Ebay vs NCT Sale vs Car boot vs ?

[LoisWilkerson]

I have bags and bags of baby clothes up to 3 years old - a full bin bag of vests, the same for sleep suits, tops, sleep bags etc etc. These are all from various shops - Next, Tesco, Mothercare, Mamas & Papas - with greatly varying value & condition.
In addition, I have moses baskets, tons of bedding, Widgeys, toys, pushchairs - heaps.

I'm at a complete loss as to how to off load this. Ebay sounds OK for the bigger items but not the smaller ones & I understand NCT takes a sizeable chunk of any profits. I don't know much about car boots - is this a good alternative? Any other ideas?

Ebay is a faff, but worth it for items you know will sell well (do a completed listings search).

Car boot is a good way to get rid of stuff, but it goes at rock bottom prices, plus you have to get up very early in the morning. I've done a few in my time, but there are easier ways to earn £100, tbh. And spring/summer is better for car boots anyway.

I'd try Gumtree in the first instance -- it's free to insert, plus you don't need to post stuff people pick up from you. Don't sell individual items though, sort it into decent-sized bundles.

What about the for sales on here? I'd be interested in any boys 12mo+ or girls 2y+

NCT take 30% so yes a sizeable amount but they are a charity and I mostly don't mind supporting them. They also deliver customers who are looking for baby / child stuff so you can get a reasonable price. Also I find it a good way to get rid of bulky items that I don't want the faff of posting.

I also ebay for labels and things I think will sell well.

I have never made anything but peanuts much at a carboot. I suggest:

1. Top Labels (Next) and very cute or BNWT other: Ebay
2. Mid-labels and excellent condition: NCT
3. Carboot or charity shop the rest, if you can be bothered.

Obviously I am biased... but I like the NCT sales. As a pp said you have a captive audience and you can set the price of your items unlike eBay... and no faffing with photographs & couriers.

Some branches do table top sales where you pay £20/£25 for a table and you man it to sell your stuff but others, like Richmond, do a shop style which is definitely much better for buying so the theory is you sell more stuff.

I sold at the last sale - a mix of clothes, toys & nursery stuff and I got rid of the lot.

With the nct sale the stuff must be in good nick and if you volunteer on the day the commission you pay is more like 20 or 25%.

We have a sale tomorrow and as a result of the feedback from the last sale we have more than triple the sellers compared with the sale we did in September. We had 300 buyers turn up then. Hopefully similar number tomorrow!

Contact your local NCT branch to see when there next sale is and how they do it. You can find your branch by going to www.nct.org.uk

I have sold at around 5 NCT sales. They are good for small toys, books and High Street Clothing. I have done one (large) car boot sale and NCT sales are definitely better for kid's items.

As already mentioned, really nice clothes or designer/good labels are better on eBay.

Large items are better sold individually - Gumtree, local paper £50 and under column, Tesco noticeboard etc.. If you can't shift them, then try an NCT sale or pickup only on eBay.

OK, thanks everyone. I think I'll take some time to sort everything between the various options you've given.