I love reselling my stuff almost as much as I love acquiring things online for a discount. In the recent years I have just be absolutely obsessed. I have just become active on Poshmark which has also triggered my closet cleanouts.
If you’re looking to do a closet clean out, revamp your home and get rid of old stuff or are looking for expensive pieces for a good price, here is my comprehensive guide to buying and selling online from what I’ve learned over the years.
The first time I ever purchased anything online was back in 2013 when I was thinking of taking the LSAT. At the time I didn’t have a lot of money and the books were expensive. I went on kijiji and was able to find some used books. Kijiji is not my favourite place to buy or sell online. It isn’t user friendly, not photo oriented and is full of sketch wastemans. A year later when I didn’t need the books anymore I was able to resell the books on kijiji. The selling experience was even worse. You get emails that are crypted in a weird way that makes it very difficult to distinguish your correspondence with one potential buyer from another.
Now we have facebook marketplace which is my favourite place to buy and sell home items like furniture or random things like a printer. I really like facebook marketplace because it is user friendly and safe. It is also photo oriented so it allows to to get a good view of what you are looking to buy and allows you to somewhat vet your buyer/seller.
SELLING
My top tips for selling are:
- take good photos. this is very very very important. A poor quality photo can tank a whole sale. When I am selling items online especially something like home decor or furniture, I like to style the piece so the buyer can easily envision the item in their home. It also helps scale the item. When I was in law school I created a lot of my decor with things from Dollarama. I purchased 6 square mirrors that were $2 each and arranged them in a grid formation on my living room wall over my futon. It looked great with my futon. I took a photo of the mirrors making sure my futon was in the frame and making sure I had great lighting and I got an offer on the mirrors for $20 (more than what I paid of course).
- take note of the item’s dimensions. I can’t tell you how annoying it is when I am asked about an item and I am not at home and I have to remember once I get home to take out my measuring tape to get the dimensions of the item. Noting this information before you post the item will save you a lot of time and grief. For things like bags and wallets that I post on Poshmark, I will usually include photos with my measuring tape laid out so the measurements are clear and visible.
- be honest about any flaws in the item. Nothing is worse than having a buyer attend your house to pick up the item (perhaps a bed frame or rug) and then notice a flaw that was not properly photographed and change their mind. It is a pain. Make sure your photos are accurate and any flaws or imperfections are clearly depicted.
- use online resources. If the item that you are listing is still available online (i.e. a shelf from Ikea), use this to your advantage, list your item according to the current price of a new piece and use the dimensions in the item details online instead of doing the measurements on your own. In addition, when making your listing use the actual name of the item, it is likely that if the person is looking for that specific piece they will type that name in instead of generic terms.
- always take a deposit if holding an item. If a buyer is really eager for a particular item, don’t just hold it for them (nothing is guaranteed), instead ask for a deposit. This will ensure the buyer is serious about their interest and will make you feel better about telling other potential buyers that it is reserved/being held for pick up.
- manage expectations. if you have something on hold for someone and get another offer, always let that other potential buyer know that you have an offer but will let them know if the arranged deal falls through. This helps maintain your reputation in the buying and selling community (if you care about ratings).
- vet your buyer as much as you can. I try to make sure the buyer isn’t a flake or is a real person (and not a scammer or a fraud). I look at the persons profile, look at the number of friends they have, their photos, you know – the usual indicators that the profile is active and legitimate. Know the signs of a scam early on. For example, when selling on an app like Poshmark where the app will take a portion of your sale, I never attempt to divert this process by responding to messages with the potential buyer’s private contact info as this can go south and is likely a scam.
BUYING
Top tips for buying online:
- if you really want something and want to secure the item, put down a deposit. This is really the only way to ensure that you are serious about an item. The internet is full of scammers.
- don’t be afraid to ask for photos. Be wary of posts where the seller will post the internet stock photos and no photos of the actual item. It is always a good idea to ask for more photos and voice your concerns (if you are worried something may be scuffed just be honest that way the seller can clarify).
- don’t be afraid to ask for a discount. A couple of years ago I sold a pair of Hunter rain boots online, the girl buying them was working at the hospital and she offered to me more than my ask if I would deliver the boots to her which I was happy to do at the time. Conversely, if you are willing to travel to a place more convenience for the seller, don’t be afraid to ask for a discount for travel.
- look at the sellers profile and ratings. Be sure there isn’t any weird concerns or red flags (a number of low ratings, profile seems sketchy or illegitimate).
I can go on and on about this but these are my top tips for buying and selling online primarily on facebook marketplace but these tips may also apply to apps like Poshmark. The two are very different. Perhaps I will make a more specific post in the future specifically about Poshmark as it is a very different animal and truthfully I am still getting the hang of it. Presently, I have been able to successfully sell some of my own bags and clothing and even purchase some things on Poshmark that I absolutely love (and even flipped a few things). Stay tuned for a more detailed post to come.