How To Hold A Great Blog Sale

It’s coming up to the time of year that everyone starts to think about earning a little extra money (can’t quite bring ourselves to say the C word yet!)

Of course, there’s eBay, but with their recent changes in fees, many people are looking for more affordable alternatives. One great way of doing this is by holding a blog sale.

Having a clearout of your unwanted items on your blog means that you’re selling to a group of people who are likely to be interested in them, instead of people who will happen across your eBay listing.

First, collect together all the items you want to sell. Write up your descriptions, and if you’ve reviewed it on the blog, dig out those links and include those in the descriptions – potential buyers will like seeing the product “in use” whether it’s in a detailed review, or outfit post.
It may seem a bit backwards to write the descriptions first, but as you’re looking at that blusher, finding things to say, you’ll notice any imperfections that you’ll want to tell future buyers, as well as thinking of angles to photograph the product from.

Be honest with your descriptions – a buyer will be more likely to return to you if you give accurate representations of any usage, etc. Avoid selling items that are past their best – if you wouldn’t want to be given the product in that condition, it’s not sellable!

As with any form of selling online, you’ll want to use the best photos possible. Aim to take your photos in natural (day) light – this will mean you can give the best representation of the colours – super important if you’re selling makeup!

Set a reasonable price – why would someone want to buy a product that’s been used when for a few pounds more, they can go buy it brand new in a shop today? Also mention if you’re open to offers. If someone is buying a few things at the same time, they might want to offer you a deal.

With postage, you have two options – either set a flat rate per item (which would work well for small and light items) or let the buyer know that you can provide them with an estimated quote for each parcel. This will take a bit more time, but will allow the buyer to choose how they want to get their items. Courier services like Hermes can be cheaper than Royal Mail for larger items, but some people may prefer to pay a bit extra to not use a specific courier if they usually have problems with them. This brilliant blog post by Redhead Babyled about eBay postage goes into the different costs and services in much more detail.

In your blog post, mention when you will aim to get the parcels out. Perhaps you live in a rural area or work full time so can only get to the post office once a week – your buyers will be much happier if they know what’s going on. If possible, let the buyer know when you’ve sent the item, and send a scan or even a photograph of the proof of postage for their records.

Promote your sale by tweeting, Instagramming or Facebooking about it – if there are certain items you think will be popular, then promote those individiaully – perhaps using a hashtag as well, so people can either look at all your sale posts together, or mute it.

What tips and tricks do you have for selling your unwanted stuff?