Retirement living gives us the time to explore new hobbies, and the internet has even become a hobby for many people. Whether you enjoy the tranquility of Glenholt Park, Devon or the Lancashire coastline of Willowgrove why not turn this hobby into something that brings in extra cash? Maybe you’re a resident at Orton Grange in Cumbria and picked up a bargain at a local antiques fair that you could make a profit on? All you need is your laptop and a little bit of patience and you’ll be selling online in no time!
Most of us are used to buying online nowadays, but many of us may not realise just how easy it is to sell online now too and Ebay has provided millions of people the chance to generate extra cash by selling off unwanted items. Maybe you have a love of old records, or antiques, or something more unusual like teddy bears – but whatever it is you can put this knowledge to good use if you think about starting to sell on Ebay.
The problem for some first time sellers is wondering how to start and navigate a site like Ebay and some can be put off before giving themselves a chance. The fact is its actually quite straight forward once you get started and like many things its the getting started that’s the hardest part!
And once you make your first sale on Ebay the feeling can be a real buzz! You don’t have to make a big sale to get the satisfaction, selling smaller items can be just as rewarding. Once you have one or two sales under your belt, you’ll be surprised how quickly the confidence comes to sell more valuable items and make even bigger sales.
So how do you start?
When we make the move to Park Home living downsizing is often a part of the process, and its a natural time to rid ourselves of those unwanted items. But we can still find ourselves with valuables that we just don’t know what to do with. The first thing to remember is NOT to rush in and try to sell that precious family heirloom with your first sale! Ebay is all based on trust – buyers purchase from sellers based on good reviews from other customers. If you place an ad for a high value item without reviews you stand a good chance of not getting the best market price, something you obviously want to avoid! So its best that you don’t try to sell something of high value in the beginning, not until you build some experience selling lower value items and to get some positive feedback from your sales.
Whatever you’re selling you must still remember that whatever it is people still have to want it! Maybe you’re a resident at West Bay Park Homes in Somerset and your loving cross bred Lhatese is tired of her reflective dog coat – someone somewhere may be looking for that very thing! A good way to see if there’s any demand for your unwanted item is to search for the exact same description before listing your own – see what others are selling theirs for, what condition the items are in, etc, and this will give you a starting point (and some good tips on how to list it too).
So your first goal should be to sell something and get positive feedback. Without positive feedback you will not attract more buyers down the line!
The first time you list an item there might seem to be a lot options to choose from when selling, such as duration of auction, starting price etc – don’t be put off by this! Its important that you look at each one in turn to make sure you give yourself the best chance to sell successfully. Just take your time and go through it methodically, and it doesn’t take as long as you might think it would.
“Show me the money”
Its important to remember there’s a fee for selling your item – a listing fee and a commission. These cost calculations can seem a bit complicated but all you need to know is that it generally works out at around 15% of your final selling price.
The easiest and most common way that people conduct business with on Ebay is via Paypal, the online banking service which allows you to make and receive payments at the click of a button. Despite concerns some might have about security ono the internet, Paypal is perhaps one the safest and trusted means of doing business online and once you’re set up it allows for people from anywhere to make direct and instant payment (usually showing up within minutes) into your Paypal account. From there it is just a matter of withdrawing from your Paypal account into your bank account which again is the click of a button.
To set up a Paypal account you will need to have your bank details to hand, and Paypal will send a tiny transaction into your bank (pennies) to activate the link. This initial process can take a day or two so take this into consideration before you begin selling on Ebay.
And one more thing – remember to have fun! Part of the satisfaction of selling online is becoming more confident with the process and figuring out what word best for you, and there are hundreds of YouTube videos to help you out if you get stuck too.