Jump Start Aug: Holiday Money Week: Day 1

Time for a great big Jump Start to make a real difference to your August. We’re doing one simple task each day, and they add up over time to build some useful changes. This week is ‘Holiday Money Week’ where we’ll be finding ways to make a few extra pounds here and there. It all adds up.

Today we’re going to have a very quick declutter and find three things to put on an auction/sales site. Ideally these will be things that are gathering dust and generally getting in your way. Dust them off, clean them and tidy them up, and take good pictures in daylight if possible.

Then spend a few minutes writing detailed descriptions and putting in as many key words as possible to help buyers find them more easily when they search. Check your spelling too. More traffic to your listing usually means more bids and more profit for you – so an extra 2 minutes of work is worth it.

Good timing helps too: sell in-season items when demand’s highest, or set auctions to end on a Sunday or Monday evening when more potential customers are surfing for bargains.

It’s up to you which sales site you use: auction them on eBay or similar if you think there might be a bidding war to get the price rising, or sell for a flat fee on Preloved or Gumtree, or your local paper or neighbourhood forum, etc.

Be careful not to get caught out with postage fees. These have risen quite a lot in recent months and can wipe out your profits if you miscalculate them, and I’ve switched to courier services for heavier items as I’ve found Royal Mail too expensive.

Also, if you’re doing ‘buyer collects’ listings, make sure you are fully paid upfront with cleared funds (no cheques on the doorstep), and remember the usual personal safety caveats.

Do you have any favourite sales sites, or tips for making the most profit?