A Better Alternative to DIY Selling
You’re making a change, ready for a better home, a better life. Maybe you’re downsizing, moving, having to close a parents house – whatever the reason, you need to get rid of some belongings. The question now, what’s the best way to go about this? Do you want to try do-it-yourself selling using on-line platforms?
Let’s look at the pros & cons of this process.
PROS
- You get all the profits.
- Product knowledge: you know the personal items you’re selling better than anyone and will be able to tell the story best.
- You can save money by not having to hire professionals.
- You can negotiate and accept prices consignment might not.
CONS
- You have to join online forums to be able to sell. For anyone technically challenged, this might be an issue. And almost all have a service fee attached, Facebook, Ebay, and even Craigslist now for larger items. It is also known that people shopping these online outlets are often bargain hunters. That means you will almost always be underpaid when selling your furniture, electronics, and other household items.
- You have to write and create ‘marketing’ type advertisements. Learn how to make a good sales pitch and tell a story as to why a consumer would want to purchase your item.
- Taking numerous quality photos, from all different angles, using good lighting. Some customers even ask for videos if the product is a high price item. How do you take proper photos that will justify the $2,500 selling price for your designer sofa?
- Answering countless messages and questions from interested customers over and over again until your item sells.
- Dealing with missed viewing appointments and no-shows, time and time and time again.
- During a time of reduced social interaction for health safety reasons, there is a much greater risk to your safety in having face-to-face meetings or having strangers in your home. And do you feel safe sharing your address or allowing prospectors into your home? What if you live alone? Potential threats are real and should be soberly considered before undertaking any DIY selling situations.
These are just the straightforward issues right off the bat. Let’s take a more detailed look at the specifics involved with selling on your own…
More Issues With Selling on Your Own
- Time:
It takes an average of 4 hours to sell an item on your own. We touched on this above, but taking pictures, writing descriptions, determining pricing, ascertaining sales channels, making responses, coordinating shipping, and marketing your products. This all takes considerable time and can easily become a hassle when working with difficult customers.
In addition, buyers are encouraged to leave feedback about their experience with a particular seller. If you’re not a regular seller, the lack of ratings can serve as a red flag. It takes time to build trust.
- Storage:
If your items don’t sell immediately and you need to be out of your current location you are then forced to move them into storage. Storage units can cost anywhere from $60 to $225 per month depending on the location, the size of the unit, and whether or not the unit is climate-controlled. In areas like San Francisco, these fees tend toward the higher range.
- Value:
Unless you are a trained appraiser, you run the risk of getting way less value than your items are worth. You also run the risk of overpricing your items to the extent that they never sell.
- Shipping:
What’s the best way to ship to a buyer? Do you know how to ship a 200-pound desk?
- Hassle:
Do I have time for this? Are you working a fulltime job and running a household; do you have even a moment more of your precious time to spare? Most of us live our lives on hyper-drive, with every minute of every day booked. Meaning your time is precious. And time is money. In today’s world this is even truer if you’re on a timeline.
There seems to be an overwhelming amount of reasons to not go with DIY on-line selling. Let’s look at a reasonable, affordable, and all-in-one option that’s available right in your city.
Using An All-In-One Service
If instead you want a simpler life and a stress-free solution, then let’s look at what a service like Remoov offers.
- Multiple Platforms:
Your item is listed on all our sales platforms- we find the “right” channel to sell all kinds of stuff. Remoov uses its own consignment store and ecommerce platform, The Local Flea, as well as dozens of other potential resale channels to ensure your items are marketed to the largest audience possible and sold for you at the best price possible.
- Low Cost:
You pay a pickup fee based on your item volume, but no additional storage fees after!
- Value:
We price items in mint condition at around 70% of retail. Remoov can range from 20-70 % return on original value, with a median of 45%.
- Professional Advantage:
Integration with different marketplaces, and appraisers are all part of Remoov’s services and an advantage to you. Professional appraisers are on staff to provide accurate resale estimates as well as the best sales channels for each item. These trained experts examine pieces to assess their value, determine authenticity, and as a result, can often uncover hidden gems.
- Our Unique Process:
When items show up at the warehouse, photos automatically populate our systems AND your personal dashboard with all the items and relevant information. Also receive your cash from sales through our dashboard.
In short, Remoov offers:
- Higher success rate than DIY selling.
- Expert appraisers attaining the best value for your items.
- A much wider addressable audience than typical DIY selling.
Remoov is the all-in-one DIY sales service. We pick up everything that you want to sell, donate, and recycle, including furniture, electronics, clothing, décor, etc, and handle it for you.
Get started today and get a free estimate for your pickup!
And for quick answers to all your questions check out the FAQ Page.
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