Even if you see your electronic devices as long-term investments when you buy them,
eventually they'll reach the point where they've simply outlived their usefulness,
and it's time to trade them in for some cold hard cash.
But how can you be sure that you're getting enough in return for it to be worth your while?
First off, before you do anything else, make sure there's actually a market
for whatever it is you're trying to sell. You'll probably find plenty of buyers for, say, a relatively recent iPhone that's in good condition,
but on the flip side, you probably won't have much luck selling a used inkjet printer
when manufacturers are actually selling brand new ones for less than the cost of the included ink,
and you can learn more about why they do that up here. So I usually start by having a look around on a site like eBay to get a feel for the demand
before wasting any more of my time and energy. This market research stage also serves to give me an idea of how much I can reasonably ask
and what kinds of offers might be way too low.
Remember guys, you want to check what similar items have sold for
rather than getting caught up on what they are listed for.
The next step after deciding you have a decent chance at finding an interested buyer
is to prepare your item properly. It seems like a small thing, but you definitely have a better chance of getting top dollar
if you have all the original accessories and packaging materials,
and you take a few extra minutes to take clear, well-lit photos
that show that the item and its accessories have been cared for.
Now if you don't have the original packaging, that's not the end of the world,
but it is worth trying to find something decent to box the item up in.
You can sometimes order boxes for popular items like iPhones,
but if it's something less common, sometimes local stores will have, for example,
a motherboard box, even if it's not one that's for the same motherboard that you happen to be selling.
Good packaging might not make a difference to this particular sale, by the way,
but it will almost certainly help to avoid negative feedback, which could affect your next one.
So once you've gotten as much packaging together as you can and cleaned up the product to the best of your ability,
you want to decide where you're going to try to sell it.
If you're looking to get actual cash for it, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, eBay,
and app-based marketplaces like Letgo are obvious choices,
but don't assume that they will always be the best solutions.
Although these sites are fine to use, there are regional advantages to one versus another.
Here in Canada, for example, nobody back east uses Craigslist,
and then no one in the west uses Kijiji, and you can often get more money by listing your wares on private,
specialized marketplaces that focus on one category of gadget, like photography gear.
Some of these sites do charge small fees to discourage scammers,
but you can often still come out ahead, especially if your stuff isn't pretty good shape.
However, if you're okay with trading in your gear for gift cards at a retailer,
especially useful if your stuff is damaged, do some shopping around to see who will cut you the best deal.
Sites like Flipsy and Glide can quickly compare offers
if you don't want to bother finding an individual to sell to, but keep in mind guys, you probably won't walk away with as much in your pocket.
Kind of like how places like GameStop are notorious for lowballing the public on game
trade-ins so that they can turn around and make a profit reselling them.
Once you've decided to list, make sure that you not only have good photos and detailed specs,
but that you're paying attention to the words that you use,
because they can affect how appealing your listing sounds.
Just like an online dating profile, you want to make your gadget sound attractive,
so avoid words like old and consider why people might want it.
Is it vintage or retro? Understanding who might want your item and using the right lingo can make a big difference if,
for example, you're trying to invoke a potential buyer's sense of nostalgia.
And speaking of which, consider when you should be selling.
For example, if you're selling a graphics card or a CPU,
I've always found that keeping an eye on the rumors of the upcoming new products
and trying to get rid of my existing stuff proactively before something new replaces it
allows me to recoup much more of my original cost.
And if you have something that you think won't fetch too much money at the moment,
you may also consider holding onto it for a while. Some items can become hard to find replacements,
or even popular collector's pieces once enough time has passed,
like those classic IBM Model M keyboards. Finally, selling around the holidays when people are in a buying mood is never a bad idea,
especially since plenty of us have no interest in waking up at four in the morning
to go into a giant Black Friday brouhaha.
Not a great word, brouhaha. Thanks for watching, guys. Like, dislike, check out our other videos, and subscribe.
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