Imagine this: you’re cleaning out your closet and finding an old jacket you haven’t worn in years! It was still in good condition, but it no longer fits you and is not your style anymore.
So instead of throwing it away, you decided to sell it online. You initially priced the item at $20, but to your surprise, the bid grew until the highest bidder purchased it for $75!
That’s a lot of money for something that’s supposed to end up in the trash!
If you have any unwanted items at home, you can turn that trash into money when you sell items online. You have many options, such as the Facebook marketplace, eBay, and Gumtree.
But for this purpose, we’ll examine eBay vs Gumtree if you want to sell unused or unwanted items to make more money!
I will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each option so you can make an informed decision on the best platform to use.
Article Overview
How Does Gumtree Work?
Why Sell Online via Gumtree?
1. No Listing Fees
2. Easy to Use
3. Reach Your Target Market
4. Buyer Interaction
5. Control Over Sales
How Does eBay Work?
Why Sell Online via eBay?
1. eBay Reputation
2. More Customers
3. Multiple Selling Formats
4. Seller Protection
5. Diverse Revenue Streams
Gumtree or eBay: Which is Best for Selling Items Online?
FAQs
How Does Gumtree Work?
Gumtree is an online marketplace where you can sell goods or services and find potential buyers. The online platform operates in 11 countries, which include Australia, the UK, and South Africa.
Gumtree has over 11 million unique visitors per month, making it one of the most popular marketplaces online.
But how does the website work? First, you must create an account on the website.
Once registered, you can post an “ad” for your items. Gumtree enables users to post various things to sell, such as clothes, mobile phones, electronic devices, and any excess stuff they have at home that they no longer use.
When you post an ad or items to sell, you must include a title and a description. Be sure to provide photos of the item you are selling.
Make sure to list the price for that item and how your customer wants it delivered to them. There is also an option for buyers to collect the item via a pickup location if they prefer that (such as a post office in your local area).
Finally, it would be best to communicate with the Gumtree buyers how they want to get the item and how they can pay you. Communication with potential customers takes place within the website’s messaging system.
Another unique feature of using Gumtree to sell online is the ability to set and negotiate prices with customers. It’s a great way to attract more buyers for your item, allowing them to strike a deal.
Therefore, you must be realistic about your pricing expectations and know how to set a limit to get enough sales.
Aside from being completely free to post ads, you don’t have to pay any fees or commissions to Gumtree for listing your items to sell. You can keep most of your profits from that sale.
You would only have to pay when you use other services not available with the free account. For example, you want to promote your listing to stand out from the competition and showcase your products to more buyers.
Gumtree is an excellent platform to make extra cash by selling unused items at home. So instead of having these things around your house, you can de-clutter them and make money.
Why Sell Online via Gumtree?
Aside from the Facebook marketplace or eBay, Gumtree provides an excellent platform for those who want to make some cash with any unused goods at home.
No wonder this is emerging as one of the better alternatives to other sites that charge exorbitant fees for listing your products for sale.
You can enjoy many benefits for selling online via Gumtree, such as the following.
1. No Listing Fees
Many sellers prefer Gumtree because you won’t pay any fees for listing an item for sale. It’s one of the most appealing aspects of this online marketplace.
Whereas other marketplace charges you a fee or slashes a commission off your sales, it is free to use, and you can keep all the money you paid for an item.
2. Easy to Use
If you’re new to selling online, you won’t have to worry about using Gumtree since it has a user-friendly interface. It is easy to set up an account and sell your items.
You can easily navigate the website and find the tools you need to sell. You can post your ad and start making money from that item.
3. Reach Your Target Market
Gumtree is an online platform that operates in numerous countries. Therefore, you can reach your intended target market through this platform, making it easier to sell your items.
Gumtree has over 15 million unique visits per month, so you can leverage its popularity to generate sales and make extra cash.
4. Buyer Interaction
Another advantage of selling through this marketplace is interacting with your customers directly.
The website has a messaging system that enables you to maintain direct communication with potential buyers, especially if they have questions about the condition of an item or when you are negotiating prices.
Communicating with the seller in real time builds confidence among the buyers. This relationship not only helps you to sell an item online but also ensures repeat customers.
5. Control Over Sales
Gumtree provides its account owners full control over the sales process., such as the ability to negotiate prices and how the item is delivered to the buyer.
It empowers sellers to know they have a high level of control over how they can set the best price when selling items and how much profit they can make.
How Does eBay Work?
eBay is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms worldwide. You must first register an account when selling items on the eBay marketplace.
Once your account is set up, you can list items with your free account using the allowed number of listings per month.
You can also purchase an eBay store subscription. There are various store levels, each allowing you to list a certain amount of items per month without paying an additional fee.
Of course, you can always consider buying the next subscription level to scale your business and list more items.
However, eBay charges a fee whenever a buyer purchases your listing. You must consider these fees when determining the price for the items in your store because eBay takes a cut out of every sale.
Currently, there are over 185 million active users and buyers on eBay. It makes it one of the most popular marketplace online for selling items.
If you want to sell things and make money, it’s an excellent place to start because the website is already popular, which means you have the potential to target your ideal buyers.
Why Sell Online via eBay?
You have many options for an online marketplace, so why choose eBay? There are several benefits to choosing eBay to sell items online.
1. eBay Reputation
The most distinct advantage of selling via eBay is buyers’ trust and credibility for this website. It is a legitimate ecommerce platform, so buyers are more confident buying from this website than any other marketplace.
2. More Customers
eBay has over 150 million users, and this number continues to grow. Therefore, setting up an eBay store and choosing to sell through this platform means you have access to more buyers for your products.
3. Multiple Selling Formats
eBay is unique from other types of marketplace because you have various selling formats available. For instance, you can create an eBay listing for traditional new items to sell, such as consumer electronics, clothes, and other consumer goods.
You can add the Buy Now option, meaning the item is available for purchase on a fixed price basis.
On the other hand, you can also sell items via auction style. The highest bidder is awarded the right to buy the item sold from your store.
The various selling formats give you more options to sell items and target more buyers.
4. Seller Protection
The seller protection policies on eBay are one of the most appealing aspects of selling via eBay. You have protection against fraudulent buyers and those buyers who have not paid for their items.
It gives you peace of mind that you will get paid for the items they purchase.
5. Diverse Revenue Streams
Aside from choosing multiple selling formats, various selling models are available through eBay. You can start your store as a traditional retailer or as a dropshipper.
These options offer a way to diversify your income source and boost your revenue stream.
Gumtree or eBay: Which is Best for Selling Items Online?
In conclusion, Gumtree and eBay are excellent choices for an online marketplace. If you’re selling within your local area and want to avoid postage costs, you might want to consider selling via Gumtree.
But if you are serious about growing your business as an online seller, it pays to invest in a reputable platform like eBay. You can leverage its traffic and popularity to reach more buyers and close a sale.
The fees are a small price to pay for the potential of making sales from targeted buyers.
FAQs
Is there a fee for selling on Gumtree?
Listing an item for sale on Gumtree is free. Therefore, it is a good option for sellers with unwanted items they want to list on the website since you can maximize your sales earnings.
However, there are additional fees for other services. Services that include a fee will be clearly marked, and you can review the terms before you accept them.
Does Gumtree have an app?
Yes. Gumtree has an app that is available for Android and iOS users.
Do you need an account to sell on Gumtree?
Yes. You need to set up an account on the Gumtree website to list items for sale.
Is Gumtree better than eBay?
Gumtree offers several benefits that make it a good alternative to eBay. For instance, it is cheaper to post items for sale, and it is also simplified.
It’s a good option if you only want to sell a few items and are not intent on setting up a legitimate online store.
However, eBay is a reputable online platform for e-commerce businesses.
It is still the best option if you are serious about growing your online selling business since you can use the trust and credibility of the website as leverage to win over buyers and reach a wider market.
