Selling Second Hand and New Stuff Online for a Beginner - Any Advice Appreciated

johnwickspuppy on 30/05/2025 - 14:02
Last edited 30/05/2025 - 15:26 by 1 other user

Hi there,

I've read stuff here on OzBargain, Reddit and other sites and I'm trying to get my head around it all. One relevant post topic is Selling Stuff on Facebook Marketplace from 2023. I have mostly second hand stuff that I want to sell before moving house. The goal is to reduce waste rather than to maximise profit. I want someone else who wants or needs my stuff to have it and pay a decent or bargain price for it, more than I want to recoup the initial cost of my stuff. I really don't want to throw out anything that is still useful. Most of my stuff is clothing and tech (old tech) as I need to keep the essentials eg furniture, new tech, cookware.

Sites
  • OzBargain classifieds - does this get any traction? Looks like it's mostly for gift cards.
  • Gumtree - looks like this site has gone to crap and I should avoid it. Have you used Gumtree successfully recently?
  • eBay - I haven't had an account for about 15-20 years. Is this site any good? JimmyF says he'd rather use eBay even with the fees. I'm not trying to get rich so I like this idea but I don't have an eBay account.
  • FB Marketplace - seems to be the best place but there are many cons eg many people asking "is it still available" followed by no reply.
  • Online local trading post - has this been superseded by FB?
Money transactions
  • Looks like cash is king.
  • Looks like I need to avoid that Pay ID scam.
  • Avoid giving bank details and email.
  • Meet at public place.
  • I don't have PayPal and I don't want to give my bank details. Is there anything better than PayPal. I'm out of the loop.
Other points
  • People say not to advertise for free as it attracts the wrong type of people. Is this still good advice?
  • Anything I can't sell I'll see if the Salvos etc will take it. If not, bin.
  • Apparently cheaper stuff should be sold on FB Marketplace and more expensive stuff on eBay. What's the consensus for cheaper, less than $100?
  • Some stuff I have is very old (old tech) and I need to figure out if there is any demand. For eg, an external monitor that uses the old connections, not sure what it's called but it's not a DV or HDMI connection. I hate e-waste. Can old tech be recycled? I plan on searching for ads to see if they are in demand, ie still useful. Any tips on this?
  • I don't want to invite strangers to my place so even if it's a hassle, I'll ask to meet somewhere in public like a busy shopping precinct. Is this ok?
  • If I go down the eBay path, I'll need to post items which is a another whole topic.
  • How do I determine if the buyer is legit and not trying to ghost me or waste my time?
  • I read somewhere there's a way to advertise on FB so your friends and family don't know you're trying to sell a bunch of stuff. I really need this so I hope it's still a function.
  • I read recently someone buying a brand new flagship phone that turned out to be a fake. Whilst this is a buyer scam, are there any seller scams other than that PayID thing?

Any advice for me? Thank you!

General Discussion

Comments

  • Protractor on 30/05/2025 - 14:09
    +7

    Judging by your post, I think you'd be better off setting up a stall at markets and either using EFTPOS or cash inward.

    • johnwickspuppy on 30/05/2025 - 15:34
      +2

      I forgot that real world markets exists. This is a good idea and I'm gonna look at local markets in my area. Thank you!

  • AustriaBargain on 30/05/2025 - 14:09
    +5

    Good pictures. Talk about it as if it was valuable, like it's taken for granted it's something special even if it's not. People love being sold on things and even if 99% of people will see through it, 1% of people will be thrilled they now own your special thing.

    • johnwickspuppy on 30/05/2025 - 15:36
      +2

      Thank you. What you say makes perfect sense. I would've been lazy and written a short description but your idea is a hell of a lot better.

      • 2esc on 31/05/2025 - 17:58
        +1

        Also list any faults or include photos of the faults. That way your not wasting the buyers time or yours.

        • johnwickspuppy on 31/05/2025 - 19:48

          Good point. I'd rather be honest about the items I'm selling.

  • mskeggs on 30/05/2025 - 14:15
    +4

    Old tech stuff can be collectable to people interested in retro gaming/computing.
    Anything from the era of beige plastics or with a floppy drive is a good yardstick.

    My general approach when moving house is to advertise stuff for very cheap e.g. lawnmower $20 if you collect Saturday between 1pm and 2pm.

    I also put useful stuff on the footpath with a "it works, free" sign and have had good results.

    My local council tip let's you take lots of recycling for free, including things that don't go in the yellow bin like steel items, lightbulbs, chemicals, planter pots, polystyrene and more, but you need to take it in a separate load to chargeable waste.

    • johnwickspuppy on 30/05/2025 - 15:38
      +1

      There a lot of good advice here. Thank you. My local council tip is pretty good too so I'll use them as a last resort if I don't get any buyers and takers.

    • bamzero on 31/05/2025 - 13:02

      Biggest problem with the "works, free" on the curb is the scrap hunters that just come along and cut off the power cable if its not detachable, rendering a functional item as junk for most people.

  • sumyungguy on 30/05/2025 - 14:25
    +1

    Gumtree is trying to reposition by offering payment processing; haven't tried it yet but I do prefer to purchase there in preference to FB; but each has their own pros & cons

    • johnwickspuppy on 30/05/2025 - 15:41

      Thanks for letting me know. I thought Gumtree had lost too much market share so it sounds like they're trying to bring it back. I haven't heard too many pros about Gumtree to be honest. I haven't had a look but my friends talk about FB Marketplace a lot and I never hear them talk about Gumtree. I thought there aren't many users left.

      • sumyungguy on 30/05/2025 - 18:57
        +1

        Consider however not everyone is a FB member, but everyone can access Gumtree; so it depends on your item(s) and whether they appeal to the FB user base

  • Lemond1977 on 30/05/2025 - 14:27
    +1

    In my experience Ebay is best for selling new items, Facebook is best to sell 2nd hand.
    Ebay sides with the buyer in the majority of disputes so best be selling new products where there can be little to dispute.
    Facebook is best to sell 2nd hand stuff, as little chance to dispute as they see it in person and you get your cash.

    • johnwickspuppy on 30/05/2025 - 15:42

      I didn't know eBay sides with the buyer most times. This would be bad if the seller was honest and the buyer was not. After reading your reply I'll consider selling me near-new items on eBay.

  • brendanm on 30/05/2025 - 14:34
    +11

    You seem to be massively overthinking this. Chuck your stuff on Facebook marketplace, deal with "is this still available", and eventually sell it. There are give away groups if you just want rid of it, but even with giving stuff away for free, you will still get time wasters.

    • johnwickspuppy on 30/05/2025 - 15:45

      Yes I do overthink a lot and I like to read before doing something new. I assume by "deal with 'is this still available'", that means replying yes to people and expecting to never hear back? I'll give it a shot. Thank you.

      • brendanm on 30/05/2025 - 19:42
        +2

        Yes. There is no serious downside apart from minor annoyance. We've given a heap of stuff away through it, and you do get some good people who are appreciative, and it's nice that the stuff will actually get used. I've sold a heap of stuff on it, and apart from "is it still available" it's pretty much all gone fine.

        • johnwickspuppy on 30/05/2025 - 22:46
          +1

          That sounds like a very positive experience. I must've read all the negative stuff and got scared so I'm glad you've told me your experience. Thank you.

          • bamzero on 01/06/2025 - 14:42
            +1

            @johnwickspuppy: A lot of the "is this available" problem is because of Facebook, there's a button to send it as the default message and a lot of people press it without even realising. Believe it or not, I once had someone actually reply and apologise saying they must have pressed it by accident :D

            • johnwickspuppy on 02/06/2025 - 21:01

              @bamzero: I had no idea this was a thing. It sounds like FB should remove the button.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 30/05/2025 - 14:43
    +7

    If you want max value out of your trades you’re going to have to be prepared to waste a lot of time these days. For every genuine buyer there’s about 69 oxygen thieves. These days I’d rather just give away or donate stuff I don’t need if I don’t need it. Anything half useful id remotely have a chance of using id rather just hoard than deal with idiots.

    • johnwickspuppy on 30/05/2025 - 15:47

      Thank you Jimothy. I won't aim to get maximum dollars from my second hand stuff. At this stage, it's more important to me to move stuff on. I've read discussions about second hand selling and a lot of people are saying what you're saying, about the time wasters. If I'm reading correctly, it looks like nothing can be done about that. What a shame.

    • Gunnar on 31/05/2025 - 04:20
      +1

      Take my upvote for 69

  • Clickbait on 30/05/2025 - 14:54
    +4

    Decide what you want to get rid of and what to sell. I had a 30+ year old mower with a busted alum chassis. I put on FB Free, and it was picked up in an hour. and I bought a 2yo Masport for $200 which was great value.
    I sold an 8-8 garden shed for $200, that I had painted in Garden Green, and bought a 10-10 in Berige for nothing, took it away. Both were completely happy.
    Had an great looking but old kayak, put it up at $100 and sold for $20. Wooden Toy chests were there in hundreds asking $50-$150, and reluctantly sold 2 for $15 each.
    sold an old TV table for $20. Buyer was delighted not only in price but perfect for her space and style
    Never hold items, but be courteous. One kept promising to be here any minute for nearly an hour. Turns out he was crossing Melb at peak hour, and afraid I wauld release it to someone else.
    Most people on FB just want to sell things for what they think is a reasonable price, and most want to buy for the same reason.
    You will get 10-20% of people on FB who have no understanding of courtesy, but you get the same everywhere even Ozbargain, Enjoy the moments of connection
    If you have something of decent value use facebook but the time/value equation is usually not great.

    • johnwickspuppy on 30/05/2025 - 15:51
      +2

      Thanks Clickbait. That's a lot of good advice for me. You've obviously sold a lot of stuff. I never would've thought of refusing to hold items and it makes sense as people would lie about picking it up another time, except for that one buyer you mentioned. And yes, be courteous. I think that's a good idea and I wish everyone was the same. The way you put it, time-to-value for my selling, I think I understand and now I know what to expect. Thank you.

    • Jimothy Wongingtons on 30/05/2025 - 15:53
      +1

      Buyer was delighted

      I will say it’s an underrated interaction when the buyer turns out to

      1) not be a scammer

      2) not going to drug you and steal your kidneys when your wife arranges a meet up and sends you to a deserted car park to sell your kids old toy for $3.50

      3) actually really happy with the buy

      • Clickbait on 30/05/2025 - 16:40

        That's the way it started but I decided I needed to clear up ,and it was mainly but not quite fun.
        And when you find you caqn get money for stuff you wondered how you were going to get rid of for years

    • johnwickspuppy on 30/05/2025 - 15:52

      This is a good service from Officeworks. Thanks for letting me know.

    • eccaz on 31/05/2025 - 00:36
      +1

      Not sure if this is still around, has disappeared from my local officeworks at least.

  • FireRunner on 30/05/2025 - 15:32
    +1

    I list on eBay and FB marketplace.

    Given up on Gumtree, it’s always scam bots and absolute low ballers.
    It doesn’t cost anything to list there and you might have better luck in your area so might be worth a shot.

    List on all three platforms to maximise visibility

    • johnwickspuppy on 30/05/2025 - 15:55

      Thanks for your reply. It makes sense to list in multiple places to maximise visibility. I wouldn't have thought of that. I supposed I'd have to be vigilant and remove the eBay ad if I sell on FB or another platform. If I understand correctly, once a buyer clicks buy and pay on eBay, I'd have to make sure they receive the item. I'm unsure what happens if I cancel apart from pissing off the buyer. Would I incur some kind of penalty on eBay? Just wondering.

  • stickingly on 30/05/2025 - 17:06
    +2

    I buy and sell a fair bit of stuff, a lot of which comes from hard rubbish. Unfortunately, as much as I hate Facebook, Marketplace seems to be the go-to these days. Yes, you get a lot of enquiries with no follow up.

    You hear about scams but you don't hear about the hundreds of transactions that happen successfully every day without issue.
    Once I have had a few messages with someone I have no issue with people coming my house to pick stuff up and paying with Payid (as long as I can see it in my account before they leave), and have never had an issue (apart from a few idiots who try to negotiate further once you have already agreed on a price online, but they are in the minority)

    • johnwickspuppy on 30/05/2025 - 18:05

      I got the impression FB Marketplace is the most widely used one too. Yes it's true that the bad stuff gets reported whereas no one reports the positive or neutral experiences because they don't feel the need to. I'll give Marketplace a go. Thanks for your reply and advice.

  • altomic on 30/05/2025 - 17:29
    +4

    If they agree to pick up from your place at a certain date and time then give them your mobile number (put your suburb in the ad - 90% of people will still ask “what suburb for pick up?”) and say “message me by phone when you’re on your way and I’ll send the address” .

    If they are genuine buyers then they’ll message you and you’ll give your address and they’ll arrive.

    This is what I’ve done for ~50 items and only had one person not show after they had messaged me by phone.

    • johnwickspuppy on 30/05/2025 - 18:11
      +1

      Thanks for this tip. I don't want to give my address out to the internet and this solves that problem.

  • apsilon on 30/05/2025 - 18:54
    +1

    I've been decluttering a mountain of stuff the past couple of months as I'm going to downsize this year so have sold and given away a lot recently. It's still worth putting stuff on Gumtree as long as you know how to spot scams. You'll get more clicks on FB and more of the "still available" rubbish followed by ghosting but the genuine enquiries on Gumtree seem to lowball less (never used to be this way). I even had one guy negotiate on an item then give me the original full amount when they turned up.

    If you just want to get rid of stuff then put it free or cheap on FB and it'll be gone quick. More expensive items that you're happy to sit on for a while put on both Gumtree and FB.

    Never tried selling on ebay, seems like too much hassle with them siding with scammers in disputes and having to pay a fee. Classifieds here I've only tried a few times and only once got an enquiry which turned out wasn't serious. Trading post still exists?

    Cash is certainly the preferred option IMO even though you then have the hassle of depositing it. I've done some payid/osko for larger value items but only where they're happy to do it in advance to ensure it clears and not rely on some screenshot etc.

    • johnwickspuppy on 30/05/2025 - 22:50

      Thanks. That is a lot of good information for a beginner like me. Yes I have to learn how to spot scams and that was one of the reasons I created this post.

      • apsilon on 31/05/2025 - 08:48
        +1

        It's usually obvious stuff like wanting to pay via some link that they'll typically claim is an AustPost service or your item has been reported for a violation and you need to click a link etc. That or wanting to pay via osko/payid and sending a screenshot of the payment which can easily be faked.

  • DemocracyManifest on 31/05/2025 - 00:52
    +1

    Marketplace is ok, free or cheap stuff triggers the scammers but the scam is obvious. PayID for low value stuff is fine, cash for most things people are happy to sort. EBay is mostly fine, I had 2 out of suppose nearly 100 sales try to do the dodgy with a dispute but they lost.

    • johnwickspuppy on 31/05/2025 - 02:34

      Thanks for the info. Wow eBay sided with you? I guess it was obvious they were dodgy. Glad you won the disputes.

      • DemocracyManifest on 01/06/2025 - 12:44
        +1

        Had a guy break a fin on a GPU to
        Get a refund, he sent it back working but eBay wouldn’t even compensate me for getting a replacement fan, that was shit. Was able to fix and resell but this was in Covid times so it was worth $450ish. Second was a pair of second hand rm Williams, bloke tried to dispute saying the soles were worn (they actually weren’t, I had pictures of them at all angles). That took a few weeks for eBay to sort.

        • johnwickspuppy on 02/06/2025 - 21:01
          +1

          Some people are terrible! No wonder sellers get fed up. Good thing you only had to deal with 2 of them.

    • AustriaBargain on 31/05/2025 - 04:54
      +1

      People with Indian names claiming to be out of state or buying something for their child who lives in Australia, they are all scams. Even the ones that aren't scams are scams.

      • DemocracyManifest on 01/06/2025 - 12:45

        Yeah the payid scam is always a attempt on low value goods, and it’s obvious when they start asking for a price of a courier

  • eccaz on 31/05/2025 - 01:52
    +1

    For items that are postable, you’ll generally get a better price and less fuss on eBay.

    Marketplace has the widest reach, and with that comes the timewasters. Don’t let them get to you, just say no thanks or ignore them.

    Take good photos and multiple angles, ask for 10-20% above the price you want and let them bargain you down a little.

    • johnwickspuppy on 31/05/2025 - 02:37

      Good advice. Thank you. I have things that fit into a normal size shoe box so I'll consider eBay for them.

  • Speckled Jim on 31/05/2025 - 10:06
    +1

    it's not a DV or HDMI

    So a 15 pin VGA port? It's a niche period-correct demand (I'd say 10% of buyers) but worth offering. Local tip will have an e-waste spot for it should you run out of time.

    An almost related aside, there's a 12 year old 24" LCD with DVI, DP and VGA ports going free near me. I should probably get it!

    • Speckled Jim on 01/06/2025 - 09:35
      +1

      Got it
      https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/88188/121902/dell_2414…

      Funny thing? Ad was up since early April, fella said he had four nibbles yesterday. Nearly OzB'd myself, thankfully he actually had two to give away!

      As an aside, best GT experience ever. Leisurely drive there, beautiful neighbourhood, lovely bloke and a mint 1965 Pontiac GTO was behind me briefly. He revved it up for me too!

      • johnwickspuppy on 01/06/2025 - 10:57

        Nice! Glad you got it. Yeah my old monitor is like that. I assume it's a 15 pin VGA port. VGA sounds familiar. It's definitely not HDMI. Hopefully I can find someone like you who could use it. Sounds like you had very nice drive too.

  • cfuse on 31/05/2025 - 12:13
    +1

    I don't know if it is still the case but I always found as a seller that the higher the sale price the fewer the problems with the buyer and vice versa.

    • johnwickspuppy on 01/06/2025 - 12:40

      Makes sense as there would be less people willing to look for and pay for higher priced items.

  • bamzero on 31/05/2025 - 13:42
    +1

    Seems everything is pretty well covered, just a few points to add:

    I never use paypal, but no problem with PayID. I warn them first that some banks will delay first time payments 24 hours, and no goods taken until money is in my account.

    The two main PayID scams are online ones which as you probably know by now, will say they paid, send a screenshot and request an email address or something and some crap about funds being held. Pretty easy to ignore.
    The in person ones are a little more crafty, using fake apps to make it look like it's been paid but of course, bank is holding for 24 hours… whereby they con you to letting them take the goods. (I wonder where is old mate "Deon Hong" these days.)

    You're still giving away info though, so I can suggest Up bank for PayID as they supply an address of [email protected] (it was years ago when I set up so hopefully they still do), no need to give your phone or email then.

    For those that want old school transfers, see which of your banks allow you to create extra free accounts easily (Macquarie etc) or just set up with any of the bank that gives fee free accounts. I have extras set up that are there for nothing other than to receive money from strangers, making it fairly low risk to give out bank details.

    Nothing wrong with meeting at a public place, usually it's just the inconvenience to you because of those that are late or don't show at all.
    The other thing I've seen reported is just the grab and dash, they'll come to have a look at the item then just do a runner with it.

    For free stuff, see if there are any small give away groups on FB for your area.

    • johnwickspuppy on 01/06/2025 - 12:42

      That's interesting to know you've never had issues with PayID. I hear about the scams but I don't really hear about the good experiences. I have no idea about PayID and I'm not sure if it would be worth using it or opening an Up Bank account. I'll look into it though. Thanks for your detailed input.

      • bamzero on 01/06/2025 - 14:01
        +1

        Nothing wrong with sticking to cash only too. I don't mind EFTs as its just easier for me. (The only thing I use cash for anymore is buying other stuff off marketplace).

        It's just the people that say NO PAYID like instant mention of it means scam. Just a better way of doing EFT (PayID itself is really just an addressing system for EFTs using the New Payments Platform, which can do instant transfers. Many banks use the NPP when doing regular BSB/Account transfers now too so it's still instant). It's actually the banks putting these 24 hour delays on what was supposed to be instant that created half the problems in the first place. It's inconsistent and causes doubt. But just treat it like a normal bank transfer and it's fine. Cash in account, release goods.

        I'd still rather use that than give out bank details, though as I mentioned not that big a deal to just create new accounts these days anyway. PayID has the advantage of displaying a name to the sender so they can verify it's correct first.

        While there's plenty of scammers out there, on the flip side there are buyers that are very trusting. I've had people pay sight unseen, to hold goods or to get the item posted.

  • brendanm on 02/06/2025 - 16:08
    +1

    Funny marketplace story for today:

    I have a car bike rack listed, it's $20. Someone asks "is this still available?". I checked their profile, they actually live nearby and seem to exist. I say yes. They ask what suburb for pickup, I tell them. They then send "okay, I'll have to pray for the money".

    • johnwickspuppy on 02/06/2025 - 20:57

      Hahaha!! If the praying ends up working can you let me know as I'm a bit short of money right now.

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