How to make money selling online and what actually sells

Almost every household has things sitting unused that other people would buy. The challenge is knowing what is worth listing, where to list it, and how to price it in a way that produces a sale rather than a months-long wait. The platforms have different audiences and different norms, and matching the right item to the right platform makes a meaningful difference to how quickly things sell.

Vinted for clothes

Vinted has become the dominant platform for second-hand clothing in the UK. The buyer pays the fee rather than the seller, which means you receive the full amount of your listed price. This is a significant advantage over eBay for clothing. Items that sell consistently include branded casual wear, quality basics, activewear, and children's clothing. The children's category in particular moves quickly because children outgrow things before they wear out. Good photos taken in natural light make a noticeable difference to how fast items sell. Bundles, where a buyer takes several items from the same seller, are common and worth encouraging.

eBay for electronics, collectables, and branded goods

eBay works well for items with a known market value, where buyers search by specific model or brand. Old phones, laptops, cameras, gaming consoles and games, branded trainers, tools, and niche collectables all tend to find buyers. The auction format works for items where demand is uncertain. A fixed buy-it-now price works better for items with a clear market rate. Check what completed listings for the same item actually sold for, not just what they are currently listed at, to set a realistic price.

Facebook Marketplace for furniture and large items

Facebook Marketplace is the practical choice for anything too large or heavy to post. Furniture, appliances, garden equipment, children's bikes, and exercise equipment all sell well locally. The main advantage is avoiding postage entirely. The main disadvantage is that buyers sometimes do not show up. Asking buyers to confirm the day before collection and not removing a listing until collection has happened reduces wasted time.

Pricing realistically

The most common mistake is pricing based on what something originally cost rather than what the market will pay. Second-hand goods depreciate significantly and quickly in most categories. Checking what the same or similar item has actually sold for recently on the platform gives a more useful reference than the original receipt. Items priced at or slightly below the going rate sell faster, and a faster sale is almost always better than a higher price that takes three months.

Keep track of what you earn

The trading allowance means you can earn up to £1,000 per tax year from selling goods without needing to report it to HMRC. This covers casual sales of personal possessions. If you buy items specifically to resell them at a profit, that is trading income and the rules are different. Keeping simple records of what you sell and for how much is a sensible habit from the start.