The Money Mustache Community

General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: AlotToLearn on April 03, 2019, 03:27:03 AM

Title: Selling on eBay vs. Craigslist
Post by: AlotToLearn on April 03, 2019, 03:27:03 AM
Hey everyone,

I have compiled a decent amount of clothing, shoes, electronics etc. that are in need of a new home, and want to use the proceeds of selling said items to throw towards debt.

I have purchased items off eBay many times but have limited experience selling. Is it worth listing some of the pricier items on there vs. My local Craigslist? I assume the pros and cons of meeting up with someone locally vs. Doing everything through Ebay's platform, but wanted to get advice here.
Title: Re: Selling on eBay vs. Craigslist
Post by: Archipelago on April 03, 2019, 06:12:34 AM
I'd recommend checking out Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp (local) first. You don't pay fees on these platforms. However, in exchange for collecting more, you might deal with more hassle from buyers, headaches, people that don't show up, etc.

I'd recommend online selling for things that are small and lightweight. You pay a lot less in fees for this class of items.

Finally I'd recommend against Amazon unless the things you're selling are like new and would be found in a retail store. Amazon is just a giant retail store, it's not really the platform for collectibles and such.
Title: Re: Selling on eBay vs. Craigslist
Post by: socaso on April 03, 2019, 02:01:38 PM
+1 on Facebook Marketplace. We listed a bunch of things on Craigslist and had a lot of people reach out with questions but everyone who said they were going to come over to buy just never showed up. Then we listed the same items on FB Marketplace and half of them were gone in a week. The rest of the items sold over a month. Also my coworker listed a bunch of stuff there and all her stuff sold quickly. It seems to be a more active marketplace right now.
Title: Re: Selling on eBay vs. Craigslist
Post by: WSUCoug1994 on April 03, 2019, 03:24:11 PM
We have bought/sold on all platforms - Facebook is where we have had the most success.  On the buying side things go quick - that is only problem we have found.  By the time we see it someone else has claimed it.  We also have found much less "drama" then you get with CL.  eBay is good but it needs to be cheap to ship and worth the cost of sale.
Title: Re: Selling on eBay vs. Craigslist
Post by: RWD on April 03, 2019, 03:55:29 PM
eBay has pretty high fees (~12% of total price, including shipping). You'll also pay a fee to accept payment through PayPal. I wouldn't recommend eBay for cheap items because the fees are killer.

For example, $5 item with $5 shipping:
$10 from buyer
- $1.20 to eBay
- $0.59 to PayPal
- $5 to shipping company
- $3.21 to seller (effectively a 36% cut from the final price)

It gets worse the cheaper the item and the more expensive the shipping. I've accidentally lost money on items I've sold via eBay on multiple occasions. It is convenient though.
Title: Re: Selling on eBay vs. Craigslist
Post by: AlotToLearn on April 03, 2019, 04:08:25 PM
Thanks everyone. One caveat - not currently on Facebook so the marketplace would not be something I can leverage.
Title: Re: Selling on eBay vs. Craigslist
Post by: socaso on April 03, 2019, 04:42:41 PM
Thanks everyone. One caveat - not currently on Facebook so the marketplace would not be something I can leverage.

Then possibly Offer Up?
Title: Re: Selling on eBay vs. Craigslist
Post by: StashthatCash on April 04, 2019, 03:00:02 PM
I would say depends on what your end goal is. If it's more money FB is probably best because of the eBay fees. If it's to get rid of clutter quicker than I'd go with eBay.
FWIW eBay fees on most categories are more like 10%, then a 3% paypal fee. A bit of a trick is that you can charge the buyer shipping, then when you purchase the shipping you usually get it for 10% less than what the published price is. This is what DW and I did with our clutter and a lot more success than FB getting it to sell.
Title: Re: Selling on eBay vs. Craigslist
Post by: AlotToLearn on April 07, 2019, 11:19:03 AM
Thanks everyone. I listed a few items on Ebay and was able to sell them this weekend. I did not receive a fee to list. The transfer of funds from PayPal to my bank account via debit card was 1% of the transaction.
Title: Re: Selling on eBay vs. Craigslist
Post by: NotJen on April 07, 2019, 12:47:46 PM
The transfer of funds from PayPal to my bank account via debit card was 1% of the transaction.

Curious why you chose to go through your debit card? You can transfer directly to your bank account for free, and it’s there the next day.

I’ve been selling on eBay to get rid of the stuff I’ve accumulated.  I want to avoid interacting with people, and it’s worked well so far.  Eventually I might do Facebook Marketplace to get rid of bigger items that I can’t ship.
Title: Re: Selling on eBay vs. Craigslist
Post by: RWD on April 07, 2019, 03:16:34 PM
Thanks everyone. I listed a few items on Ebay and was able to sell them this weekend. I did not receive a fee to list. The transfer of funds from PayPal to my bank account via debit card was 1% of the transaction.
You will be assessed a final value fee later, which will probably be pulled from your PayPal account.