Clear Clutter. Make Money. VarageSale! :: Seven Selling Tips

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Clear Clutter Make Money VarageSale Selling Tips NashvilleMomsBlog

Who wants to make money AND declutter? I’d say just about all of us—especially during the season of resolutions such as “Live Simply,” “Spend Less,” and “Save More.” It’s not quite garage sale season, so what’s a girl to do?

VarageSale is your answer!

VarageSale is a virtual garage sale site (and app!) that will help you buy and sell quickly and—best of all—safely. VarageSale was started in 2012 and now has virtual selling communities all over the US and Canada. Once you join, you will select groups local to your area. Each group is monitored by a local administrator and verifies that members are actually from the area. I absolutely LOVE that they do this, because it means there are virtually NO spam posts or scam posts. Buyers and sellers private message one another to set meeting dates and times, and when the transaction is completed, they are able to review one another. This is a huge perk, in my opinion. In today’s world, one really can’t be too careful when they meet strangers to conduct any kind of business. VarageSale’s ability to review transactions allows people to check up on sellers and buyers prior to agreeing to meet. That’s a great safety factor that I haven’t really found on other sales sites or social media sales groups.

The app itself is ridiculously user friendly. I listed a pair of toddler shoes in less than 2 minutes from start to finish. I spent the longest part of those two minutes typing the description. Everything shows up initially on the main page, but there are TONS of options to narrow down your search. When you’re listing an item, you choose various categories and subcategories, and the idea is that a person could find your item just by narrowing down their searches. So, for my toddler shoes, I chose Baby – Kids Clothes. Then Shoes. Then, Toddler Girl Size 8. So, anyone who looks for Toddler Girl Size 8 shoes will immediately see my post. The subcategories are plentiful and detailed enough that it’s not confusing. It has a very eBay feel to it, but in my opinion it’s even easier to navigate. As far as setting prices, you can enter any price you want on items, or leave the price area blank—buyers then are able to make an offer. Buyers can negotiate prices with you (if you choose to allow that) when they message you, but the idea of entering a price on your item is to alert buyers that you may be less likely to budge.

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Selling on VarageSale is still selling, however. I have several things listed right now, and haven’t yet had any bites. There are a huge number of people using the app, and it continues to grow, so it’s not that there aren’t people viewing my items—they’re just not interested in what I have listed right now. That’s something that anyone selling will run into really on any site. It’s all a matter of what people are looking for. Overall, I think this is a GREAT site, and a phenomenal app. I absolutely recommend it for anyone looking to sell some of their stuff and find their way out of the clutter!

Seven tips for selling your items:

  • If it doesn’t sell in a week, lower the price, and try again.
  • If it doesn’t sell at the lower price, after another week—it’s time to donate it!
  • Be descriptive! Give as much detail as you can. For clothes, people will want to know whether or not your home is smoke/pet free, the condition of the item (very good, used play wear, excellent used condition, like new, new without tags, and new with tags), size, and color.
  • Another helpful detail is to put the retail price (if you remember it). Sometimes, seeing how much an item would cost at retail versus how much it’s listed for can make the sale because it lets the buyer know how much they are saving.
  • For home décor items, appliances, and other items, common descriptions include details on how often it was used (like new, brand new, daily use, etc) and general condition of items (no rips, stains, tears, pulls, scratches, etc).
  • Be willing to negotiate. Everyone wants a good deal. More often than not, you’re going to be asked, “Would you take any lower?” Be realistic, but be willing to wiggle a little. I will negotiate on price if people buy more than one item I’m selling and if they’re willing to drive a little further to get to me.
  • Group like items together. Have 5 pairs of size 7 heels? Sell them together! It’s less work for you, and it’s a better deal for the buyer. This works fantastically with children’s clothes. Rather than sell 5 shirts for $2 a piece, sell all 5 for $10. The odds someone meets for a $2 item is MUCH lower than a lot of like items.
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Amy
Amy is a Northernor by birth, but please don’t hold it against her! Amy has called Middle Tennessee home for over twenty years and couldn’t picture raising a family anywhere else! Today, Amy lives just outside of Nashville with her husband of over seven years (JP), her four year old spitfire of a daughter (Lily), and their eleven-year-old-but-still-acts-like-a-puppy black lab (Alley). It’s a daily toss up as to who rules their house—Lily or the dog—and Amy has many funny stories to prove the battles. Amy is a working mama by day—a fraud and suspicious activities investigator at a local, community bank, and a jack-of-all-trades by night and weekend. She loves crafts, music, the outdoors, saving money and bargain hunting, gardening (and all the canning, freezing, and preserving that comes with it), comic books, and anything upcycled, recycled, or DIY, and she’s just crunchy enough to call herself a hippie. She can often be found perusing yard sales, flea markets, Pinterest, and Etsy, looking for her next big project, or playing superheroes, painting, or playing outside with Lily. Currently, Amy and her husband are on a quest to find the best burger in Nashville and love visiting all the fantastic foodie spots this great city has to offer!

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