Are you looking to get some extra cash and get rid of unwanted clutter? The best and easiest way to just that is to sell online. Gone are the days of complicated and expensive newspaper ads or trips to the local car boot sale.
There are now hundreds of online platforms where you can sell your products or resell items. We handpicked the best five platforms for you.
In order to succeed, online selling sites must be trustworthy and familiar to buyers. Given the choice, customers will always pick websites they already know and like. That’s why popularity is one of the critical factors when choosing the best place to sell online.
eBay
Founded in 1995, eBay has a huge market of more than 24 million users today.
Pros: There is no doubt that eBay’s marketplace is one of the biggest in the business. Due to the open platform nature of the site, it is possible to sell almost anything anywhere in the world.
Cons: eBay is an extremely competitive platform. With so many different sellers, making sales can be challenging. Moreover, it takes 10% from your earnings, which can make a huge difference to your profits when you’re just starting out.
Amazon
Since its launch in 1994, Amazon has become the dominant player in the online shopping industry, 1,600,000 packages shipped a day!
Pros: Selling through Amazon, despite being a third-party platform, gives your product an instant stamp of approval and trustworthiness that can be difficult to achieve independently. To the user, the product listings make it look as if all goods are being sold by Amazon. The shopping experience is more traditional, without the auctions-setup of eBay.
Cons: You’ll have to pay a monthly listing fee if you sell in high quantities, Amazon takes a cut of your profits. It can also be quite technical for retailers to sell on Amazon due to heavy product-specific requirements.
Etsy
It is worth noting that Etsy was founded in 2005, which as of this writing makes it 13 years old. As of 2014, they accumulated an impressive 19.8 million active buyers.
Pros: Etsy is a great platform for selling niche products that appeal to customers interested in vintage, quirky or hand-made items. Etsy is a haven for the creative-minded and the platform allows you to personalise your listings more.
Cons: Like on Amazon and eBay, you have to give away some of your profits in their listing and final sale fees.
The Facebook community is one of the largest in the world, as you might imagine. Globally, Facebook is used by over 2.20 billion users every month offering a huge potential reach.
Pros: This platform is very effective when it comes to reaching a local community since you can post your ad in local groups. It doesn’t charge for listings and the default setting is for members of the local community to see products first.
Cons: There is no protection for buyers or sellers on Facebook Marketplace, and you are expected to do most of the work yourself.
Gumtree
Gumtree has become one of the largest websites in the UK, selling all kinds of everyday items and even larger-scale goods including vehicles and properties. It was first launched over 20 years ago in 2000.
It’s perfect for buyers to hunt out a bargain, so upload your items for free and gain some extra cash on the side. Experienced sellers can pay a little extra to increase the visibility of their advertised item to potential buyers – this can range from £5.40 to £7.49.
Pros: The platform offers an entirely free option to use and it’s easy to place an ad.
Cons: There are many scammers on the platform
Do you need a safe and secure location to store your sold goods that are due to be collected? Just get in touch and we will find the optimal solution for your storage requirements. We wish you all the best with your next online sale.
