Hi again, how’s your week going so far? It’s time for some more tidying up and money making today, and this time we’re going to look at ways to make the most money from selling your old clutter.

Have a read through all the tips and ideas, then pick out three old items from your old unwanted stuff and get them on sale.

The golden rules for getting the best price

If you’re selling today, here are a few reminders to help bring in the most cash:

• Sell directly, rather than to a bulk seller or a middleman
• Make what you’re selling look as attractive as possible
• Know your market
• Get as many potential buyers as you can interested in your stuff
• Keep an eye on extras, expenses, fees, postage or other delivery

Where and how to start selling

There are plenty of places to sell your old stuff directly and / or through classified ads, for example:

• eBay, eBid and other auction sites
• Amazon marketplace (branded goods)
• Gumtree, Craigslist, Preloved
• Local Facebook groups
• Classified ads in the local paper, local messageboards or local shop windows
• Specialist sites for cars, vintage items, collectables etc
• the Shpock app
• Directly to friends, family, coworkers, neighbours
• Local auction house

There are plenty of other ways to sell stuff, but they probably won’t make you quite as much money. We’ll be looking at all the other ways to make cash from old unsold junk on day seven though, so look out for that.

Make your items look as good as possible:

• Clean, dust, polish or wash then as required
• Tidy them up, such as ironing, sewing in a loose thread, or doing a minor repair
• Take plenty of pictures if selling online or via an app
• Make sure pictures are in focus and ideally in daylight

Know your market:

• Where can you find the greatest number of potential buyers?
• Is there a lot of competition for your item? (too much availability can bring prices down)
• What’s the going rate for your item? (check to make sure you aren’t under-charging for it)

Find as many buyers as you can:

• If you’re selling at auction, your sale price will usually be higher if you can create a buzz and get the most people interested (people will ‘fight’ more for something that looks like it’s getting a lot of interest)
• For many items it can help to sell on a large site with a large audience
• If you’re creating listings, make them detailed, comprehensive, factual and honest
• Add plenty of pictures to your online listing, so buyers will have more confidence
• Use correct spelling – otherwise your listing might not show up in searches, and more successful searches means more customers
• Answer queries quickly, politely and professionally
• If you arrange delivery, rather than making your items ‘pick up only’ or ‘buyer collects’ you may potentially get a lot more customers (and therefore a better price at auction)
• Set online listings to last for several days and then end on a Sunday evening, when more people are at home and browsing

When you’re setting prices, remember these things:

• Weigh and measure your item if it’s a factor in delivery costs
• Remember that you might need to buy packaging
• Don’t forget to check postage, courier or other delivery costs, and factor them into your asking price – you can shop around for these
• Are there any other expenses to consider? For example, listings fees, seller fees on what you’ve sold, insurance, and so on.

Do you have any junk to sell after the weekend cupboard declutter, or just hanging around your home? Share your extra selling tips more making the most cash too, if you have any!