How to Sell Your Old Stuff Online

There’s an art to the business of selling things online. It’s a balance between making your sales items attractive while being honest about the quality and any imperfections.

We often recommend people declutter their homes, especially before putting stuff in storage. That way, you can avoid storing things they don’t need, rent a smaller storage space, and save money.

Presentation

Here are the important steps for selling stuff online.

• Take Measurements

This isn’t necessary for every item, but it is for many. If you’re selling clothes, record the size of each item. If you’re selling furniture, measure each piece. The same goes for antiques.

• Take Photos and Video

You can use your smartphone for this step. Use good lighting to take pictures of what you’re selling from several directions. If the site allows it, include a 5 to 15-second video, too.

• Write a Description

Your description should be vivid, compelling, and honest. Disclose any flaws, even small ones. Just because an item has flaws doesn’t mean it won’t sell. People expect items sold at the sites we’re going to list to be imperfect, but they may feel upset if they get an item with imperfections that weren’t disclosed.

Sales Sites and Apps

Next, we come to websites and apps that allow you to sell your stuff. Each is a little different, but after reading through these you should have a good idea of where you’d like to sell.

• Facebook Marketplace

You’re on Facebook already, so why not sell your old stuff there? Like Craigslist and OfferUp, which we’ll cover shortly, Facebook is an excellent place to sell things locally. You can track statistics, such as how many people have visited your item versus how many contact you.

• eBay

The granddaddy of all online auction sites, eBay is a robust selling platform, and it allows you to sell just about anything. Got a game you purchased and never played? Ebay’s a great site for it. Do you have gently-used clothes, an old vase, or even old DVDs? Yes, you can sell them on eBay. We recommend setting a “buy now” price, but also putting the item on auction. That way, there’s a possibility that your stuff will sell for more than you were hoping.

• Craigslist

This is an excellent site to both sell and give away your unneeded items locally. Sadly, there have been scams on Craigslist in the past. In general, it’s a great community site, but be careful.

• OfferUp

The OfferUp app makes it easy to buy, sell, and trade locally. Upload your pictures and a description, include your general area, and look for offers to come in.

• Poshmark

Now, we get to apps that focus specifically on clothing. On Poshmark, people sell gently -used designer clothing and accessories as well as home goods, from glassware to Starbucks tumblers. Popular items include Louis Vuitton bags, designer sneakers, Ray-Ban sunglasses, and decor from Pottery Barn.

• thredUp

This is great for old clothing of the non-designer variety. You can sell any brand with thredUp. Also, you don’t have to create listings or take photos. ThredUp does all the work. Request one of their “Clean Out Kits” and a prepaid shipping label, then use it to send clothing.

Your items need to be clean and in new to gently used condition.ThredUp determines the value and creates the photos and descriptions. They’ll send you your money after sales, and you’ll get a percentage of their list price. They accept only women’s and children’s clothes.

Once you’ve finished decluttering and you’re ready to put things you’re keeping in storage, check our listings, which span the U.S. and Canada. You’re sure to find a secure property with great amenities that meets your needs.