Fund a Household Makeover with an Online Sale

Is your home in need of a design upgrade but your funds are running a bit low? You might not have to take out a loan or abuse your credit cards to give your home a makeover. Chances are, those very items that you want to replace could be in high demand with other homeowners. Whether you’re moving house, refurbishing a room, or simply engaging in a serious spring cleaning, turning to an online marketplace could kill two birds with one stone. You can not only sell your unwanted items, but you can then use this cash to purchase new decorations or household furnishings.

The first step is to choose a venue in which to sell. One popular option is eBay, which captures a lion’s share of the market. However, local sites like Australia’s Quicksales also have accompanying ad campaigns and social media profiles to grow their network and help find buyers in your area. No matter which outlet you choose, the following are a few selling tips to keep in mind.

 
Assess your Items
The first step towards making over your home is to sort through each room and finding the old items you want to get rid of. Before placing a listing, you’ll need to assess these items to determine which category they fall under. You may have an old table lamp which would be far more appealing in a “vintage” category than it would in a simple “lighting accessories” category, for example.

Take High Quality Photographs
Few buyers are willing to take a chance on an online purchase based on a written description alone. If you want to increase your chances of success, you’ll need to take high quality, clear, colour photographs. Because the buyer is unable to physically see and touch the product, they will want the next best thing. Many buyers will also be using a mobile app like the one from Quicksales.com.au to browse online, so a good photograph will immediately command attention in this setting.

Choose the Right Price
Buyers could potentially be turned off either by a price that’s too low or too high. To hit the sweet spot, you’ll need to conduct a bit of research. Do a quick search for similar listings on the website of your choice, and price your items accordingly. Another tip is to price your item a bit higher than what you think it is actually worth, in order to account for haggling. An online marketplace can be quite similar to a typical flea market, in that buyers will be on the hunt for a bargain.

Providing Customer Service
Feedback and reviews are everything in an online marketplace, and any seller is only as good as his or her reputation. Be sure to answer any queries quickly, and follow up with leads. When you make a sale, ship the item promptly and be sure that all items are as described. This will garner you great feedback and enable future sales.

Although it takes a bit of time and effort to clean your home and sell these old goods online, you can end up with a nice little nest egg for future decorating.

Image courtesy of ponsulak FreeDigitalPhotos.net