Local selling sites are brilliant for getting great deals on gently used furniture, appliances, toys, games, sporting equipment… you name it, really! You can also use them to sell on your unwanted stuff. Their informal nature means you can often avoid selling fees and the fact that you usually collect your purchase yourself means no postage or packing.
What are some examples of local selling sites?
The local market for second hand goods varies – in some areas, it’s all about Gumtree; in others Nextdoor rules. Or your town may have its own small ads service run by a local publication.
By and large, the most popular UK local selling sites are:
By tweaking search terms on Ebay, you may find some good bargains for local pick-up.
Write a great ad for selling success
A good local selling advert will have pictures. We’ve got some hints for taking for-sale ad pictures in this post. The pictures you’ll need include:
- the item as a whole
- accessories, instructions and packaging
- labels showing model numbers, sizes and specs
- any flaws or damage
Use the ad title to describe the item you’re selling in a few words. Think of the same terms that you would use if you were searching for it and try to get those into your text or title. Be honest about the condition, and do check that it’s complete and working.
Mention pick-up or delivery arrangements – you don’t have to give your address at this stage, but a stating a neighbourhood will ensure you get mostly relevant enquiries.
Some people put ads on multiple platforms to maximise coverage, although this can create extra admin. You could also share your ad with people you know – often the best buyers are friends of friends!
Common scams on local selling sites
Unfortunately, there are some shady characters trying to take advantage. This is why local selling sites are probably best for low value items – less than £100 – and it’s often easiest to use cash for the transaction. For higher value goods, it’s more secure to use a site with some buyer and seller protection, for example, Ebay.
Watch out for people who try to get you to pay using a transfer system that you aren’t familiar with.
There is also a shipping scam, where the buyer will ask you to pay for the courier, promising to add the fee on to their purchase price. The courier never turns up, and neither, of course, does the payment. At least you’ve still got your item, though.
Another red flag is a buyer who doesn’t seem to be local, or who hasn’t been on the platform for very long.
Pick-up and collection
Use your common sense when arranging pick-up – you could opt for a public place, rather than your own home if that’s practical. Many people prefer to trade in daylight, but of course some legitimate buyers are at work all day and may prefer to pop round early evening.
You could also ask your buyer to come to your storage unit during business hours, if you feel secure there. By keeping an item for sale in storage, you can get it quickly out of your living space once you’ve decided to sell. Your goods can be insured by the day if you’ve got a Store and Insure policy.
If your buyer messes you around by not showing up or repeatedly rearranging, it’s acceptable to move on to the next person.
Remember to take the listing down once the sale is complete. And if your item was in storage, adjust your storage insurance (this is convenient to do with Store and Insure because you can administer your policy online).
