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Spring Cleaning time is upon us, and as you’re weeding through the stuff that clearly just needs to be tossed, you’re sure to find some hidden gold that is in great condition… but not something you’re willing to keep. That’s where great sites like VarageSale come in, allowing you to sell your unwanted stuff, and make some pretty pennies in the process. Maybe you heard about VarageSale by reading my February Must-Do list, or maybe you’ve heard about it elsewhere, but either way, if you’re wanting to get started selling on VarageSale, Facebook, or other sites, here are some tips to get you started!

1. Join more than one community if there are several near you. Just like joining multiple communities will put you in touch with more things you might want to buy, joining multiple communities will also put you in touch with more potential buyers. I’m lucky enough to live minutes from two separate VarageSale communities, but just join ones that you’re willing to drive to (most communities will require you make arrangements to meet within that community’s limits– for example, one of my communities requires buyers and sellers be willing to meet in a central location within the county of purchase, unless you both live outside of it and agree to meet elsewhere. The other requires you be willing to meet within a specific town unless you have a destination that’s closer for both of you and/or otherwise agreed upon– in other words, you must be at least WILLING to make the drive).

2. Properly categorize your items. The categories are there for a reason (and they’re different in different communities, so be mindful of what you’re posting where!) so you want to be sure that you’re putting your items in the proper category so it’s easy for potential buyers to find them… I was wondering one day why no one was looking at some 18 month old clothing, until I realized I had categorized it as 12 month old clothing. Oops.

3. Take well-lit pictures showing the whole item. A window with natural light usually works just fine, but turn OFF your phone flash, which just makes weird shadows (it’s worst on clothing and upholstered or fabric items, where it can look like stains). If you don’t have enough natural light in your house, try a light designed for photography lighting. I personally like the Lowel EGO, but there are a lot of lower-priced options on sites like Amazon.

4. Watch your background. We’ve seen more than one site laughing about people who forgot to wear clothes and had reflective surfaces in the background, but even more than that, people are actually more likely to purchase if they can’t see a lot of clutter in the background. Don’t just pile it all up and snap away (even if you’ve just got more stuff you planned to sell in the background!) Find a nice, clean, sunny spot and snap your photos with a sparse background.

5. Be detailed in your listing, and don’t forget to be honest. Someone who knows upfront that there’s a small tear they may have to repair or a tiny bit of water damage is less likely to spread the word that you’re not a good seller. You’re better off being completely honest about things! Further, being descriptive is important because it helps people make an informed decision. In addition to specifying color and size (color can look different on different screens), also be sure to include if your items are coming from a smoke-free and/or pet-free home, as that could help people when making a decision.

6. Don’t be afraid to list items for free. Listing items for free can actually make your other items look a little more fairly priced. I often list lightly stained items my son has outgrown as great play clothes available for free. That said, don’t feel obligated to drive a long way to offload your free items– I usually specify in the listing that if I’m going to be in the area anyway, I’m happy to meet, but otherwise, the “buyer” of a free item will have to come to me to pick up. Sometimes, this even encourages them to purchase a paid item from you (and you can deliver the free one when you meet about the paid one!)

7. Read and follow the rules of the communities you’re in. If you’re in a lot of communities and get confused, be sure to read the rules as many times as it takes to keep them straight (I read a community’s rules each time before I post there).

8. Leave good seller feedback. This is just one of those golden rule kind of things– leaving good seller feedback can help others feel good when they purchase from a seller you’ve bought from, and when you do so, others who buy from you are more likely to leave positive seller feedback on your page, too, which means more people will trust buying from you. Always be sure to leave great seller feedback every time you buy something from a seller who was good, and say why they were good!

9. Keep an up-to-date profile. Mine lists where I’m from, and also lists what areas I travel to on a weekly basis. (I’ve had a few sales go through because people saw that I come to their area regularly and they were able to see that they wouldn’t need to come to me or make arrangements to meet in the middle). This is particularly a good thing to list if you work in a different town than you live in. You can simply say “I live in __(town)__ and work in __(town)__” so others have a better idea of where you’re willing to meet.

10. Go through and clean up your items periodically. If it hasn’t sold, consider lowering the price. If it has sold, make sure you remembered to change the tag to sold. Keeping your items cleaned up helps prevent confusion and makes sure you’re not getting item overload when you go to list new items.

11. Bump your items (the smart way)! Don’t be shy about using the bumps you have to bump items. If you’re bumping several items in the same category, consider spacing out your bumps– for example, one hour, I might use my bumps on ONE item of clothing, ONE home good, and ONE other item, then the next hour, I might bump a DIFFERENT item of clothing. Why? Because people are on the app at different times of day. If you bumped all of your baby clothing in the morning and didn’t save any to bump at night, then the expecting mom who only has time to be on VarageSale at night might have missed your post!

Mostly, just practice good karma on the site– be kind to others, be smart about what you’re selling, and make sure that you’re being a good seller AND a good buyer. Don’t forget the best practices for whenever you meet someone you don’t know online– always meet in a well-lit, busy, public place, and be sure to either take a friend with you and tell someone where you’ll be and what time you should arrive home, to make sure if something does go wrong, people know where to find you (When I go to meet someone that I’m buying from or selling an item to I always tell my mom where I’m going, when I’ll be home, a name and description of the car I’m supposed to meet, and I send her a selfie so she knows what I’m wearing… just in case, then I give her a call when I’m home so she knows that things went just fine!)

Some communities are now making a “safe point” to sell at! Check with your local law enforcement or your local VarageSale leaders to see if there is a safe spot they’re aware of. Some police stations allow you to meet in their parking lot as a safe space for making item swaps, which makes things a little bit safer overall when you’re meeting someone from Craigslist, VarageSale, or Facebook. It’s always better to be safe than sorry!

Looking for more ways tips as you spring clean? Check out these tips for cleaning before company arrives (great to double-check this list before Easter!), and these tips to find what you’re hoarding and get rid of it for good!

 

Have you had success selling your stuff online? Let me know about it in the comments below, and tell me any tips I may have missed!