How to sell used things on the Internet so that they can be bought

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Find out how to create an effective ad and exchange goods for money safely.

1. Prepare the item for sale

To begin with, take a critical look at the things that you find unnecessary and want to sell: are they all worth the effort ahead? For example, it is better to send a worn-out T-shirt that you bought for 300 rubles to the rags right away.

Put things for sale in a marketable condition. Wash your clothes, check the integrity of the seams and the presence of buttons, eliminate any shortcomings. Wash your shoes, clean the sole. For equipment, collect all the components and, if any, the box. Your product should look as attractive as possible.

2. Take photos

The buyer will evaluate your item from the photo, so you need to make them of high quality. You definitely need:

• Bright light - ideally studio light, but daylight without direct sunlight is fine. In the dim light of a light bulb, everything will look worse than it actually is. Make sure there are no unnecessary shadows in the picture.
• Neutral background. If the item is small, make a solid-colored backdrop from scrap materials, for example, using the back of a roll of wallpaper or fabric with a smooth texture (do not forget to iron it). If the thing is large, at least remove unnecessary objects from the frame, choose a place where there are no colorful carpets, wallpaper, and the background is sufficiently contrasting and does not merge with the thing.

Take pictures of the product from all sides. Close-ups of the flaws to show the degree of wear - honesty is the best strategy here, because the buyer will notice the flaws anyway. If there are labels on things, you still have labels or warranty cards, take pictures of them too. Additional information will not be superfluous and will help the buyer make a decision faster.

Turn on the equipment to confirm its performance, lay out cords, headphones and other accessories nearby. Be sure to iron your clothes before shooting. Think about how it is more profitable to submit it. Perhaps you should put it on yourself, make a set with suitable things. This will help the customer understand how the garment can be worn, which will increase interest.

When showing imagination, be careful. For example, you think that a photo of a baby carriage will be more attractive if you put a cat in it. But while some buyers will be touched, others will consider it unsanitary. Consider a neutral toy option.

Photos with horizontal orientation will look the most advantageous, since most sites with ads are designed specifically for such images, although they post vertical ones.

If you have photos from the site where you bought the product, you can add them, but you should not be limited to them. Potential buyers want to see how the item looks now. In addition, a photo that is too professional can scare off the client, as he will get the feeling that the ad was published by a commercial organization.

3. Write your ad

Come up with a short and succinct title

Focus on the site. On the sites of private ads, the user receives a list of products on the search page with no description, only titles. Therefore, it is important for you to indicate in it the most important information that will interest a potential buyer and show your product from the advantageous side. For example, you can specify benefits such as complete equipment or perfect condition.

Don't waste signs on words like "sell", "cheap", "inexpensive".

Firstly, the user sees the price, and secondly, sites usually prohibit specifying contact information and cost characteristics in the title.

If you are posting an ad on social media, the headline will be the first line of your post, but you need to add the word “sell” to it. So people will understand that you did not come to boast.

Write an informative description

Think in terms of the benefits that the product provides. For example, if you are selling a child car seat, find information about its safety in reputable sources, and in the advertisement for the sale of the sofa, mention that it is soft and comfortable.

If the buyer is not looking for a specific product model known to him, he is not familiar with the functionality of your item, describe it in more detail. For example, indicate that the fitness tracker is waterproof, shows steps taken, time, Facebook message notifications, and tracks your heart rate in the background.

They come for used things in the hope of buying a good product at an affordable price - these factors are enough for success. An exception is the sale of antiques.

At the end of the announcement, describe the defects, if any, but without undue zeal, just indicate their presence. To exclude the flight of buyers' imagination, attach a photo.

If you are selling a broken or outdated gadget, mentally disassemble it into components and create an ad for each of them. It is possible that in parts it will be sold faster.

Decide on the price

When selling a used item, it is not very important how much you bought it for. More important is how much competitors are selling for analogs. Study the market and determine how much you are willing to sell the product for. If you set the market average price, and your item is objectively in good condition, it will sell quickly. For those willing to wait, the price can be increased.

Indicate this if you are willing to bargain. But keep in mind that they will most likely do it with you.

Specify delivery terms

Write if you are ready to send the item by mail or courier, who will pay for these services - you or the buyer.

4. Observe safety rules

Use a second sim card

Get a separate phone number for submitting ads: such sites are actively used by scammers. Here are some common scenarios:

1. Attackers find out your number and use it for standard calls, allegedly from a bank. They say that your card is blocked, and they try in every possible way to get its three-digit code located on the back, or a password to enter the mobile application.
2. The fraudster introduces himself as a buyer and says that he will now transfer the money to your card. For this, of course, he needs her full data or a code from an SMS.
3. The fraudster asks you to go to the ATM and link his phone number to your card in order to transfer money to you.

Even if you know all the divorce schemes as an alphabet and do not fall for them, unnecessary calls will be annoying and distracting. So an additional SIM card is a great way out.

Do not provide bank card details

This one logically follows from the previous paragraph: in order to transfer money to you for the goods, the client only needs to know the card number. He doesn't need to be told anything else, no matter how convincing the arguments he makes.

If you are told that the payment will come from the organization, and they need details, then they still do not include the information on the back of the card or the code from the SMS. And in this case, you must conclude a formal agreement.

Be careful about pickup

Be careful when inviting people to your place. Strangers will come to your apartment, and the result may be unpredictable. Robbers or gunners may come to see you. Therefore, it is better to meet with a customer in neutral places equipped with video surveillance - at metro stations, at ATMs, and so on. Otherwise, you run the risk of being left without goods and without money.

If the item is oversized, you can not give the address and meet with potential buyers in advance. This way you can assess if there is a danger. Notify loved ones in advance about the visit of clients, inform them of the contacts of the buyers. You can contact someone via video link so that he / she will follow you in real time while the clients are in the apartment. If something goes wrong, the observer will promptly call the police.

Eliminate the possibility of product substitution

Sometimes the buyer comes to look at the product, turns it over in his hands, and then refuses. As a result, instead of a genuine iPhone, the seller has a Chinese counterfeit for Android or an original, but broken. To avoid this, take photographs of data that identifies the device.

After a potential buyer returns the item to you, be sure to make sure you receive the same item as you gave it. And if they didn't do it right away or the goods were returned by mail, the photos will help you prove the case to the police.