What is your preferred method of Selling?

[billexploited]

I would like to ask the ebay community what is your preferred method of selling items.

Online - But not limited to Auction Websites, Social Media, Online Store, Webpage

Secondhand Dealers - Pawnbrokers, Antique Buyers, Gold Buyers, etc

Market Stall or Renting a space

Shopfront or Retail Store

Newspaper Advertising Classified 

Personal Selling Face to Face or Garage Sale , Car Boot Sale etc.

[chameleon54]

I have sold through a number of methods over the years. At one stage I was a scout & buyer for an antique shop, recieving good rates as a regular supplier. I have owned a retail garden nursery for many years which included regularly taking plants to fairs, garden days, country shows etc. We have sold at garage sales, swap meets & markets, sold antiques through large city auction houses, sold specialist items at high end fine art auctions, used notice boards & classified adds. I would have to say that ebay is still the easiest & most profitable, but certianly not the most enjoyable. I think selling at car parts swap meets is my preffered method as you get to know the regulars, meet up with friends and discuss common interests. Having said that I rarely sell at swap meets now as I can make more money selling the same items on ebay. I do still go to a few just for a look these days.

[cherry*135]

Online

Garage Sale/car boot sale occasionally, for larger & hard to post items.

[digital*ghost]

At the moment, I am exclusively online, with the odd exception (eg if I happen to mention what I do, some people are quite interested in seeing examples, and I've sold some of my work that way), but by and large online allows me to reach the widest audience at the lowest cost (in terms of both time and money), but in saying that, the goal is to one day have an independent website for my main selling activities, but also a studio with a shopfront.

I had a stint with markets, when I was selling clothing, and that was alright but difficult to build something sustainable. I've done two craft fairs and they were a bit meh for me... You have to invest a huge amount of time and money in creating a variety of stock, but online I can manage well by having all the options available with a few near-finished, then completing assembly as orders come in. 

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

eBay

[davewil1964]

eBay.

Whilst the fees cut into the profit margin, the fact that I have sales offset this.

[springyzone]

 I came into these discussion forums to pick up ideas and tips after almost a decade out from being a seller. I was thinking of putting a few things on but I have been a bit turned off by all the hoops ebay sellers seem to have to jump through these days.

Over the years, I have had some experience with other selling venues (though not as a regular seller, except for ebay 2003-2005)

Here are my impressions.

* Ebay-you get a good audience, you usually don't have to deal face to face with the people but it takes time to list, take photos, post and you can be as careful and painstaking as possible (and we were) and still strike some really strange buyers. We came so close to a neg from one person who was livid in feedback  that the item took 11 days to reach her after being bought, but what she didn't put in her feedback was she had not paid till day 8!! So it can be a bit fraught. Even after you sell and post you don't know if it is all over.

* Gumtree-great site to sell on if you have biggish items or a range of new stuff or something valuable. Absolutely forget it for small items as people don't want to go to the trouble, as gumtree is a pick up only type of venue. But I have been rapt in this site, sold a few bigger furniture items, no fee and nothing to come back and bite you in the backside in the way of feedback.

* Facebook buy/swap/sell local sites. Some don't have a lot of members. Probably not so great for small items as it is pretty much pick up only, so limited market.

* Garage sale-people expect things for next to nothing and will try to beat you down like you wouldn't believe but good if you want a lot of small stuff moved fast and you don't want much for it. Just be careful where you advertise it so you get the most people possible to attend.

* Markets-pretty good, better than garage sales, but pick the right type of market. I liked the market actually, you get a lot of people at some.

* Online webpage. I don't know, would love to hear from others how they manage to get exposure and traffic through their page.