Do you like to sell stuff online? Or to be more accurate, do you love to sell stuff and make decent money in the process? The second question is crucial here, because selling does not necessarily mean you’ll make money. You gotta do things the right way if you want to make money selling online. This forum post will give you a bunch of selling tips, as well as my recommended selling sites. These sites are great alternatives to good old Craigslist. Read on if you’re looking to make money selling online!
How to Sell Stuff Online - And Make Money in the Process
Before I give you my list of sites like Craigslist, I think a little refresher on how to sell stuff online is in order. And remember, there’s more to selling than simply taking a few quick snaps of your product, throwing it online, and hoping it sells. You gotta be more proactive than that, and make sure your product listing is enticing. This is true no matter what site you plan to sell on. And it also matters even if you’re selling used items, or stuff you feel isn’t special. In fact, the more “regular” an item is, the more effort you have to exert to sell it. I firmly believe every product (okay, almost any product) has a buyer. You just need to know how to reach out to those people, and how to sell properly. Here are a few tips on how to do just that:
Write accurate descriptions
This one is a no-brainer, but it’s surprising how many people neglect to write accurate product descriptions… or write product descriptions at all. Most people know how to take decent photos. But simply writing “what you see is what you get” in the description won’t cut it. That’s not a description, it’s a disclaimer. And people will wonder what you’re hiding.
So make sure you list down everything there is to know about the product. If there are defects, list them down (and price accordingly). Buyers will prefer that to some badly-written description. Here’s another thing you should include: your location, shipping and meet-up information.
Give great customer service
It doesn’t matter if you’re selling an expensive piece of jewelry or a cheap used shirt – you need to treat customers with respect, and give great service. This includes answering questions promptly, and sending out packages on time.
Always give buyers the benefit of the doubt
Sometimes, packages do get lost in the mail. And sometimes, products have defects we didn’t notice before sending them out. When a customer comes to you with a complaint, it’s best to give them the benefit of the doubt and resolve the problem immediately.
Sites Like Craigslist
Craigslist is awesome and all, but it’s been around since freaking 1995. And the site design is definitely showing its age. The site looks like it was designed in, well, 1995. I get that Craigslist’s no-frills design is part of its appeal for certain sellers and buyers. And Craigslist – along with eBay – revolutionized how we buy and sell stuff online. But that was years (okay, decades) ago. I think there are now a lot of legit alternatives to the old guard.
Things like social media integration, built-in image editing tools, and many more modern features, are pretty common on other selling platforms. And that’s why I recommend widening your search for selling sites. If you’re a bit overwhelmed by all the choices out there – and I don’t blame you… there are so many selling sites online now! – here’s a list of sites you can try out. All of these are sites like Craigslist… except, not really. You can sell on these sites, and that’s where the similarity ends. All these sites have a slew of modern and convenient features designed to help make the act of selling online a breeze. Are you looking for legit sites to sell stuff on? Check out my list of Craigslist alternatives!
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is one of the best – if not the best – places to sell online. In fact, I could end the list right now. Facebook Marketplace is that good. Since the marketplace is part of a social network, it’s really easy to post stuff for sale, as well as coordinate with buyers. And you can customize your selling options to be available in certain areas, which is super handy if you prefer to sell locally.
eBay
Ebay is one of the old guards of online selling. To be honest, eBay is not my favorite place to sell. But I recommend the site simply because it’s one of the first places look when they want to buy something. A lot of these shoppers are looking for collectibles. If you have something rare or collectible, you should sell it on eBay to increase the chances of you getting top dollar for the item your selling. But take note – eBay is a super-competitive scene. Make sure you make your product listings enticing, and set a low initial price to encourage early (and hopefully, aggressive) bidding.
Decluttr
Decluttr is, in my book, a sort of mini eBay. People like to sell vintage stuff on Decluttr. Not as much as on eBay, but that could actually be an advantage, since that means less competition. If you’re feeling burnt-out over the competitive nature of eBay, you can try selling on Decluttr.
Abundatrade
Some selling sites are better suited for specific products. Abundatrade happens to be a great site for selling compact discs, DVDs, and Blu-rays (yes, apparently people still like watching movies and listening to music on discs). Most people I know – including myself – have tons of discs that are no longer being used. Abundatrade is the ideal selling platform to unload all those discs.
RedBubble
This is a bit of a leftfield recommendation, because RedBubble isn’t a selling platform per se. On RedBubble, you create digital designs for merch and upload them on the site. Whenever someone buys your design, RedBubble handles the production of the item. The site gets a cut from your profits, of course. But in the end, it’s worth it since you don’t have to worry about producing the item and shipping it out – RedBubble handles all of that.
