Everybody could use a little extra cash during the holiday season, whether they’re looking to make ends meet, get extra funds for buying gifts, or just want to line their wallets with some extra cash. It’s why people pick up seconds jobs, request overtime at work, and want to sell unneeded items from around the house.
If you are looking to sell your possessions in order to make more money, you have a few different options. You can sell directly to a business, like Amazon or a local second hand shop, host a yard sale, or sell online through eBay and Craigslist. This year though, Facebook has released another option for online selling in the form of the Facebook Marketplace. As a new platform, it’s sure to be popular this year, so here are some tips to ensure you make the most money.
Take Clean and Bright Photos
A visual representation of whatever you are selling is essential to actually selling it. Skipping out on a photo makes your post extremely unreliable, smell like a scam, and garner next to zero trust. Only slightly better is taking a stock/product photo off of a retail site to represent what your selling. It still makes people really wary that it might be a scam. Buyers want to see the product as clearly and accurately as possible.
Taking good photos isn’t terribly difficult, but does take some thought. Make sure there is plenty of light and take multiple shots from different angles. Snap photos that show every side of the item, and if there is a flaw, don’t purposely hide it. Give an accurate representation of what you’re selling. If it’s an electronic, include a photo of it on and working.
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Limit distractions in the photo as much as possible. Give it a simple backdrop and don’t have a cluttered photo. If you’re selling multiple parts or items, consider breaking them up into different photos. Having a single photo with a hundred DVDs is both imposing and an eyesore.
Have A Friendly Profile
One major advantage to Facebook over Craigslist is that it connects to your Facebook account. That way, buyers can look at who is selling specific items and have a better judgement if they can trust somebody.
Like any good salesman, your profile picture should be clean, well lit, and friendly. If you are going to complete your transaction face to face, you’ll want to look trustworthy and easy to identify.
People will also use your profile to determine if your a real person. If you’re smart though, you’ve limited how much information people can see. That means they’ll rely on your profile picture and whatever information they can gain to do so. That’s why you should have a good and accurate photo of you. Not of your kids or a flower. Of you, a smiling, trustworthy, human being.
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Writing A Detailed and Powerful Description
Tell people about what you are selling. Photos are great, but you can’t express emotions with them. A full description can tell why you’re selling the item, how it’s served you, and any special requirements you have in the sale.
A persuasive description should cover how the item improved your life and could improve theirs. If you are selling something like a couch, talk about how comfortable and easy to clean it is. If it’s a computer, talk about what it can do and perform. People should want your item even more after reading your description. Answer common questions people might have in the description so you have less people contacting you just to ask a question. That leaves you with more time to focus on people who are actually interesting.
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Start With A Reasonably High Price
Similar to Craigslist, people are going to haggle with you when it comes to price. Setting a low price only means they’ll try to haggle you down even more. Even if you have a price you are looking for, go a bit higher and let people haggle you down.
As you choose a price, you should consider a few things about what you are selling. This should include things like what you paid for it, what other places are charging for it used and new, if you’ve improved it in any way, and what type of flaws may lower its value.
You’ll also notice people listing an item’s price as one dollar and then telling potential buyers to give them their best offer. Most often, people will try to lowball in these offers. If you aren’t too concerned with getting money and looking to get rid of items, go for it. If you’re wanting to make as much money, don’t put a “OBO” in your post.
As you haggle with people, don’t be afraid to walk away or decline a counteroffer. Some buyers will try to save small amounts of money with haggling, but simply saying no will result in them caving. If you have multiple offers, don’t be afraid to haggle with multiple people in order to get the best price.
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Accepting Currency
People have different preferences when it comes to buying things online. The best, and safest, approach to selling in person is to get cash. But that isn’t always an option. Sometimes, you’ll need to handle digital currency. Credit cards and mobile payments are becoming more popular and some people only use them when buying stuff.
Facebook launches Marketplace to let you buy and sell items with nearby users
The safest of online/mobile payment methods in Paypal. Again, cash is always better, but if you can’t do that, use Paypal. It will help protect your funds and information and is much better than accepting things like checks or money orders.
