To ask of your unexpected high value items on eBay

[ChristmasCrumpet]

So, DH and I are looking to raise several thousand in the next few months for an upcoming purchase.

I sell regularly on eBay, more as a hobby, and can make around £1k p/mth if I really try. Mainly clothes. Mine. Kids. Sometimes the odd toy. Everything sells for between £5 and £20 really. It all adds up, but it's high volume of low value items.

Something that recently surprised me, is that I listed a 7/8yr old BT router thing, and it sold for like £70. I was about to chuck it, and I don't know what made me think to see what they went for on eBay, but I couldn't believe it. Proper old plastic junk to me.

So, on the basis I'm trying to raise a chunk, fast... What items have you sold and been astonished they have reached that price.

Thank you x

If these items are yours, and bought for your own use not specifically to sell on, then i don't think there is any tax liability.
I was a perfume collector (just loved the vintage and niche stuff) and downsized my collection a few years ago, made a four figure sum. No tax due as I wasn't trading the items, i.e. it wasn't a business.

Watch bundles. Have sold several, a handful of digital watches with no battery, some what I suspect were counterfeit Tudor but hallmarked, these will go for up to hundreds of pounds. Recently sold an old filofax for £20. I now have nothing left to declutter but the rule was, get it on eBay, relist it until the the declutter was finished then it gets charity shopped.

Old 1990's PlayStation games and Nintendo DS games surprised me with how much they made on Ebay.

Oh, and the 1st edition adult cover Harry Potter books sold well. (Hence they were the later books so 1st edition just meant one of severel million produced for launch day).

That's interesting, I've got an old BT router that I was going to take to the dump, will try and EBay it

80’s toys
dh’s he-man and thunder cats action figures went for a ridiculous amount of money. Some of the figures went for £80-£90 each!

also Lego, one of his childhood pirate ships went for £400! It cost £80 new

I gave all my old transformers to my younger cousins, ten years ago. That was a mistake

Also, I am a qualified accountant (albeit not practicing anymore) so please don't worry about me not knowing what to account for, earnings wise.

Free to list so once you spot something that has no future in your home, get it on eBay. Get it in a box in the garage/utility/shed/under the stairs and after 2 weeks, fuck it off. As long as you get £2 for it and accurately charge your postage, you’re in profit. Granted it might not be by much but also, polar bears and shit. Reduces landfil etc.

@Worriedmum159 completely agree! I sell a lot of stuff on Vinted including low value items, but didn't think anyone would buy an old router even for £1!

Tbh, I’ve been amazed by the old shit that people will buy. I sold 3 recorders from my primary school “three blind mice” days (35 years ago!!) for £15. FIFTEEN BLOODY QUID

A 1970’s toy which was about five inches tall. I was going to throw it out but DH said it might sell for a few quid as it still had the original box, albeit a bit ripped.
It sold for £480! Apparently very few made.

Power cable and block for old PlayStation - £50 ish

Childrens lego models from 80’s and 90’s - they always kept the boxes and instructions and decided they only wanted the loose bricks etc for the grandchildren.
I got it all out of the attic, spent a few days following the instructions to put them back together the separated bits and got a few hundred for them on ebay

Also my 8 year old remoska from Lakeland. I’ve upgraded to an Airfryer so didn’t need it anymore. Was very surprised by the flurry of bids and sold it for £60

Posh empty candles and boxes. Had a bunch and got £70 for them.

Timer Tippee milk pods, the ones you pop the powder in and put inside the bottle. Ended up breast feeding. Popped them on eBay and they sold for £25. Could’ve bought 4 packs in Boots for that price and they were still readily available so no idea why!

A Frugi children’s fleece. It must have been a rare pattern as it sold for £75 used. The eventual buyer must have had buyers remorse as they doused the bits I hadn’t shown in the photos in beach and demanded a return. That was the last time I bothered with eBay.

A vintage 2 seater sofa which my cat pee'd on & we couldn't get rid of the smell (it was awful). I was very direct about it when I listed it @ it still sold for £250!

Old campervan, not a trendy vw
Had sat for ten years unused since clutch went
Obviously no Mot etc
Scrap guy phoned me up and offered £200 when I listed it and I said no I'd let it run
Sold for over £2k , pretty much what we paid when it actually drove.
Scrap guy phoned me back after and said he couldn't believe it !

Depends if op is buying stuff to sell (taxable after £1,000 per tax year) or just selling their own old stuff.

Eyes up DNephew’s pirate Lego ship I got him, think there’d be mutiny if I did sell it!

Everyone and his dog wants a camper van now. DM had an old Fiat one with the raised roof in the 80s and it rusted badly, she kind of wishes she has it now, or DB does.

I was asked to throw school reading books into a skip. Just out of curiosity I looked on Ebay and found Sheila McCullagh books were selling for £50.00 plus. We managed to raise over £1000 for school funds.

Yeah earning 1k a month does not count as a "hobby". You should really be paying tax

I got chatting to a bloke on a plane once who was a sparky but made an extra 5k a month by selling a random selection of old black and decker workbenches and skis, that he bought from the shop at the tip.

🙄 selling your own shite and tat is not “earning”. FFS, is it me or are more posters just spouting bollocks and pretending they know what they’re talking about.

Stuff that techie males are interested in sells well.