Poppin Tags! How I Made $1000+ On Ebay Last Month in my Spare Time! Part five, Other places to sell, along with more of my sales stories.

Ebay is one of the world's largest marketplaces, and right now, this week, I'll take in over $500 there. But, it's not the only place, and I don't even recommend you sticking exclusively to Ebay, if you really want to resell.

So, where else do you go? There are literally hundreds of classified and auction sites online, but most are very narrowly targeted and may not make you much money. I'm going to share from my own experience about three platforms outside of Ebay, and on that I'm only familiar with from others.

Craigslist

If you live in the US, or one of over 70 countries that have local Craigslist sites, you've likely heard of it, and may be one of over 60 billion users! Craigslist's mostly free platform takes the old concept of newspaper classifieds and brings it into the new millennium.

There are dozens of categories in the for sale section, and businesses can offer a lot of services and products for sale as well. Help wanted ads are where Craigslist makes their money.

So what are the advantages of Craigslist over Ebay?

• Reach a local market, so no shipping.
• Sell locally relevant products, such as sports team paraphernalia, or tickets to local events.
• No commissions.
• Ads stay up for a month and interested parties contact you directly.

You'll be responsible for your own safety, so read up on best practices for getting paid and meeting up with buyers safely. Some items seem to go better on Craigslist than others. I've sold household items there, but not much else.

There are resellers who make their living off of Craigslist alone. In fact, some buy their merchandise, then flip it on the same platform by writing a better ad and raising the price a bit. Furniture, appliances and other large items go well.

Offer Up

Offerupnow.com, AKA "Offer Up" is another local marketplace with no fees for selling and a great interface for sharing your goods. It's not as popular as Craigslist, due to its relative newness. This means a smaller audience. Here again, certain things move better than others.

• Tools, household and decorator items seem to be bestselling in my area. You can see which items have sold in your community by looking at the app.
• The app is super user friendly and allows for direct contact with buyers.
• Categories have less merchandise meaning your goods may be seen easier than on Craigslist. For a small fee, you can have items bumped back to the top of the category for more views.

I've sold a few items this way, one torque wrench, and two decorator items. The rest of the items I've put up have been largely ignored, or gotten silly low offers.

I sold these items on Offerup, I paid $1.50 for the pair at a garage sale and sold them for $20

Facebook Marketplace and Groups

Inside the US, most markets will have several "garage sale" groups on Facebook, I'm sure other countries have an equivalent. Once you join a group, you can add your items to offer them for sale to the members of the group.

• Read and follow the rules. I personally stay away from groups that require specialized posting, even odd days, etc. Too much hassle.
• Be sure to watch your "other" message box for responses to your ads and respond quickly.
• Take your posts down once they sell.

Marketplace is similar, but reaches a wider audience. There's not currently a charge for basic ads. I've sold one thing this way and it went quickly. I've not spent much time trying others. My Offer Up posts do go into my Facebook feed.

Note: I sold this saw I got for $45 for $75 in one night on Facebook.

Etsy

I don't have much experience here. My brother has run a successful Etsy store offering custom designed and printed items for home decor. The fees are much lower than Ebay, and payments can be made directly to your bank account.

• In keeping with their original mission as a marketplace for home made crafts, they focus mainly on handmade items.
• Recently, the market has opened up to "vintage" merchandise, which is anything more than 20 years old.
• The rules and policies are a bit confusing, and I've heard they can be difficult to navigate, but hey, so is Ebay from time to time.

I'm considering putting some collectibles on Etsy to see how they go. I'll keep you posted.

BONUS! My Flea Market Experience!

If you've never been to a good, ole fashioned flea market, what are you waiting for? In the US, they are fairly common, from rural areas, to street markets in major cities, they provide a great place for common people to meet and exchange goods.

You rent a booth, or stall space, typically they can be rented for one day/week, or leased on longer terms.
Most flea markets allow a wide variety of items, but will have some "contraband" items, based on local laws and operator preferences.
You may have to track and turn in sales taxes, or even have a business license in some areas, check your local regulations to be sure.

We have an outdoor market here in OKC that is celebrating it's 40th year. For $10 you can have a 10x20 piece of ground to sell almost anything, etc for dogs and cats, firearms are restricted, but allowed, and prepared food is only available from approved vendors with food handling licenses.

I've been going to Mary's Swap Meet for over thirty years, and sold some there when I was younger. Recently, my son and I set up a table for one day on two different weekends. The first weekend, we sold about $300, for a profit of $240 after booth rent, inventory cost and lunch and breakfast.

It was a lot of fun, but at that market, our take for one day was considered high, which seems low to me for all the trouble of hauling your stuff out and setting up.

Tips for finding other places to sell

When scoping out online, or real world selling opportunities, here are some things to keep in mind.

• With a remote audience, shipping will always be a factor. Allow enough to pay for good packing and the time it takes, as well as any postage.
• Local sales will require your availability to either meet the buyer, or deliver the product.
• Read all of the terms of service, seller fees often come in more than one form, be sure you know what it's going to cost.
• Be aware of your local laws. I'm not interested in telling you what not to sell, but you take a risk when engaging in illegal trade that you might lose your merchandise, face a fine, or even have your business shut down.
• NEVER accept payment in cashiers check, or other financial instruments, unless you allow time to cash the check before you deliver the product. It's almost always a scam.
• When selling online, allow time for the product to arrive and be approved by the buyer before you spend the profits. Most platforms allow returns.
• Look into how many items of what kind you can offer. Most sites have limits which may effect your posting strategy, or the inventory you choose to buy.

So, what's my take away?

I'm not looking to do this full time longterm. But, it's a great fill-in between book writing gigs and other writing projects. For me, I like the convenience of Ebay best, they have the largest audience and the most tools to run your business. That being said, when things don't sell there, I move them to other platforms.

You have to do what works for you. There are a ton of Youtube channels where Ebayers and Etsy sellers, etc, give away their secrets. Do your research. No need to reinvent the wheel. I'll be sharing more on this topic as time goes by. Thanks for reading, I hope you've enjoyed it so far! Please upvote, resteem and leave me a comment, especially if you have questions. THANKS!