One of my goals for 2012 is to clean out our basement storage and have a spring yard sale. This past fall I have regularly been selling items on our local swap shop facebook page. Alot of these items have come from our basement storage, or things that have just been sitting around collecting dust! Most of the money I have earned from doing this has been put towards past and upcoming trips and vacations. Some of the money has also been donated to our church.
You're probably wondering why I don't just save everything for my yard sale in the spring. The main reason that I haven't saved everything for the sale is because I can put a higher price on the items through the swap shop and accept offers. Where at a yard sale I would more than likely be pricing the items to sell at a lower price to just get rid of them.
Some tips on selling...
1. Photographs are great!
People want to be able to see the item before they make an offer. And more often than not they are going to want to see a picture before they make a trip to see it in person. So take a picture of that unwanted item of yours because it's going to SELL SELL SELL!
2. Details, Details, Details!
The more details you give in describing your item the better. This cuts down on unwanted communication and having to respond to lots of emails/messages.
3. Set A Time Limit!
I will only hold items for a customer for 24 hours. If they can't pick up the item within that 24 hour time frame, I'm more than likely going to sell it to someone else. Unfortunately with Swap Shop selling you can run into "No Shows" or "Stop Communication" people.. In the past I had held items for people for several days and ended up dealing with a "No Show" type of person. NOT Cool! If you give the person a time frame of when they need to pick up the item, it will show you how badly they really want the item.
4. Be Willing To Make A Deal!
If someone is only wanting to purchase one item, I am less likely to lower the price a little for them. But, if they are wanting to purchase multiple items, I am more than happy to cut them a deal. The most I will take off (depending on how many items) has been $5 or less.
5. Meet In A Public Place!
Think Safety people! Most of the people you will come in contact with selling via swap shop will be strangers to you. So, always have that in your mind. Protect your family, protect yourself, and protect your home. Have the customer meet you in a public place - I find that Wal-Mart's parking lot is a great place to make swap shop exchanges.
Since August I have made $400+ from selling items on the swap shop. I would definitely suggest doing this on a regular basis to earn extra cash and to clear out the clutter!
