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If you’re looking to earn a bit of extra cash, one of the easiest ways to do this is to sell things online. The question is, where should you set up shop? We’ve all probably heard of sites like eBay, which allow you to sell just about anything, but which are the best websites in terms of the highest profit?
This will largely depend on what you’re selling – the category the items fall under, along with their overall condition, can make a big difference. You’ll also need to consider whether there are selling or listing fees, as that can affect your overall profit, especially if you’re selling lots of stuff.
To help you get started, we’ve looked at six of the best websites you can flog your stuff on below! Some of these sites are a bit more specialised than others, but all offer a great platform to sell items and hopefully make you some extra money.
As mentioned above, eBay is one of the most well known sites on which you can sell items. For this reason there are loads of customers, and you can flog just about anything, from everyday items like clothing and homeware, to larger items such as cars. You can additionally find weird and wonderful items like bottles of air and replica poison bottles.
The main limitation of eBay is that because there is so much traffic, it’s hard to stand out. Lots of people will be selling similar products, usually at comparable prices. You therefore need to be committed to relisting items, should they not sell, and perhaps try to improve the images or text to get more views. Do also bear in mind that eBay usually charges fees, though there are often offers which allow you to list for free.
Vinted is a great platform for selling clothing and accessories, and the best part is that there are no fees! The catch is that if you want your items to be ‘bumped’ to the top of the list, you will have to pay a charge. Choosing to go with the free option can mean your clothes don’t sell quickly, but if you’re not in a rush, this won’t really matter.
If you’re new to selling, Vinted can be a brilliant option, as there are no fees. You can test out the waters and learn all the tricks in terms of reselling clothing. Another advantage is that Vinted has a very supportive community attached to the platform, so if you’re ever stuck, you can ask others for advice.
While this site is mainly intended for handmade products, you can also sell vintage items on Etsy. According to Statista, as of 2021, there are almost 100 million buyers on Etsy, so it can be a lucrative place to sell online. The question is whether your items meet the selling criteria – Etsy is pretty strict about only hosting stores selling handcrafted and vintage items.
The fees on Etsy aren’t bad – each item you list will cost you $0.20, and it takes four months for a listing to expire, at which point you can choose to list the item again. There is also a transaction fee of 5% when you make a sale, which includes both the display price and the shipping expenses.
You might not be familiar with Ruby Lane, as it’s a newer online marketplace. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t giving more established sites a run for their money – Ruby Lane was voted number one in an EcommerceBytes survey, for top online selling sites. This site focuses on vintage items and antiques, from collectible jewellery and art to antique dolls and furniture.
The disadvantage of Ruby Lane is that the fees can be fairly steep. While there are no fees for setting up an account or listing items, you will be required to pay a $25 maintenance fee each month. You will however get a rebate of this amount if you add at least 15 items to your shop that month.There is also a service fee, which is based on your purchase order total, of 9.9%, though this is capped at $250.
Just like sites like eBay, Depop allows you to easily list items – it generally only requires a few clicks. You can sell all sorts of clothing items here, though the buyer demographic tends to be people in their twenties, looking for trendy urban wear. In terms of selling, it’s worth noting that there are often special offers for listing, such as listing trainers for free on particular days. So if you’re savvy about it, you can sell items for minimal fees.
The potential drawback of this site is that it’s designed with a particular audience in mind, and if you’re in your late thirties or above, you’re less likely to be selling the items that gain interest. You can, however, look out for such clothing at charity shops or car boot sales, and then sell it on for a profit. Perhaps not the best plan if you’re trying to declutter your home though!
Like a few of the other platforms, you’re slightly limited on what you can sell on Ziffit. You can only sell books, CDs, DVDs and games, but as you’re selling them to the platform and not individual buyers, you will always make a sale. This does generally mean you won’t get as much money for your items though. Ziffit is great if you’re trying to get rid of things, but not the best platform for making a profit.
The way Ziffit works is that you scan the barcode of your items, and are presented with a price. You can then pack up your items and send them to Ziffit via a free courier service. You’ll then receive the money via PayPal or bank transfer. It’s a very straightforward process, and can be a quick way of earning some money!
If you have loads of stuff to sell, and it’s vintage or handmade, you could even set up your own website. Starting up your own online shop may sound like a daunting task, but if you do it right, it can be a very profitable venture, not to mention extremely rewarding. The main drawback of course is that you’ll need to get people to visit your site, which they won’t have heard of. Unlike sites like eBay and Etsy, yours won’t have any brand equity, and building a brand can take some time.
The main benefit of creating your own website is that you won’t have to share any of the profits. There won’t be a fee for every sale, and you don’t have to follow the rules set out by any third party hosting platforms. Essentially, you’ll become completely independent.
If you’re not sure how to go about creating your own website, there are a number of easy ways you can do this. Many people choose to use platforms like WordPress or Wix to develop their websites, as you don’t need much technical expertise, and there are free options available. Shopify is also a fast growing platform you can use, which, for a small monthly fee, provides you with a website, blog, SSL certifications, as well as great marketing tools like abandoned shopping cart recovery.
These days, it’s really not difficult to build your own website, so what have you got to lose! Why not give it a try, and see how much you’re able to sell in a few months. Just bear in mind that until you get your brand out there, sales are likely to be slow, so don’t expect overnight miracles!