HOUSEHOLDS hoping to make a bit of extra for cash for Christmas could wrack up almost £1,000 selling old magazines, tools and gadgets.
It comes as eBay has revealed the ten top-selling categories on its site and how much you could make flogging items that fall within these fields.
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The online auction house found sellers could be in line for an average £987 windfall if they sold something in each of these ten categories.
Of course, the better condition an item is in the more it’s likely to sell for. Use eBay’s advanced search tool to give you an idea of what item have recently sold for.
Individuals, known as private sellers, can list 1,000 items a month on eBay for free. Anything more than this and you’ll be charged 35p for each new listing created.
You set the price and postage for items, but if it sells, you’ll pay 10% of the final price including postage up to a cap of £250 an item to eBay.
Top tips for selling on eBay
NEW to eBay? It’s head of secondhand, Emma Grant, reveals how to optimise your listings:
- Use key words – eBay automatically filters listing titles for key words, so it’s crucial to use the terminology people search for – especially brand and product names.
- Choose the right category for your product – It might sound obvious but it’s important to always choose the most specific category to sell in.
- Pictures are important – Most users will not bid on items they cannot see. For best results, take photos in natural light against a neutral background and be honest about any scratches or damage to the item.
- Be as detailed as possible – Be honest about the condition of the product and be sure to note any wear and tear.
- Look at past sold items– eBay has a function that allows you to search for the item you want to sell and then filter the results by sold items. Here, you can view the price the item has sold for and get insight into how others have listed it.
- Selling Sundays – Get the timing right. The busiest time for buyers is Sunday evenings, so schedule your listings to end around that time. Opt for seven-day auctions to ensure the max number of bids. The longer your item is listed, the more chance of people seeing it, so unless it’s time-sensitive, pick seven days. December is the busiest month on eBay.
- Be realistic with pricing – Try searching for similar items on eBay, to make sure you’re going for the right price and always ask yourself “would I pay this price for this item?”
- Donate to charity – When listing your item, consider donating a percentage of the sale to a cause of your choice – from 10% to 100% – you can donate the funds raised from your item straight from the platform.
Bear in mind if you use Paypal to receive payments you’ll also likely be charged 2.9%, plus 30p per transaction. Check out our top tips for selling on eBay.
eBay isn’t the only selling site out there though. There’s also Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace, which are both free to use and don’t take a cut of sales, although items are more likely to be viewed on a local basis rather than nationwide.
You can make up to £1,000 a year tax-free from selling old clobber but anything above this will need to be declared to HMRC via a self-assessment tax return and you may need to pay tax on it.
Below are the ten top-selling categories on eBay, plus examples of items you could sell.
Musical instruments – £262
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If you find an old cello or clarinet during your lockdown clear out, you could be in the money as eBay says the average sold price for musical instruments is £262.
But you could make even more than this depending on the make and model so it’s important to detail this in your listing.
For example, an old Yamaha bass clarinet sold for £3,500 last month after notching up 35 bids.
Vehicle parts and accessories – £154
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eBay reckons motor parts are all the rage right now with people turning to staycations due to various quarantine rules and bans on certain travel overseas.
As such, you could fetch £154 on average for spare tyres, GPS navigation devices, and any tools to sling in the back of your car for emergencies.
A Navman GPS tracker, for example, sold for £122 in September after getting 26 bids.
Cameras and photography – £107
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Photography has been a popular lockdown hobby, according to eBay, so now may be the time to sell any unwanted cameras or photography equipment.
Depending on the condition, the make, and whether it comes with any accessories your old camera could fetch thousands.
We saw one Canon camcorder go for £4,500, while an old Canon digital camera, including cables and a memory card, went for £46.96 today after getting 17 bids.
Antiques – £94
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If you’re looking for an excuse to get rid of that old vase in the corner you never really liked, this could be your opportunity.
When we checked recent sold prices on eBay we found listings for antique vases going for anything from under a tenner to £13,000.
But if you have something you think could be a genuine antique you may be better off getting it expertly valued and selling it at a specialist auction instead.
You wouldn’t want to miss out on a small fortune by inadvertently undervaluing something on eBay.
The dangers of selling your coins on eBay
THE most valuable coins are usually those that have low mintage numbers or those with an error.
These are often deemed the most valuable by collectors.
Once you’ve found out whether the coin is real or not, you have a number of options – either selling it through a coin dealer, at auction or on eBay.
Sell it at auction
If you’ve got a coin that you would like to sell at auction then you can contact a member of the British Numismatic Trade Association.
They usually deal in very old coins but they may be able to help you assess whether it’s worth selling your coin at auction or whether it would be valuable to a collector.
Sell it on eBay
If you want to sell the coin you’ve found in your spare change on eBay then you need to know the risks.
Remember to set a minimum price that is higher or at the very least equal to the face value of the coin.
Even if your coin “sells” on eBay for a high price there’s no guarantee that the buyer will cough up.
In its terms and conditions, the auction website states that bidders enter a “legally binding contract to purchase an item”, but there’s no way to enforce this rule in reality.
The most eBay can do is add a note to the buyer’s account about the unpaid item or remove their ability to bid and buy.
This is because in order to sign up to the website, users do not need to put in valid bank or PayPal details before making a bid.
If a bidder refuses to pay, then the only option for sellers is to give “second chance offers” to other bidders or relist the item.
For items of a high value, eBay recommends that sellers put a limit on their listing to approve bidders.
It means bidders must email you before placing a bid but NOT that they must pay out the cash if they win.
Books, comics and magazines – £78
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Make cash selling old books, comics and magazines – even items destined for the rubbish bin may be another man’s treasure.
We found 18 back editions of Hello magazine, for example, sell for £27. It seems old mag covers featuring the UK’s royal family are particularly popular.
Of course, if you’ve got a rare or first edition book you may be better off getting it valued by an expert and sold at a specialist auction.
Business and office – £74
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eBay reckons now is a good time to sell old office chairs and desks if you’re working from home more frequently and have upgraded to newer models.
The online retailer says £74 is the average price fetched in this category but you could get more depending on the brand.
The Sun saw an old Ikea office chair, for example, sell for £160 last week after getting 28 bids.
Sporting goods – £63
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If you no longer use your old hockey stick, tennis racket or shuttlecocks it may be worth putting them on sale on eBay.
Limited edition ranges are likely to fetch the most cash but even bog standard tennis rackets can go for a few quid.
How to claim money back after an eBay scam
Auction website eBay has a money back guarantee scheme, which promises that if an item hasn’t arrived or wasn’t as described, you’ll get your item or your money back.
But there are some terms and conditions. Here’s what you need to do.
1. Contact the seller
You can do this via My eBay, and eBay says that in most cases, sellers will fix the problem straightaway.
You’ll need to contact the seller within 30 days of the actual delivery date, or the estimated delivery date if an item hasn’t arrived.
2. Contact eBay
You’ll have to wait eight days before you can contact eBay about your issue if it hasn’t resolved.
After that, contact the website’s customer service team.
3. Wait for your refund
If you paid using a PayPal account, you should hear back from eBay within 48 hours and get your money back through the scheme.
But the scheme excludes some listings, including: vehicles, real estate, businesses for sale, and digitally delivered goods or service.
If you paid as a guest on PayPal, you also can’t use the scheme.
But you will still be covered by PayPal Protection – so you’ll have to contact PayPal instead for your refund.
Computers and networking – £62
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eBay says spare keyboards, mouses, unused laptops, and headsets are all in demand right now due to people working from home because of the coronavirus crisis.
You’re likely to make a few pounds for an old computer mouse, for example, although higher tech models still in their packaging go for more.
Garden and patio – £47
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If you’re thinking of refreshing your garden furniture range for next summer you may want to sell your old tables and chairs on eBay.
The online retail giant says garden and patio products are still in vogue despite the UK going into winter due to various regional lockdowns meaning people from separate households can only meet outside.
For example, this rattan patio set including a table, four chairs and four stools sold for £260 after getting 28 bids.
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Sound and vision (televisions, home speakers and headphones) – £46
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With people spending more time at home this year due to lockdown restrictions, eBay says improving gadgets has been a priority.
This means there’s demand for TVs and speakers, although of course, the newer the model the more cash you’re likely to fetch.
We spotted this 32-inch Samsung flatscreen TV go for £88.50 after getting 13 bids, but even this old 14-inch Samsung TV and VHS player went for £19.99.
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