Do you have baby gear you no longer use? Or are you thinking of upgrading your cell phone? The web is a great marketplace for secondhand items. You can sell that old stroller or gadget and use the money to buy something you really need. Here are some tips for finding customers and getting a good price for your things.
Take a good photo of your product
Shoot it at different angles, ideally in natural light so you won’t need flash (which can make the colors look dull, and your product look older than it really is). Make sure the background is plain and uncluttered. If it’s big, pick a wall or shoot it in the garden. If it’s small, place it on top of white paper. Read our tips on taking good product photos.
Enumerate product features and strengths
Give the exact product name and name the features and capabilities. You can also give a link to any product reviews. For example, your customers may not know that the phone you’re selling is known for having a good camera, or that stroller was awarded for safety features by a parenting magazine.
Price it right
Name the original retail price and then mark it down fairly, considering the years of use and its condition. Allot about 10 percent difference for bargaining, since most people will ask for a discount. You can also check how other resellers are pricing similar items; just google “secondhand (name of product)” to get an idea.
Give freebies
Throw in a couple of items that you also don’t need. For example, if you’re selling a stroller offer to give old stroller toys and baby books for free — your customer is probably interested in those too, if she’s shopping for her newborn.
Be clear about terms
Does the price include shipping? What payment modes are you comfortable with? Do you accept trades?
Go to related sites
While there are online classifieds you can go directly to your market, especially if you’re selling a very specialized item. Go to parenting sites to sell baby gear, or a photographers forum if you want to sell expensive lenses.