Alternatives to eBay for selling unwanted items
There are loads of great marketplace sites out there offering great reach and competitive fees. Here, we look at some of the top sites like eBay for selling your unwanted goods.
Facebook Marketplace - What We Know So Far
Facebook has begun to roll out Marketplace into its mobile app. The tech giant announced the launch on Wednesday 3rd October, describing the feature as “a convenient destination to discover, buy and sell items with people in your community." The move will be seen by many as a bid to move into the local selling territory which is currently dominated by Gumtree. But Facebook Marketplace offers one key benefit – the ability to see mutual friends of an item’s seller – which will undoubtedly help to give confidence to buyers. The new feature can be accessed by a button in the centre of the bottom navigation bar, where the messenger button used to be – a sign, perhaps, of how important Facebook considers this app will be in future.
Who can Use Facebook Marketplace?
In their announcement, Facebook said that Marketplace will be rolled out over the next few days to everyone aged over 18 years old in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, and will be available on both Android and iOS devices. However, a quick poll around the office shows that not all users have the feature available to them yet, despite having the most up-to-date version of iOS and the Facebook app itself.
What Can I sell on Facebook Marketplace?
Everything from jewellery and clothing to bicycles or musical instruments can be sold on the site, but we expect that the Marketplace will appeal particularly to people who need to send larger items that can’t be sent in the post, or perhaps don't have the time to sell on eBay and then post their item. When using the Marketplace app, we couldn’t find any links to pages which list items that you can’t sell – and there has already been some controversy over inappropriate items being listed on the site.
How do I sell on Facebook Marketplace?
We found the user interface of the app really easy to use – but if you’re struggling, here’s a quick guide. From the main Marketplace screen, tap the “sell” button in the left hand corner, which will bring up all the images saved on the phone. You can then select up to ten photos to be used in the listing. You’ll then be asked “What are you selling” – this is essentially the title of your item. Be descriptive but concise. If you’re item’s in great condition, use words like “brand new” or “very good condition” to bring this to the buyer's attention.
Now you need to describe the item. Here you go into more detail about your item; its condition, size, colour etc. Measurements are always useful, particularly when you’re selling larger items.
Set a price for your item. Be realistic here – if it’s too high, people won’t even take the time to get in touch. Look for similar items on eBay or Gumtree to give you a rough idea.
Finally, select your location, and the category for the item. This will allow other Marketplace users to know that your item is for sale nearby. The category should be fairly self-explanatory. You can also chose to list your item on other Facebook selling pages you may be a member of. Finally, click "post" in the bottom right hand corner to publish your listing on the marketplace.
We’ll update this article once we have more details to share about Facebook Marketplace. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep in touch.
