Selling stuff online on Marktplaats and through other handy apps is an easy way to contribute to a more sustainable world as well. What's more, trading old stuff on Marktplaats can also earn you a nice penny while cleaning up your house at the same time. What more could you ask for? Get the most out of online sales with these tips!
Selling stuff online
Marketplace, Vinted, Facebook, Instagram: there are plenty of ways to get rid of your stuff online. Whichever channel you choose: the same tips apply to all channels to sell your stuff well.
Which sales channel suits selling your stuff online?
What you sell online determines your channel. A designer bag is usually better sold on Vinted or The Next Closet, a leather sofa I would rather post on Marktplaats or Facebook, while I would offer an apple corer only in a local Facebook group. To get a better feel for the different sales channels, I will briefly go through them with you:
- Vinted is ideally suited to selling beautiful, quality garments.
- I find Marketplace to be the best place to sell furniture, quality toys and more luxurious utensils like a Magimixer.
- I find Facebook similar to Marketplace, but because of the local groups, I also find this to be the place to sell small gadgets to people in your neighbourhood online. Think toys, clothes, utensils that are handy but you don't want to pay seven euros in shipping costs any time soon, so something like the apple corer.
Publication timing of online ad
You sell ice skates in December, swimming gear in June. Think carefully about what you sell to your target audience: when are they going to need these things and therefore search for them online? That is the best time to put the items on sale. But you can also look at your sales this way on a weekly basis. In my experience, stuff published on weekends and holidays sells faster. My suspicion is that people search more online then and thus see your newly published ad at the top.
How to create a good sales ad for Marketplace or Vinted
Get several good photos of your stuff: photographed from several sides in good daylight. Take some time for this and try to think about styling as well. In addition, make sure you have a good and friendly ad text in which you briefly explain more about the product, the condition of the product and, if necessary, the reason for discarding it. Also make sure your ad titles use words that people can usually search for (SEO), which also makes your ad easier to find. Mention the brand, designer, material, colour, sizes and if it is vintage: be sure to mention that too, along with the period. Some online sellers take this a step further and also deliberately put commonly made language mistakes in the ad text.
Some online sellers swear that clothes must be photographed worn to be sold successfully on Marktplaats or Vinted. I have tried both (worn and on hanger) and notice no difference.
Selling clothes second-hand: it starts with taking good photos.
Don't be a difficult seller online
You want to get rid of your stuff, right? Therefore, be prepared to negotiate. Check beforehand what the average and lowest asking prices are of similar items and be open to the conversation. Since a newly placed ad will be at the top, most interested buyers will come forward at the beginning. Keep these people warm and try to work things out with them before your ad sinks to the bottom and stops generating viewers.
Selling online: make sure you are easy to reach!
Because your ad will attract the most interested buyers in the beginning, it is important to publish it on days when you are easily accessible. Many buyers are looking for a product right now, and they often respond to several similar Facebook and Marketplace ads at the same time. So you have to try to get them to stick to your ad and your profile. By the way, Vinted works differently: here, buyers can make a purchase from you without intervention from you, basically the same way a regular webshop works. Make sure you have time to arrange shipments quickly. You can find more tips for selling smoothly on Vinted here.
Don't sell crap online
Only sell items that you genuinely think, ‘this is good value! For (children's) clothes, this is even more important: the more items you have in the same size, style and of the same quality, the more likely you are to have upselling can do, because your stuff is so in demand that a fashion twin want to buy more from you. With Vinted, you can set your profile to give bundle discounts, which works really well!
More great sustainable tips from thegreenlist.nl
- Also see: 5 tidying-up tips for a more sustainable life!
- Also useful: Tips for finding great stuff through Marketplace.
- Question: Is sending and shipping all those packages sustainable?
- Read also: The best places to sell second-hand books online.
Photo credits: main image: Angela de Vlaming, other: thegreenlist.nl.
