Do you have items you want to get rid of; but they are just too nice to give to thrift store or throw away? If you are like most people, the answer is, yes. A great option for offloading some of your slightly used stuff and making some extra $$$, as well as finding things on the cheap, is online yard sale pages. People have been having yard sales since the dawn of time, so naturally in today's world, yard sales have gone digital. Not familiar with online yard sales? Don't feel bad, neither was I, until a friend added me to a Facebook yard sale group about a month ago. Here is what I have found, so far.
What is an online yard sale?
Just as it sounds, online yard sales, are pages established to provide a common place for people (usually in your area) to sell, trade, give away, or look for items. Sites like 'Craig's List' have been doing this for along time, but these pages (in my opinion) are much easier to navigate and more specific to your surrounding area, not to mention the items you are buying/selling. It's a great way for getting rid of unwanted clothes, furniture, toys, ect, without having to drag 15 years worth of accumulated crap out in to your drive way(praying that people show up), just to drag 75% or more of that same crap back in to your house. I don't know about you, but I am much to busy (lazy), to do all of that.
How to find them
You have heard of Google, right? Just kidding. Finding the exact site you need can be tricky, especially if you are looking to just deal with people in your area. I find dealing locally, is much easier than waiting for packages or mailing them out. Another benefit of going local, is you get to see what you are getting up close, before you buy it. Sometimes pictures can be deceiving. Also, these pages can be pretty specific, so you want to make sure you are posting (what you are buying/selling/giving away) on an appropriate site. Someone looking for free baby clothes, most likely won't find what they're looking for on a site where people are selling their Coach collection. Usually, once you find a page that suits your needs, people will post links to other pages that might interest you. Asking other people in the group for recommendations helps, too. Or, if you can't find a group that suits you, starting your own is always an option.
Tips for having a successful experience
1)Follow the rules- Each page has it's own set of rules carefully laid out by the person who created it. Most of these "rules" are what most people would call common sense: be respectful, no name calling..., but there are also page specific rules, such as what items are allowed to be sold, price limits, how long you have to hold an item if someone is interested and so on. It would be in your best interest to read each pages rules so what you're posting doesn't get taken down, or even worse, you get booted from the group
2) Take Pictures of what you are selling- Most people want to see what they are buying before they agree to spend their hard earned money on it. A lot of people I have talked to said they don't even bother looking into buying items that don't have pics.
3) Post your items to appropriate sites- If you are posting a $2000 designer wedding dress to a site called, 'Super Broke Parents Trading Kids Clothes', you are just wasting everybody's time.
4) Price reasonably- For example, don't post a sweater bought at Walmart for $15 and expect to turn around and sell it for $15+. First of all, that's kind of greedy and secondly, people most likely won't buy it.
5) First person to inquire on an item gets dibs, NO MATTER WHAT- It's just common courtesy. If you post an item and someone responds, they are entitled to that item first; even if someone offers you double your asking price. Most pages have a 24 to 72 hr hold rule. If the first responder is no longer interested, the item then goes to the second person to respond. Leave the bidding wars to e-bay. Again, pretty common sense stuff, but you'd be surprised.
6) Take down sold items- This way people won't waste their time contacting you for something that is no longer available. Also, it clears the feed for items other people are selling, trading and giving away.
7) Make an album- By making an album you condense the pictures into one spot and also makes for a better viewing experience.
8) Don't buy things just to turn around and try to sell them on digital yard sale sites - I'm not saying there isn't a market for selling stuff that way, there definitely is, just not on yard sale pages. Think of it this way: you wouldn't go to a yard sale and see a bunch of brand new items with the original price tags, would you? No, it would be shady. That brings me to, last but not least...
9) Use your head- I know I have already brought up common sense, but just in case.... here it is again. When meeting people, especially for the first time, make sure you are in a well lit, public place. Also, if the items you are buying/selling are valuable and or expensive, be sure to bring someone along (cliche' alert). Your better off safe than sorry.
So, if you are interested in making a few dollars and clearing some clutter, give a digital yard sale a try. They are also a great way to recycle. I have already given a bag of clothes to a needy family, bought a $100 rabbit cage for $35 and got my daughter's fall wardrobe for $15, and that's just within the last month!
If you have any other helpful tips please feel free to share in the comments below.
What is an online yard sale?
Just as it sounds, online yard sales, are pages established to provide a common place for people (usually in your area) to sell, trade, give away, or look for items. Sites like 'Craig's List' have been doing this for along time, but these pages (in my opinion) are much easier to navigate and more specific to your surrounding area, not to mention the items you are buying/selling. It's a great way for getting rid of unwanted clothes, furniture, toys, ect, without having to drag 15 years worth of accumulated crap out in to your drive way(praying that people show up), just to drag 75% or more of that same crap back in to your house. I don't know about you, but I am much to busy (lazy), to do all of that.
How to find them
You have heard of Google, right? Just kidding. Finding the exact site you need can be tricky, especially if you are looking to just deal with people in your area. I find dealing locally, is much easier than waiting for packages or mailing them out. Another benefit of going local, is you get to see what you are getting up close, before you buy it. Sometimes pictures can be deceiving. Also, these pages can be pretty specific, so you want to make sure you are posting (what you are buying/selling/giving away) on an appropriate site. Someone looking for free baby clothes, most likely won't find what they're looking for on a site where people are selling their Coach collection. Usually, once you find a page that suits your needs, people will post links to other pages that might interest you. Asking other people in the group for recommendations helps, too. Or, if you can't find a group that suits you, starting your own is always an option.
Tips for having a successful experience
1)Follow the rules- Each page has it's own set of rules carefully laid out by the person who created it. Most of these "rules" are what most people would call common sense: be respectful, no name calling..., but there are also page specific rules, such as what items are allowed to be sold, price limits, how long you have to hold an item if someone is interested and so on. It would be in your best interest to read each pages rules so what you're posting doesn't get taken down, or even worse, you get booted from the group
2) Take Pictures of what you are selling- Most people want to see what they are buying before they agree to spend their hard earned money on it. A lot of people I have talked to said they don't even bother looking into buying items that don't have pics.
3) Post your items to appropriate sites- If you are posting a $2000 designer wedding dress to a site called, 'Super Broke Parents Trading Kids Clothes', you are just wasting everybody's time.
4) Price reasonably- For example, don't post a sweater bought at Walmart for $15 and expect to turn around and sell it for $15+. First of all, that's kind of greedy and secondly, people most likely won't buy it.
5) First person to inquire on an item gets dibs, NO MATTER WHAT- It's just common courtesy. If you post an item and someone responds, they are entitled to that item first; even if someone offers you double your asking price. Most pages have a 24 to 72 hr hold rule. If the first responder is no longer interested, the item then goes to the second person to respond. Leave the bidding wars to e-bay. Again, pretty common sense stuff, but you'd be surprised.
6) Take down sold items- This way people won't waste their time contacting you for something that is no longer available. Also, it clears the feed for items other people are selling, trading and giving away.
7) Make an album- By making an album you condense the pictures into one spot and also makes for a better viewing experience.
8) Don't buy things just to turn around and try to sell them on digital yard sale sites - I'm not saying there isn't a market for selling stuff that way, there definitely is, just not on yard sale pages. Think of it this way: you wouldn't go to a yard sale and see a bunch of brand new items with the original price tags, would you? No, it would be shady. That brings me to, last but not least...
9) Use your head- I know I have already brought up common sense, but just in case.... here it is again. When meeting people, especially for the first time, make sure you are in a well lit, public place. Also, if the items you are buying/selling are valuable and or expensive, be sure to bring someone along (cliche' alert). Your better off safe than sorry.
So, if you are interested in making a few dollars and clearing some clutter, give a digital yard sale a try. They are also a great way to recycle. I have already given a bag of clothes to a needy family, bought a $100 rabbit cage for $35 and got my daughter's fall wardrobe for $15, and that's just within the last month!
If you have any other helpful tips please feel free to share in the comments below.
