Educate me on: selling on Craigslist/eBay/Amazon

[GanChan]

I'm moving to a smaller place and also putting money together for car downpayment, so I want to sell a few large items (sofa, chair, etc) as well as numerous smaller ones such as electronic components. I'll have to show the larger items in my apartment, so obviously Craigslist is the sensible local solution. But for the smaller stuff, would eBay make more sense? Or Amazon? I've never sold anything on either platform....What sort of fees can I expect to pay as an eBay seller?

I'm so new at this, I can't even wrap my head around the online tutorials. What's the least I need to know?

 

[Apple fanboy]

I'm moving to a smaller place and also putting money together for car downpayment, so I want to sell a few large items (sofa, chair, etc) as well as numerous smaller ones such as electronic components. I'll have to show the larger items in my apartment, so obviously Craigslist is the sensible local solution. But for the smaller stuff, would eBay make more sense? Or Amazon? I've never sold anything on either platform....What sort of fees can I expect to pay as an eBay seller?

I'm so new at this, I can't even wrap my head around the online tutorials. What's the least I need to know?

EBay often have free listing weekends when you can sell for free. The best advice I can give is be honest. EBay always side with the buyer in any dispute. Don't describe things as perfect if they aren't. Take lots of photos (even showing any defects).

 

[a.guillermo]

Amazon is good for selling media. eBay is for anything else. Trust me, I'm a pretty seasoned seller.

 

[Centaurr]

amazon: dont know, never sold there

ebay: not user friendly, could be prone to fraud, be ready for headaches from payPal

craigslist: when selling meet up at a police station or the parking lot of the station, high danger factor, prone to fraud

by the way... try 'Etsy' its very user friendly and you can do direct payment instead of payPal
ive sold on etsy, craigslist and ebay so i know.

 

[aaronvan]

Put your stuff on Craigslist and on eBay. For the big stuff on eBay, you can designate local-pickup only.

I conclude all transactions in the garage. Nobody enters my house.

Agreed with Centaur: if you're selling valuables arrange to meet the buyer in from of the local police station.

 

[imaccooper]

As others have said, Craigslist is good for larger items or things that would not be good to ship. I don't know that I would go all out and go the police station but I have met people at a local McDonalds or something like that. Common sense will obviously be your guide in those type of situations. And always makes sure you say cash only for Craigslist postings for obvious reasons. There are no fees involved with Craigslist so that is always nice. Be prepared to have people call/text/email you offering you less than what you advertise so it might be good to bump the price a little bit and be willing to take less.

For eBay, it is much more secure, but you still need to be careful. As mentioned above, be very honest in your description and take as many pictures as you can. I have never paid to post anything on eBay, just make sure not to use the paying options (mostly for people who use eBay selling for their business). You will be hit with a pretty decent sellers fee in the 9% range I believe (taken from the sale price). Unless you would like to, make sure to look at the return policy and tell it that you will not accept returns (or will accept them if you would like to) because that can sometimes be a headache. The buyer will pay with paypal and because you will be a new user it will probably take a few weeks (21 days I believe) for you to actually get the money because eBay will hold it.

Amazon is a good place to sell books and media items such as CD's, but I have only been a buyer so I can't comment on it as a seller.

Although you will be paying fees, I still prefer eBay for most things I sell just because I don't have to meet the person face to face and because I am selling to the whole country so I can typically get a better price out of people (sometimes Craigslist people will ask you if you will take like half off what you advertised for).

 

[senseless]

I rarely do local pickup sales on Ebay, since it's a national or international platform. I will allow the buyer to arrange their own pickup services like North American Van Lines, if it's a high value large item that I don't want to ship. Craigslist works well for local pickup, lower value items.

In general, people are looking for a bargain on CL. Your best bet for top price is with Ebay, but it's more complicated and there are commission charges.

 

[adk]

When selling furniture on Craigslist don't expect to get much for it unless it's a relatively new piece from a recognizable brand (room and board etc.). You'll also be best off explicitly stating that you won't deliver and whether or not you're willing to help somebody carry it to their vehicle.

When selling anything on Craigslist, your posting should ask for a phone number from any interested buyers to help screen out scammers. Don't reply to any emails that just say "Is this item still available?" because that's most likely a Nigerian.

If you opt to sell on Ebay the commission is 5-10% of the final sale price and then paypal takes an additional 3% from the payment.