Selling Your Stuff on Ebay

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

08 May 2008 11:13 AM

One thing that many thrifty people do is to sell their used items on Ebay. Not only do these people generally recoup the cost of their items and thereby reduce their budget, but they also can make a profit. This is a nice way to get paid to have your kids wear nice clothes, for example.

Some people make selling on Ebay a full time job, scouting out suppliers and then selling the goods. While I'll leave the heavy business selling strategies to the Home Biz blog, I do have a few tips for those of us who can use selling on Ebay to add to our frugal lifestyle, mainly by working with what we already have and have outgrown or no longer love.

What sells best on Ebay? Believe it or not, some of the things that are plentiful at yard sales and sometimes hard to sell there wind up taking off on Ebay. Children's clothing and toys do very well.

For clothing, make sure that it is in good to excellent condition. Brand names do the best, so when sorting through your kids clothing, pull out those brands that are popular, such as Gap, Baby Gap, Gymboree, Disney, Old Navy, Limited Too, etc. When shopping for clothing for your own kids, even second hand, keep these brands in mind. List the items in season. For example, after you clean out your children's winter clothes, wait until the following fall season to post them.

For toys, make sure that there are no recalls of any items and that all of the pieces are included. Classic toys, such as legos, sell very well, as do anything with a popular tie in. A Harry Potter version of monopoly may do better than a standard version, for example.

Sell items in lots when it makes sense, such as grouping five of the same sized onsies together, or a starter collection of Rescue Heros toys. Don't make your lot too large, or you might wind up not making as much money as you could.

Don't worry about paying for a lot of extra features for your auction, but do invest in a gallery photo, to show off your goods.

Happy selling!

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

Related Articles:

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The Best Things to Buy Used: Sports Equipment

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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elizabeth32 (166) 18 May 2008 10:38 PM

Ebay can provide some real bargins for buyers as well . I just bought four pairs of slightly used running shoes from an Ebay store that sells used athletic shoes for men , women , and children . The total cost , including shipping , was just over $31 . All are quality brand name shoes and are clean .

Mary Ann Romans (26886) 19 May 2008 03:43 AM

That is interesting. I wonder why the shoes end up slightly used. Thanks for sharing.