cash crisis - what do I need to know about selling on facebook/vinted, etc?

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Hi, we are going to need to boost our income for a few months, and I have stuff I can sell, but I never have, and I dont really know how. SOme things can be posted, and some, like pieces of furniture, will need to be collected by any buyer.

Please share with me the benefits of your experiences , what apps or other methods work well? what pitfalls won't I be expecting? how do you know to trust a buyer coming round to your house with a cheque book? anything at all, really.

Shall I use paypal? I am not even sure I know how! I have never used it before

Very grateful for any and all input, thank you

Vinted is good for selling clothes but don't expect to get a lot for each item. Buyer pays postage and you post via evri/Inpost/Royal Mail depending on your preference. You link your bank account and money is transferred to you by Vinted once complete.

Facebook is ok for selling toys and furniture on but a few time wasters. Accept cash only.

I haven't used eBay for ages. You get charged for using it. Link to PayPal

If there is a local Facebook group for your immediate neighbourhood and it allows selling posts then that can be a good place to sell.

The wider Facebook Marketplace is dodgy AF though, lots of scammers and people who aren’t even in the UK, people who will case you out for burglaries, etc. Best to avoid it.

eBay still works. If you set a fixed price listing with no expiry date it will stay up till someone buys it.

I'm finding Vinted quite easy, once id got used to where you post, did I need labels, how did I use my phone to post from the shop.

Normal rules of good customer service apply. I follow a vinted FB page and read some horror stories, but it hasn't happened to me. I find if I'm polite and treat people well, they are friendly enough back.

I armed myself with new postal bags too before I uploaded. Glad I did, sold 10 items of clothing the first day.

Upload is really easy from the app.

I find eBay with the phone app really easy.

Just make sure you put your postage on correctly and add 12% to cover fees.

If you don't want to risk auction put into the eBay search bar what you are selling, go to 'filter', scroll down until you see 'sold item' and click this. You can see what other similar items are selling for and this can be your 'buy it now' price.

This way people pay as they have to pay to check out. Things may sit a while but do sell.

I wait for eBay to offer there 70% off fees which they seem to do every 5 weeks at the moment. Then I put everything on at once.

In order to get the best price, take really good photos, and lots of them. Give as many details as you can - if you are selling clothes, include as many measurements as possible.

If you're selling large collection-only things on Ebay, Ebay will no longer let you set the listing to Cash On Collection only, but you can say that in the listing and refuse to accept PayPal - just refund it if someone pays by PayPal. (It's a good idea to sell large items cash on collection, as buyers can claim non-delivery if they have paid by PayPal, and get the money back after they have collected ... and Ebay always sides with buyers.)

It's much less faff to sell large collection-only items on Gumtree, but the disadvantage of that is that there are far fewer potential customers.

Shall I use paypal? I am not even sure I know how! I have never used it before

Yes. Sign up for it. It's easy. I've never had a problem with PayPal.

A while ago, Ebay decided that in order to sell with them, you had to link your bank account to Ebay. I wasn't happy with that, so I now use an old spare bank account that I wasn't doing much with as an account dedicated to Ebay.

Vinted is great for clothes. It has its own payment platform so no need for paypal. Buy 50 cheap mail bags from eBay and some document adhesive wallets and parcelling up is say as pie. Take three pictures: back front and label- plus any flaws. That way they can see the size etc and check listing is correct. The vinted guide prices are a little low sometimes so have look does your self. I Switch off Royal Mail as posting is a pain as the sizes are restrictive and Often end up Out of pocket. Need a printer for evri but not yodel.

Facebook is ok for furniture and big items. Cash only on collection. Don't give you full address out until they have set off : just give them the post code. Most people have enough connectivity to receive the door number en route!

I've only used ebay previously, but it does have a community forum- so you can ask all manner of questions if you get stuck, need help etc. My very 1st purchase on ebay about 100yrs ago, was a pair of tap shoes. When they arrived- had no actual taps on them! Apparently I should have checked that the 'taps' were included! 🙄

My top tip would be manage your expectations about how much money you can make. Even brand new with tags have to be massively discounted in my experience.

wow! loads of helpful advice , thank you so much, taking careful note!

I use eBay a lot, and really rate it. You do pay fees, but you also get a bigger audience for what you're selling, so you're like to get both a higher price and a buyer.

I don't sell much but in the past I've been really pleased with how well things sell on eBay. I sold a 6 year old ikea cabinet for almost what we paid for it. You can look what similar items are selling for before you post.

You can look what similar items are selling for before you post

That's a very good feature of Ebay. Do a search, then look down the left-hand side of the screen. You will find an option for "Completed Listings". Tick this, and refresh.

Ikea sells really well- especially kallax and malm. Especially f you don't have one locally.

Also state collection only on FB. Ignore the piss takers who will still ask " wil u deliver 4 £5 hun pls"

I sell quite frequently and successfully I hope this helps good luck!

Join all the local selling groups to you on Facebook - post items in all not just one group

Don't hold items - as sometimes people don't come then you've missed out on people who could have come

Cash only and specify correct change if possible

Don't give out your full address till the person is on their way as sometimes people don't come

After selling archive the message chat from that person so they can no longer see your profile

Vinted is good

EBay takes a chunk to sell

If you have electrical or cds or things like that you might be better using CeX or music magpie etc

Be happy to negotiate and have realistic pricing

Take good clear pics and reply to messages promptly - give enough descriptions measurements etc

Only accept cash

Be wary of scams - there are alot about

Try and upsell for example if someone is buying a book and you have asimilar they may not have noticed so . Soo I have this for sale also if your interested etc

If things don't sell or have interest lower price

Good luck xx

I wouldn't buy from anyone on FB who didn't give me their full address. I'd think they were a timewaster if they refused their house number until I'd set off. Never had anyone suggest this!

I would find that a bit creepy tbh

I sold loads of late aunt's items on local FB groups, I priced items low to sell fast, some people ask for silly amounts and never sell their stuff... the market place site attracted some scammers....Ebay is good but they do take a big chunk now and a paypal fee also so i dont bother if item is less than £12 etc...its not worth the hassle....make it clear in ads there is no free delivery on big items etc....people will ask you...You could hold a garage or garden sale, we did and it was well attended and shifted loads in one day and no car boot hassle etc.

thank you for all your replies

I’ve sold loads on vinted! It’s been much better for me than eBay and I’ve had a bit of fun with it too, I felt like I had a “shop” 😂 I took time over my photos and item descriptions and it appears to have paid off.

Oh and DH took a ton of electricals, CDs and DVDs to CEX - he didn’t actually think they’d take half of it but he only came back with one thing (old PSP that he couldn’t find the charger for!)

I’ve made £40 on Vinted since Sunday night. I listed lots of my 6 year old’s old clothes. It’s really easy! The money doesn’t come to you until 2 days after your buyer receives the item though

I buy stuff off fb marketplace and also don't bother with sellers who don't give their address. Some won't even give their postcode and try and give vague directions instead. I just want to check how long the journey is! One lady agreed a time and date, said she'd message the address then ignored messages, 2 hours later messaged 'so sorry didn't see my phone.' Complete time wasters.