How, Where and What to Sell

Selling items I am not using, renting out my space and buying things to resell have been great ways for me to make money.

In fact, when actively buying things to resell, I made over $10,000 in a month.

Below I share ways to sell things as well as space such as a room or your garage to help you make more money.

Disclosure – this post may contain affiliate links.

How to Sell What You Have

The easiest way for many people to get into selling things is by starting with what they have. Whether it’s items in your home or space, it’s less risky than buying things to resell.

1. Declutter

Go through your home and pull out everything you aren’t using or don’t need that is in decent condition.

Much of what we own isn’t used or needed and many of us have gone through a stage where we bought too much or were emotional spenders or similar so we have excess things.

Thoroughly check each thing you think you can sell for any damage to ensure it is in a condition that would be worth it to someone to buy.

2. Price Check

Check prices online to see if the items are worth listing and if they are selling.

For example, if I am listing on eBay I check the completed listings first to get an idea of the prices the items actually sold for.

Then I check current prices to see if there are similar ones selling.

Often the sold price and current selling price are slightly different with the sold price being more accurate.

The reason is that many do best offer or auction so while the price listed for sale is one, that isn’t necessarily the price it will sell for.

Both the sold and for sale prices will give you a good guide on what to price your items at.

3. Photographs

Clean whatever you plan to sell and take clear photos of every angle.

People want to know what they are buying and to be able to see how worn the items are or any damage etc.

Make sure they are presented as best as you possibly can. Clean up anything, fix anything and take the photos in good light.

Direct sunlight is too harsh. Photos are better in mid morning or later afternoon sun instead.

4. Descriptions

Write a thorough description including details such as size, brand, condition, location (if selling on Facebook) etc.

Do it with the understanding that many people don’t read descriptions and will likely ask you questions that are answered in the description.

When people do read them though, it can make a sale go super fast.

Doing it this way, I have sold things within minutes of listing them sometimes and they were easy transactions.

5. Postage

Offer combined postage plus state if the items come from a smoke-free and pet free home.

A few things like that can sometimes be the difference between a buyer choosing your listing over someone else.

Check postage rates and options so you don’t get stung with losing what you made from selling on postage.

Be aware, if you are listing it on eBay, they take a percentage of the postage fees you charge as well.

It works out to be about 25% of the total that you will be charged.

6. Good Customer Service

Be available to answer questions, update the listing if needed and promote it a little across your other networks.

Package neatly once it has been sold and paid for.

Never post before you have received payment.

Write a great review and put the money on debt or in savings.

All of these things increase your chance of good reviews and more sales.

Where To List Your Items For Sale

Knowing where to list can be difficult. I have sold on a variety of sites with various success.

Sometimes the item, location and season will determine where I sell and how successful a sale is.

Here are my suggestions.

1. Facebook

Facebook is my preferred method and there are numerous ways to list on Facebook. I’ll list them in order of my preference.

Niche Facebook Groups

Anything that has a specific brand e.g. rockabilly clothing or niche such as Nikon camera gear will have a buy/sell.swap Facebook group for it.

These are the best groups to sell your niche items as there is an audience there who wants those specific things.

Selling my clothing, camera gear, travel gear etc was easiest and fastest in niche groups.

Next is the local area buy sell swap niche groups. Look them up and join the ones relevant to your area.

Facebook Marketplace

It’s easy to list and when you do, you can select to immediately have the listing go live in Facebook groups too.

This means with 1 listing you can have it listed in multiple locations to reach more people without any extra effort.

Be sure to delete it when it has sold though.

Personal Profile

You can list on your personal profile by creating an album of what you have for sale.

The sales will generally be limited to friends and family or their connections provided the album is set to public.

However, on certain items, this was my preferred method.

2. eBay

eBay has become rather expensive compared to other listing options and not as successful as it was for me a few years ago.

It is great to be able to see if what I am selling will sell and for how much.

Depending on what I am selling, it can still be a good option, but it is not my first place to list anymore.

I will often list there as well as Facebook though.

3. Gumtree

I tend to get more enquiries on Gumtree than eBay and have had a 50% success rate but that is mainly for travel gear or furniture, not clothing.

It is faster and easier for me to list there than eBay, not to mention cheaper.

It is usually sold to locals so no postage or messing around either, meaning it is generally a faster transaction.

I do get more spam on here too though, especially with more expensive items.

I always deal in cash only, I never ship anywhere and don’t let them pay by PayPal then have a courier collect.

4. Classified Papers

Online trading papers/forums can sometimes be good, especially if it is a niche item or specific collectable however, this isn’t my preferred method.

If the item you have would appeal to older generations, this is often a good option.

5. Markets

Depending on what you are selling, markets and carboot sales could work.

There are niche markets that happen annually or a few times a year.

Along with weekly or monthly markets in many locations.

Find out the ones in your area, cost for having a stall, how many attend, how they market and if your items would be a fit.

6. Garage Sale

If you have a lot, you could have a garage sale.

While they are not as common as they used to be and people don’t seem to go as much, it can be easier than listing everything individually.

It takes a bit of time and can be hit-and-miss in terms of how much you make for the time involved.

I have made a few hundred at times doing this years ago but have not had one recently.

As few times include be prepared for people to come before and after the times you set.

Get everything ready the night before, and make sure it is clean and clearly priced.

Be ready early, have clear signage and advertise on community noticeboards, Facebook etc.

People often haggle and want discounts, so be prepared for that and know the minimum you are willing to take but always try to get closer to what you truly want.

Check out these tips for having a great garage sale.

7. Second Hand or Pawn Stores

You get virtually nothing for selling your items but they are fast in the sense that you take your items in, they give you an offer and if you accept it, you get paid instantly.

Personally, I avoid it as they have to make a profit themselves so offer you an extremely low amount/

However, the exception is places that allow you to do it on consignment and therefore you can make more.

Don’t pawn your stuff though, only sell it. Pawning it creates a terrible cycle of debt.

8. Email

Send an email to your friends and family listing what you have for sale and provide an album link with pictures and prices.

Only do this with people you know or feel might be interested in what you have.

I’ve been surprised at the results when I did this because I was moving house.

Friends sent the email to other friends of their or people they knew who needed stuff and a lot of my items were sold quickly to their friends.

9. Outsourcing The Sales

If you have a lot and don’t want to list it yourself, you can pay someone else a percentage or a flat fee to list your items for you.

Airtasker is a great place to outsource this. Write what you need done and how much you are offering then accept someone with experience to do it for you.

How To Sell Space

I mentioned listing space as an option to make money as well. Space can include a spare room, your garage or other storage.

Even caravans, trailers and similar on your property can be rented out.

It was easy to use sites such as Airbnb or Spacer to get people to rent what I had and because those sites had contracts, verified the person and included insurance.

Here are some tips and ways to sell space or rent out space.

1. Rent Out A Room

There are two ways you can rent out a room if you like.

The easier one is to have a boarder who rents the room long term.

Alternatively, you can rent it irregularly on sites such as Airbnb and Booking.com but there is more work involved with cleaning and you will have strangers instead of someone you get to know.

Another option is to the room out for photoshoots or filming to photographers, TV studios or any business that might want to use the space.

I’ve rented rooms to boarders, on Airbnb, for others to run classes and for photoshoots so there are a lot of options.

2. Rent Your Driveway

If you have space in your driveway you can rent it to people to store their caravan or boat.

Another option, if you are near offices or tourist attractions, is you could rent it as a car space for a regular price. This worked well in major cities for me.

Or if you have a caravan on your driveway, you can rent it out for people to use either to pick up and take elsewhere or as accommodation at your place.

Camplify, Airbnb and similar sites are great for that.

3. Rent Out Your Garage

Renting my garage was an easy way to make money in a few cities I lived.

Generally, people rented it for storage or because they had an extra car.

A guy in Melbourne needed somewhere to store his spare Mercedes so paid to use my parking spot as I didn’t have a car.

Another time, I rented the space to a seamstress who needed somewhere to store their fabrics and things away from their young kids.

Spacer was my favourite site to do this through but sometimes I did it privately with people I knew or friends of friends.

4. Convert Space to Rent out

If you have spare space, think about how you can convert it to rent out.

For example, a dining room might only need a wall added to separate it from the other areas to make it a rentable room.

An attic or basement might be able to be converted to a private space to rent out.

Get creative with your space, look for inspiration on Pinterest and YouTube then see what would work for you.

5. Garden Allotments

Rent allotments in your garden for others to grow things. This is less common but can work.

Some people do it where one person tends to the garden and they both reap the benefits of produce.

Others charge a fee.

6. Pool

The pool can be used for swimming lessons or rented to a swim instructor or personal trainer to run sessions.

Swimply is one way you can rent out your pool and it is easy to do.

7. Garden Space for Caravans etc

Similar to the driveway, rent the space for storing caravans and boats or rent the space for parking. or if you have a caravan, rent it out on Airbnb or Camplify.