There’s plenty of talk about money-saving, but have you considered money-making? The internet is a great place to offload your goods and make some cash.
Brits are a nation of hoarders with almost £50 billion worth of items in lofts, sheds and spare rooms.
This clutter would fill the equivalent of 11 Wembley Stadiums, according to research by insurer LV=
But instead of binning your goods, you could make money from them. The advent of the internet has seen more of us turn to selling our goods online. And for very little effort, you could be quids in too.
eBay
eBay is the daddy of all the online auction sites. You can find anything and everything here, so as a seller you’re more than likely to find a buyer.
When starting out as a seller, it’s best to start off small by selling low-value items so you can establish good feedback from buyers. Good feedback means buyers are more likely to purchase from you when you go on to sell more expensive items.
Clothes and shoes are good items to start with. Take good pictures from all angles of the item you’re selling to allow buyers to really view the item.
It’s important to be accurate with your descriptions. If, say on a pair of shoes you’re selling, the soles are scuffed, say so. If an item of clothing you’ve put up for sale has a tear, state this. Buyers will not give you good feedback if they feel you’ve deceived them.
Pricing is important aswell. Use the site to research what items are selling for and price yours accordingly. If you think your item is worth more, use your description to explain why this is. If you have a pair of unworn designer shoes for sale, whereas others on the site are secondhand, make this clear so buyers know what they are getting.
Amazon
Amazon is best-known as an online book and music seller but are you aware of Amazon Marketplace? This is an area of the site where people like me and you can buy and sell new, used, collectable or refurbished items.
What’s more, the website displays new and used items on the same page. So thousands, if not millions of potential buyers can see your goods.
Amazon is a particularly good place to sell books and music as these are the items most shoppers visit the site looking for.
To get started, enter details of the item you’re selling on the site. If the product is already listed – and most books and CDs are are – an image of it comes up, so unlike eBay, there’s no need to upload pictures.
Enter a short description of the condition of your item and a suitable price. Again, it’s best to have a look on the site to see how much items similar to yours are selling for. Items are listed by condition. So a new copy may sell for a few pounds, whereas a “used - acceptable” may sell for just a penny.
But, as with eBay, it pays to list a few low-value items, even for a penny, so as to build good buyer feedback before going on to list more expensive stuff.
Branch out with your own site
If you have a particular skill, such as jewellery making or fashion designing for example, you may want to consider setting up your own site to sell your wares.
That’s what Claire Hill, 28, from Cardiff, did. A TV researcher by day, she hopes to make money from her sideline occupation as a jewellery maker.
“I make necklaces, earrings, bracelets, feather headpieces and clips and am just trying out making feather shoe clips.
“I started my website Clarissa Says this year. I also sell the jewellery through craft websites Folksy and Etsy and I use my website to direct people to those shops.
“I’d been going to markets and selling a little bit beforehand but the challenge this year is to make it official.
“I do make profits on the items that I sell, but as people then order new types of product I end up putting a lot back into the business to buy supplies.
“This year I am working to get that balance right and start making a bit more money with it.”
