Selling loads of householed stuff, alternatives to ebay and craigslist
August 30, 2012 10:52 PM Subscribe
Selling stuff without using eBay or Craigslist: what are those app/photo driven services, or other alternatives?
I have a friend who has a lot of yard/estate sale types of home goods that they would like to sell online. I have used eBay and CL before, but they seem kind of skeevy these days. I know that I have seen ads for an app where you take a picture of something and it uploads into a marketplace -- what is that?
My searches seem to indicate that there might be several. The goal is to move a bunch of stuff over two weekends with minimal posting effort just to get things out of the house, all suggestions would be welcome. I used freecycle too, but for this we want to stick to actual sales to get things moving and not have to spend a lot of time trying to arrange pickups with flaky people.
I have a friend who has a lot of yard/estate sale types of home goods that they would like to sell online. I have used eBay and CL before, but they seem kind of skeevy these days. I know that I have seen ads for an app where you take a picture of something and it uploads into a marketplace -- what is that?
My searches seem to indicate that there might be several. The goal is to move a bunch of stuff over two weekends with minimal posting effort just to get things out of the house, all suggestions would be welcome. I used freecycle too, but for this we want to stick to actual sales to get things moving and not have to spend a lot of time trying to arrange pickups with flaky people.
Seconding alexei re app vs marketplace.
Given your location, i.e., Chicago suburb, you could always try The Reader (or your local newspaper). However, I suspect that craigslist is the best route to your goal. Skeeviness aside - CL seems to have a lock on the market these days.
posted by she's not there at 4:44 AM on August 31, 2012
Given your location, i.e., Chicago suburb, you could always try The Reader (or your local newspaper). However, I suspect that craigslist is the best route to your goal. Skeeviness aside - CL seems to have a lock on the market these days.
posted by she's not there at 4:44 AM on August 31, 2012
Best answer: Another alternative would be to use a service that sells items on eBay and takes a percentage. That way you get rid of the junk, but it's up for sale and they handle all the postings and customer interactions for you. Keep in mind, however, that many of these services don't pay you for a couple of weeks, or in the case of fine jewelry, a month or more (so that customers can get it appraised and decide if they want to keep it, such as an engagement ring). But, the upside is you get rid of the stuff! Then it's up to you whether or not you want to claim unsold items or let them donate them.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 6:00 AM on August 31, 2012
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 6:00 AM on August 31, 2012
I used freecycle too, but for this we want to stick to actual sales to get things moving and not have to spend a lot of time trying to arrange pickups with flaky people.
This is the primary problem with Craigslist, not skeeviness. In some sense, Freecycle might be the better option, as you can leave stuff outside and let people take it without interacting with them. On the other hand, people on Freecycle seem to ask excessively detailed questions about free crap and then flake on you, whereas Craigslist people seem less annoying.
(Since when is Craigslist skeevy? Assuming the Chicago suburbs assumption is right, there's really nothing skeevy about Craigslist there.)
posted by hoyland at 7:13 AM on August 31, 2012 [1 favorite]
This is the primary problem with Craigslist, not skeeviness. In some sense, Freecycle might be the better option, as you can leave stuff outside and let people take it without interacting with them. On the other hand, people on Freecycle seem to ask excessively detailed questions about free crap and then flake on you, whereas Craigslist people seem less annoying.
(Since when is Craigslist skeevy? Assuming the Chicago suburbs assumption is right, there's really nothing skeevy about Craigslist there.)
posted by hoyland at 7:13 AM on August 31, 2012 [1 favorite]
People on CL can be flaky, but you don't really have to make that your problem. Put up your ad, include pictures, set the price a bit lower than comparable items if you really want to move it. Say you'll be at such-and-such location between the hours of so-and-so, first come first served, cash only. Let people call with questions, but don't feel obligated to hold items for people who may or may not be coming later. If someone flakes out, it's their loss. If your stuff doesn't sell, your price is too high.
There are other marketplaces and other apps to access them, but no one's got the saturation that Craigslist does right now, so unless you're selling some specialty niche stuff, you want the big general CL market.
posted by echo target at 8:05 AM on August 31, 2012
There are other marketplaces and other apps to access them, but no one's got the saturation that Craigslist does right now, so unless you're selling some specialty niche stuff, you want the big general CL market.
posted by echo target at 8:05 AM on August 31, 2012
I don't know if these exist in the US, but here we have sites like MusicMagpie.com where you scan in barcodes and they give you a price for CDs/games - is that what you're thinking of? The return is poor, but if you want to just get rid of stuff it's one way to do it and doesn't involve listing used CDs on eBay.
posted by mippy at 8:59 AM on August 31, 2012
posted by mippy at 8:59 AM on August 31, 2012
If you dont want to arrange pickup, then you will have to box and ship items.
Craigslist is the best for local listings and to sell things ASAP. Have buyers come to you.
posted by wongcorgi at 10:26 AM on August 31, 2012
Craigslist is the best for local listings and to sell things ASAP. Have buyers come to you.
posted by wongcorgi at 10:26 AM on August 31, 2012
Response by poster: Thanks everyone, it looks like we will first look for one of the eBay services -- we don't need the money fast, just the closet space.
FWIW the sale will be in Brooklyn, I live in two worlds.
posted by cgk at 8:58 AM on September 1, 2012
FWIW the sale will be in Brooklyn, I live in two worlds.
posted by cgk at 8:58 AM on September 1, 2012
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posted by alexei at 1:30 AM on August 31, 2012