In recent years, economic factors have made life difficult for millions of adults around the world. The last few years have seen higher-than-expected levels of inflation and a cost of living crisis impact on many developed and developing countries. Combined with high energy prices and uncertainty in the jobs market, many adults are finding that their spending power has been reduced. It is getting harder for millions of households to budget effectively from month to month and keep control of their spending. When the price of essential commodities (such as food and electricity) has risen significantly, it can be increasingly hard to manage the monthly finances. However, in this challenging economic landscape, many adults are starting to sell goods online to generate extra money. This can take the form of selling unwanted household items or creating a small online business (for example, making and selling handmade goods online). If you are planning to start selling goods online, this article will be of assistance. Some top tips will be discussed that will help you to sell effectively online and get the best prices.
Investigate the best-selling sites
If you are planning to sell unwanted goods or household items, it is important to research the best sites to list these goods. One of the most popular sites for selling a wide range of goods is eBay. This massive online site allows listings for millions of different products, from used cars to wardrobes. It is one of the most frequently visited sites too, with an estimated 135 million users worldwide. Buyers can search for goods by country or choose to buy from international sellers (if shipping charges are competitive). The captive audience of potential buyers makes it ideal for selling goods quickly. eBay occasionally has offers when you list products for sale (such as no listing fees), which can help you make the most profit from your sales. If you are selling more niche or specialist items, it may be wise to investigate other selling sites. For example, if you plan to make hand-crafted goods and sell them online, sites such as Etsy may be ideal to reach interested buyers. Such selling platforms allow people to set up their own shops within the site. As you sell more goods, you will ideally start to get positive feedback from previous customers and this improved reputation may help you to sell more quickly in the future.
When sending large or bulky goods
When selling goods online, you will eventually be required to ship them to the customer. If you are selling small and light items, traditional mail services may be sufficient for your needs. However, large, bulky, or heavy items may not be sent by these channels, and you will need to investigate dedicated shipping firms. Search online for shipping companies that can transport your goods and get a shipping quote from each site. Some shipping services can be up to 75% cheaper than conventional delivery networks as they add your goods to existing delivery routes. This can be the ideal way to keep your shipping costs low and remain competitive when selling online. Pick a shipping service that has positive feedback from previous users and has dedicated customer service that will assist with any queries or issues.
Selling from your own website
For some people, the decision is made to create their own website when selling goods online. The key benefit of this form of selling is that you will not have to pay any additional listing fees or selling charges (as you may get when selling on third-party sites). However, the main downside to this form of selling is that you will not have a captive audience of buyers on your site. Being visible online in a crowded e-commerce marketplace can be extremely challenging. Thankfully, you can boost the visibility of your site by ensuring that it obeys the best practices of search engine optimization (SEO). In brief, these strategies include making your website accessible and easy to navigate on a range of devices (especially the smaller screens of smartphones) and ensuring that all pages load quickly. There are a range of strategies that combine to give your site good SEO and they should be thoroughly researched. SEO has a direct impact on the results page rankings of your site when potential customers make online searches for similar products. In short, it is a key way to boost the visibility of your site and gain increased visitors.
The importance of quality pictures
As a brief final point, you should ensure that all your product pictures are of high quality. Poor-quality images will create a negative image of the product in the minds of potential customers. This may make it harder for you to sell your goods as consumers may choose similar products that have more appealing pictures online. Ideally, take a range of shots in good lighting that show the product at its best. If there are any marks or scratches on used products, be sure to highlight these in specific shots. This will ensure that the customer is fully aware of the condition of the product and may reduce the likelihood of disputes or returned goods after the sale has been made.
