furniture you could do without, or maybe you’re thinking about getting a little side hustle going flipping some of your more valuable items. If you’re looking to raise a bit of cash selling your stuff, here’s some of our top tips to get it out the door for a good price:

Location, location, location

You wouldn’t put bad photos on your Tinder profile - and the same goes for stuff you wanna sell. The first thing you wanna take care of is clutter. Make sure you have as little stuff around your product as possible, so it stands out when people are scrolling through. For bonus marks, grab yourself a clean sheet or a tablecloth to get that profesh white background look.

The dosh is in the details

Take more photos than you think you need, and get the product from all angles. It’s also super important to take pics of any wear and tear it has as well - it may seem like you’re putting your stuff at a disadvantage, but you’re better off with them knowing now rather than wasting everyone’s time when they come over and they’re not happy with it. Give whatever your selling some TLC as well - a clean or an iron goes a long way in adding an extra few bucks’ value.

Light Up Your Life

Make sure you’ve got good lighting going. If you can, find somewhere in your house where you have soft, even light coming in - a bathroom can be a good shout for smaller things (but avoid a photo of your loo). If that’s a no-go, just before sunset can be great (it’s called the ‘magic hour’ in photography), so you get that nice diffused light going on. Another good shout is when it’s just lightly overcast outside. Basically you want to make sure you can see the details of the product without any harsh shadows.

 

Copy the pros when selling your clothes

If it’s a piece of clothing, a hanger just isn’t going to cut it. Think about what you look for when you’re shopping for clothes - you want to see how it wears, as well as what it looks like. Take a couple of pics from the neck down, with clothes that match, but don’t overpower or cover the item of clothing you’re trying to sell. As a bonus tip - find the product online from when you bought it and copy over all the sizing charts and measurements.

Give the people what they want

Usually people search by two things - categories and the listing title, so make sure they’re both filled out as best as they can. An example might be instead of just saying ‘Headphones’ you could say SONY MDR 7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphones (Still in box). That way you catch all the people looking for those things, and people are less likely to waste time asking you for all those details.

Biggest things to make sure you have are:

  • Brand
  • Model
  • Condition
  • Pick-Up or Postage

Be honest about the asking price

 

If you’re having a hard time setting the price, take a look around and see what similar products are going for. If you want them to pick it up, you’re going to have to knock off the price a bit more, because people generally are pretty lazy and you’ve gotta make it worth their time as well.

Also I’d say that even if something’s in mint condition, you’ll have to probably give a discount - bc if you don’t, why would someone buy it from you instead of just from the store where it could have a warranty?

There you have it - if you follow these super easy tips, you’ll stand head and shoulders above the competition. If you’re selling stuff to make a little extra cash, then make sure you’re putting that cash in the right places. We’ve made a whole guide on the A-Z of managing your money as a young’un called FinLit. Why not take a look?