My Maxsold (Downsizing and Estate Sales) Review

What is Maxsold?


Maxsold is an online auction platform with a local pick-up component (no shipping involved), located all over North America. (Here is a list of the locations where Maxsold sales have been!) I have used them successfully four separate times as a reseller and have gained lots of insight of how it all works. This review will be filled with many personal experiences and a case study of my last auction, which just finished June 27, 2020.

Maxsold offers a quick turn around of about two weeks from beginning to end for those who need to downsize in a hurry or run an estate sale and have everything sell! Yes, that is true, most everything does sell!

Two Options of How it Works


You have the option of hiring a local Maxsold team (“Maxsold Managed”) to come to your house or property and sell everything you want them to! They do not “cherry pick” just the valuable stuff, so you can sell everyday household belongings too! The team will catalog and list all your items into lots: gardening stuff, office supplies, artwork, toys, dinnerware, etc. Before they come your job is to separate and take out any personal items that you don’t want to sell. The team will come to your location, take photos, create the listings, manage the pick-up day and do everything else for you too: advertising, communication, bookkeeping and payment collection. They will only need to be in your space two times: one before and one after the sale. Maxsold will then send you your earnings check (less Maxsold fees) in about fourteen days. Done! Easy peasy!

Or

You can set up a “Seller Managed” auction, where you do the on-site work (listing, photographing and pick-up duties) while the online team runs the auction, provides the advertising, manages the buyer communication and collects the payments for you. After the online auction is completed, Maxsold sends the seller a list of buyers and which lot numbers they won, along with winning bid prices. Once the buyer has paid, they receive the exact location address where they will come to pick up their items. They can also select the time slot for pick-up! I have scheduled all my pick-up days for Saturdays, from 10am-2pm on two occasions and from 9am-4pm on the other two occasions. Once the pick-up day is completed, the seller fills out a final report and sends via email it to Maxsold. A paper check will be delivered to the seller (less Maxsold fees) within about fourteen days or so. Boom, you are done!

What Does it Cost?


My four auctions have been all “Seller Managed”. I did all the leg work (listing and pick-up) and chose to sell items from many of my consignors as well as my own inventory, since I am a long time online seller with tons of stuff! A lot of the inventory was slow moving stock from my eBay store and so the lots I created helped me “move” many hundreds of items! Last summer I helped with liquidating a huge sixty-year old estate and my Maxsold sale was made up of kitchen ware, flower arrangements, picture frames, gardening tools, books and books, sporting equipment, sewing supplies, office supplies as well as collectible figurines, artwork and so much more. There was so much stuff to sell, and about 85-90% of the items did in fact sell. I gave the remainder of the items to a local charity in my area.

Take a Look at Past Auctions


One easy way to see what a Maxsold auction looks like is to review a selection of past auctions. They are categorized by city and state location. Click on this link to see past Maxsold auctions. How do so many items sell with Maxsold? The answer is very simple: all bidding begins at $1. Yes, $1. The buyers are excited to jump into the bidding with such low minimum bids, and the sellers are hopeful that it creates lots of interest in their auction items and drive the prices upward!

SELLER WARNING: Some items/lots will indeed sell for $1! So be prepared! Most of the active bidding happens toward the end of the auction, when prices will jump depending on how many bidders are online.

 

Free to Register As a Bidder


Maxsold is free to register if you intend to bid on an auction. However, you will pay a buyer’s premium (18% of the total invoice) at the end of the sale, which is an accepted practice.

There is also a soft close on Maxsold auctions. A soft close prevents individuals from entering a bid at the very last second before an auction closes with the intent to prevent others from bidding higher. MaxSold has a two-minute soft close policy on each lot.

This means that if a bidder enters a bid within two minutes of the lot’s initial closing time, a two-minute extension would be added on. The lot will not close until bidding is static for two minutes. This practice is common for many auction houses.

Advertising by Maxsold


One very important feature about Maxsold is their ongoing advertising campaigns. They use Facebook, Twitter, EstateSales.net, auctionzip, Craigslist, Pinterest and other sites to advertise your auctions. If more people are reached, then more people may register, bid and win! The Maxsold search engine retrieves all the local auctions by distance, say within an 80-mile distance from the auction’s zip code. From my experience my winning bidders have traveled from as far as two-three hours away from my location in Mill Valley, CA in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“There is always good stuff in Mill Valley”, said one of my most recent bidders. “And you are always always so organized during pick-up, Anne!”

 

Auction Info


I try to run auctions for a length of seven to ten days (maximum). That gives potential bidders a time to respond to the advertising and to scroll through upcoming and current sales in order to find my auction, and have plenty of time to bid!

Once you have listed everything, either by computer with uploaded digital photos or with the FREE mobile Ninja app for cataloging an online Maxsold auction. There have been many improvements made to the app, which is so quick an easy to use like the ability to upload from your phone’s photo gallery and saving your work at every step.

It’s easy to upload a couple of lots one day and come back to create more the next time you login. Not all your listings have to be made at one time. My last auction took me many months, because we were in the midst of COVID and I knew no auctions were taking place anywhere. I had lot of time to formulate my listings! Click here to see my auction from June 2020!

If you are interested in becoming a seller please use my referral link: ZA7814! You will get $100 off on your fees!

Case Studies of My Maxsold Auctions


As a Top Rated eBay Seller and person who continually “Moves Things Around the Universe”, I heard about Maxsold from a guest named Craig Dawson on Jason Smith’s eBay Thrifty Business YouTube Show back in early 2019. Craig said it was quick, easy and very successful for him because he already wanted to ramp up his own auctions. He had lots of inventory and some of it hadn’t sold in a long time. He turned his frustration into a trial with Maxsold auctions. He formed over one hundred lots, of mostly antique toys and collectibles. He set the launch date, the auction ran, he supervised the pick-up and two weeks later had a nice check for his efforts.

One of my first thoughts was, “I can do that!” That perked my interest mainly because I had a lot of older slow moving inventory sitting around. I wanted to clear our space in my eBay office for new offerings, so I used his referral code and gave it a try! I spoke with Maxsold on the phone and they were very responsive. I filled out the contract and gathered information about the step by step process and within a month I had my first auction ready to roll!

Personal Background: I have been selling eBay since July 6, 1998! Yup 22 years! I’ve received over 10,000 positive feedbacks as a Top Rated Seller over that time! I have sold a ton of stuff! Most of it under $50 for each sale! I have sold on Amazon as an FBA Seller (Fulfilled by Amazon) and as a Merchant Seller (I ship my items sold on Amazon myself to buyer). I have done scores of garage sales locally in Marin County, CA (SF Bay Area). I sell on local marketplaces too including Craig’s List, Facebook Marketplace, NextDoor, and by using old-fashioned Classified Ads back in the day. I also am a long time eBay Education Specialist (eBay’s old term and now defunct program) and have taught hundred’s of folks all about selling on eBay. Fast forward to my reaching new students by offering an online course called “The ABC’s of Selling Online Using eBay” on Udemy.

I sell my own inventory like used tennis balls (for dog owners) and sports equipment to books and movie and music memorabilia. I also sell on consignment for people that are downsizing, moving or just clearing their clutter! I try not to put all my “eggs in one basket” and for that reason I found that Maxsold could enhance my sales by filling a void in the need for inventory reduction and start fresh again with new items to sell!

The biggest benefit for me and my clients are how many individual items I can sell in a week’s time and have it all gone at the end of ten days. Plus receive payment within another fourteen days! Below you will see info about the four sales I have had with Maxsold from a year ago (May 2019) to this past week (June 2020). About half of the items were my from my own inventory and the other half from my consignors. It’s proven to be a load lightening experience. I am sharing personal information on my completed sales below.

Here is the link to my May 2019 Maxsold sale! There is quite a variety of items in this sale: men’s ties, baseball cards and artwork and way more! I sold a total of 79 lots. Here is my final take at the end of it all: $450.81. Better than most of my garage sales!

 

 

Here is the link to my August 2019 Maxsold sale! These items were primarily from a family’s estate that hadn’t sold during their estate sale. The event saw 33 registered bidders, with a gross total of approximately $526.61. 72.10% Sold. This sale was not quite as profitable, mainly because my lots were too big. If I had broken them down into smaller lots, I think I would have sold more. Lesson learned. Still, so many things were picked up that it was a win in that department! There was a coupon applied to my profit of $100 which helped as well! The “no sale” was an electric guitar that went unpaid. I relisted in my next Maxsold auction.

 

 

Here is the link to my November 2019 Maxsold sale! The weather was changing and garage sale season was coming to an end in the SF Bay Area. I had to get this in quickly because my pick-up location is out of doors and I didn’t want it to rain on my parade! Whew! It didn’t rain! This sale had 89 lots that had bids and was made of up dolls, household items and memorabilia. This time the electric guitar sold for $36 to a nice young man who was so excited to win this Decca vintage instrument! I was very happy for him! This was my least successful sale in terms on profit, but once again, I move so many things on without the shipping hassle of eBay! Another win in my book!

Fast forward to 2020 and I was ready with more inventory to move quickly, mainly to reclaim space in my eBay office. It fills up quickly with all the consignment accounts I have going. The first question to ask yourself is your sale worth at least $300, since that is the bottom line cost for running a “Seller Managed” auction. For this sale, I downloaded the Maxsold mobile app and used the login info provided by Maxsold.

I worked on it slowly in the beginning of the new year and then COVID hit, so I stopped temporarily. With some friendly email reminders and a few supportive phone calls from the Maxsold staff, I resumed my cataloging and got back to work on my latest auction.

Once things started to re-open in California and I did the Covid training for “Seller Managed” auctions about social distancing and spacing pick-up times. I am lucky to have an outdoor pick-up spot, near my eBay office as you can see from the photo below. Notice the hand sanitizer and wipes ready to go! Also, I sorted the lots by winning bidder and labels on all of them to check and double check that all the items were present. I use lots of old boxes and bags to gather the lots up, though it is suggested by Maxsold that buyers bring their own container for pick-up.

I am waiting for my final talleys on sales and fees, which I will add to this post once they are ready. You will see that I had one hundred lots sell and there were 34 winning bidders. Many bidders are successful on multiple lots! Here is the link to my June 2020 Maxsold auction.

This sale had many bags of Legos, power tools, toys, artwork and other assorted items. So many items were pick-up that didn’t go into the landfill and I made more space in my eBay for new consignments and inventory for future sales. My sale grossed a total of approximately $626.10. 83.20% Sold. I was happy even if I have yet to reach the $1000 mark in sales, which would be nice.

My June 2020 Maxsold Sale

Maxsold Buyers Are Very Nice!


One of the best part about meeting the people who win my auction items is that I find them incredibly nice. They come from far and wide: Monterrey, San Jose, Oakland, San Francisco and towns in Marin County too! They are very happy to get the deals they do! AND I am so happy that they pick it up, all in one day!

With the Covid rules in place, there were specific time slots for pick-up which actually was a good thing, so I new who to expect next. Some folks arrived early, which was fine, since all the items were labeled by person and ready to go in my alley way. I enjoy asking if they were resellers or just collectors and possibly both! Many of my buyers are now repeat buyers and remember my location as being an easy one to access for pick-up.

At the end of the day, all but two items were picked up, which I reported on my end of sale report to Maxsold. I will be seeing my check in about fourteen days. It is usually delivered by DHL envelope to my front door.

New Contract


As a repeat seller, I always look ahead to the next possible window for my next Maxsold sale and will sign a new contract very soon. I hope to have it in the Fall of 2020. No doubt with all my consignor clients, I will have plenty of inventory to lot up and put into a new auction. I think that having more lots, hopefully a little higher dollar value will bring in a larger profit for me. That’s my next goal, since my first four sales were about liquidating and moving a volume of items.

I have not posted very valuable or expensive items because I am frankly worried that the $1 starting bid will not bring me top dollar necessarily. I have heard from Maxsold that people often sell cars for thousands of dollars, again with a $1 opening bid. I’m a bit more chicken!

What Sells?


The short answer: most everything. The long answer: it will depend on timing and your audience. All I can say is that with Maxsold it really is a buyer’s market. The audience, while growing, is still limited to people who scroll through the local listings and are available to be there in person for the pick-up.

Many buyers are re-sellers themselves. Others bid and purchase to help others. One of my buyers, finds all the sleeping bags and camping equipment she can and donates to some Native American groups in the West. Other buyers find deals for themselves: perhaps bulk material for sewing and arts and crafts projects, or teachers buying things for their classrooms. Check out this video about how Mari Nicolson creates beautiful art from the discarded belongings featured on the Maxsold website.

It is a mixed bag and also diverse reasons for buying. Get your creative juices flowing with the possibility of re purposing items you may find on Maxsold. Click here to watch a Maxsold video webinar with Serena Appiah from Thrift Diving and be inspired!

So if you know your market is mixed, then try to sell an assortment of items. Usual items from estate sales do just fine: mirrors and artwork and kitchen equipment and tools from the workshop. Whatever you have, it probably will sell. Usual sells as well as lots of DVD’s and CD’s! Here is a link to the Maxsold website “The 10 Weirdest Things That You Can Find at An Estate Sale”.

Don’t forget to check out their YouTube videos on everything Maxsold!

Here is the link to their page.

Maxsold Selling Points


Less than a week after my sale was completed I received an email from the Maxsold staff with a tracking number and carrier info on when my check will arrive.

Here is some info from that email that I liked a lot!

“By selling through MaxSold you have made an environmentally responsible
decision to reduce your carbon footprint by extending the useful life of
your things.

Because all our goods are bought and sold locally, you have helped eliminate
the carbon footprint associated with packing material and shipping
emissions.

A big thank you from your entire local team as well as your support for
hiring MaxSold.”

Recap


Pluses

  • Almost everything will sell in a Maxsold sale
  • Online auction rather than in person sale
  • All items begin with a low $1 minimum bid (good for buyers)
  • No shipping required – local pick-up only
  • So awesome for selling furniture or larger, bulky items that frankly require local pick-up! Buyers come to you!
  • The Maxsold team provides very good communication via email and phone, especially for sellers!
  • Maxsold auctions can be a great tool for huge inventory reduction!
  • Any profit is a good one!
  • The Maxsold Seller App is easy to use and upload
  • Maxsold website has a bunch of educational tips and tricks from the pros on their website
  • The auctions use a “soft close” which can extend the auction time to create more bidding and increase price (good for sellers)
  • The online auctions are FREE to register
  • Great opportunities in sourcing new inventory as a reseller! (Check out info for resellers by watching 2 Maxsold videos)
  • Competition with other online buyers can be low, depending on auction sites and lots available
  • The start to finish time is short (10 days) for Maxsold Managed Sales – and they do all the work!
  • Maxsold handles the advertising and you can promote in your own circles too!
  • Buyers are very nice!
  • If you have an actual storefront and use for pick-up, you may increase your customer base with return buyers!
  • Payment at end of process is received within 14 days of pick-up day
  • Maxsold really works!
  • Sky’s the limit on profits depending on what you are selling!
  • It is possible to make money as a referral seller!
  • Great option to create one’s own sale OR have Maxsold manage the whole process

 

(Here is my personal code for you to save using Maxsold!:

Referral link – ZA7814! You will get $100 off on your fees!)

 


Minuses

  • Items can actually sell for the low starting bid of $1 (not good for sellers)
  • The $300 or 30% fee (which ever is greater) is rather steep if you don’t have high priced items
  • Communication with buyers can only be done through Maxsold customer service
  • Setting up lots for sale is a bit hit-and-miss until a good balance is made for what to put in each lot and how big a lot!
  • Buyers may be stuck with some items in the lot they don’t really desire
  • Using the online spreadsheet is a bit more cumbersome than the mobile app for setting up a “Seller Managed” auction
  • A pick-up day can be a long one, unless a seller can pair down the time frame, say 10am-2pm rather than 9am-4pm
  • As a buyer if you aren’t able to pick-up, you may forfeit your purchase (please let Maxsold know of any issues)
  • Buyers are limited to geographic region only, for example SF Bay Area for me because of local pick-up only
  • Getting past the fear of jumping in and giving Maxsold a try
  • Final profits may not be as high as a seller may have hoped for
  • Putting lots together can take a bit of time and one must be organized to run a “Seller Managed” sale including writing fair and honest descriptions and taking in-focus photos are a must
  • Though typical, buyers pay an 18% Buyer’s Premium on their total invoice
  • Once a seller “locks in their sale”, there is a $50 fee to make changes, so be certain when submitting!

As an online seller I find using many different platforms for re-selling and possibly sourcing for items to resell in crucial in my business. I recommend using Maxsold in the mix of other sites like eBay, Poshmark, Craig’s List and others. Maxsold is unique in its concept and plan for folks to downsize, have an estate sale and do it as profitably as possible. Without having the headache of shipping and using local pick-up as the way to “move things around the universe”, I have been very happy with the four sales I’ve had and self-managed to date.

If running a sale yourself it too much, Maxsold offers the option of having them do the whole kit ‘n caboodle! Either way, there is a solution for you to get rid of unwanted items/clutter/valuables and make some money at the same time. I call using a Maxsold a win/win! Here is a link to a report filled with testimonials and other helpful insights from Maxsold customers.

My "Z" Rating from Anne Z.


On my scale of the “Z” Rating with 5 being the highest and 1 the lowest, I give Maxsold a solid 5 ZZZZZ’s for all that it offers sellers/businesses.

5 "Z" Rating from Anne Z.

Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions you may have, no matter where you live or where you are in the process of wanting to sell or just plain ‘ole get rid of stuff! I hope this review has been helpful and I would love to read your thoughts and comments down below! Here is a link to Maxsold’s FAQs where you can find more selling information that may help you in the future!

If you or someone you know may be interested, please use my referral link and you will get $100 off your fees on your first completed sale.

(Here is my personal code for you to save using Maxsold!:

Referral link – ZA7814! You will get $100 off on your fees!)

Managed Payments on eBay

There is a big change coming to eBay selling this year of 2020. It’s called Managed Payments and it’s sort of like eBay’s version of “PayPal”. eBay used to own PayPal and split some time back. Now eBay is taking over it’s own money collection process. It will be rolling out to most sellers over the next few months, and I have just received an invitation from eBay to enroll.

 

eBay Managed Payments


 

What’s It All About, Alfie?


Here is eBay’s promo video on how it works!

I have two eBay accounts and have been asked by eBay to sign-up for Managed Payments before July 15, 2020 on my smaller account, so it will allow me to see how it all works and report back here once it’s all in place.

I will notate each step along the way, for you to see for yourself!

Let’s Get This Party Started!


 

After clicking the Get Started Button located on my eBay page, Get Started

here is what one sees:

eBay is Managing Payments

eBay says that it will give buyers more choices, along with streamlined payouts and simplified fees.

What's Changing

Here’s what one needs to register:

What You'll Need

 

You can download the Registration Checklist for MP – Click this link here.

Time to Register


Register Now

  • Next you will be asked some questions about your eBay selling account and update your account details.
  • Account Info
  • Link Bank Account you want your sales earning to go into.

TIP: Use a separate checking account from your personal for business and tax reasons. Less confusing!

  • Link Bank Account
  • Then Review info and Confirm.
  • Here is the email I received upon registration completion:

Registration Completion

Almost ready to begin. eBay will let me know when everything is up and running.

On the List

 

3 Advantages Over PayPal


The three advantages of Managed Payments according to eBay:

  • No transfers needed.

No transfers needed

  • More ways for buyers to pay.More ways for buyers to pay
  • Simpler fees.

Simpler fees

 

Recap


It was simple to register. I will await account activation information from eBay and report back in a new post as I begin to use.

If you have questions, drop them in the comments below and I will try and answer as best I can.

eBay Tip # 16 – Need to File IRS 1099-MISC Forms?

How to Send a 1099-MISC


If you are an online seller, you may have a need to send a 1099-MISC form at some point.

  • Please be aware, I am not a tax expert and I am not giving tax advice.
  • I am writing about an online product that has helped me get through this process.

Yearli by Greatland Review


Yearli by Greatland for filing 1099-MISC

If you are a do-it-yourselfer, Yearli by Greatland might be right up your alley. It is extremely user-friendly!

I’ve used it for the past few years during the month of January when the forms need to go out!

My needs may be different from yours, so please consult your tax professional.

  • I am a consignment seller and send a 1099-MISC to my clients that have received payments of $600 or more for sales I have made for them.
  • I also have sent 1099-MISC to my contract workers when they have helped with my eBay listings.

Who Gets a 1099-Misc?


  • You must give a 1099-MISC form to any individual or business your business paid $600 or more in a tax year.
  • That form is given to non-employees such as independent contractors and other entities paid by your company.
  • NOTE: You only need to report payments you made in the course of your business. Personal payments are not reportable.

 

File Form 1099-MISC for each person to whom you have paid during the year:

  • At least $10 in royalties or broker payments in lieu of dividends or tax-exempt interest.
  • At least $600 in:
    • Rents.
    • Services performed by someone who is not your employee.
    • Prizes and awards.
    • Other income payments.
    • Medical and health care payments.
    • Crop insurance proceeds.
    • Cash payments for fish (or other aquatic life) you purchase from anyone engaged in the trade or business of catching fish.
    • Generally, the cash paid from a notional principal contract to an individual, partnership, or estate.
    • Payments to an attorney.
    • Any fishing boat proceeds.

In addition, use Form 1099-MISC to report that you made direct sales of at least $5,000 of consumer products to a buyer for resale anywhere other than a permanent retail establishment.

Before You Send out a 1099-MISC Form


Before you give anyone a 1099-MISC form, you must first get a W-9 form from that person, verifying their taxpayer ID number or social security number. You cannot accept the person’s information informally.

If your business is audited, you will need to be able to show a W-9 form for everyone who did work for you.

NOTE: Check with your tax professional if you have concerns with sending someone a Form 1099-MISC.

Simple Steps with Yearli by Greatland


Yearli by Greatland is a complete federal, state, and recipient W-2, 1099 and 1095 filing programs. Simply enter or import your data and Yearli will file to the federal government, applicable state agency and send (via email and mail) copies to your recipients.

FREE Option is for ME!


Yearli has three options designed to fit your budget and business needs. Use their compare rates and pricing chart to see what works best for your business.

I use the Free option for the 1099-MISC forms I send and file. I have not needed to send more than seven in one tax year.

  • Core – Free
  • Performance – $99
  • Desktop – $439

Simple, Easy and DONE!


Today is January 16, 2020, and I logged into my Yearli by Greatland account. Here’s what I saw:

Yearli by Greatland is for filing your 1099-MISC

I clicked on Start New Forms and chose Data Entry.

Yearli by Greatland is for filing your 1099-MISC forms

Next, I chose 1099-MISC.

Yearli by Greatland is for filing your 1009-MISC

Fill in info. You are Payer and your client is Recipient. I used Line 7 for Non Employee Compensation and click Save.

Next you File, make a small payment. In my case I sent two forms this morning for a total of $9.98. Now, that’s a great deal.

Form Filing History


You can see your account history and print copies for business records at any time! Log out and you are DONE!

Yearli by Greatland is for filing your 1099-MISC

My Z Rating


On my scale of the “Z” Rating with 5 being the highest and 1 the lowest, I give Yearli by Greatland a solid 5 ZZZZZ’s for all that it offers consignment sellers/businesses.

As a solo-prenuer online seller and a serial do-it-yourselfer I would be lost without it. The cost is small. It takes no time at all. It was literally five minutes for me to create and file two 1099-MISC forms this morning.

Try it FREE today using my referral link. Share your experiences below.

eBay Tip # 8 Get the eBay App

The eBay App


We have all become so mobile in today’s online world. The same is true with buying and selling on eBay. All it takes is a few clicks!

I love to list items on my phone because it’s so easy and quick to create, edit and monitor my listings. I can use my phone camera to snaps pics of the items I want to list and they are instantly added to my descriptions. I can buy anything listed on eBay with the same ease.

Here’s a quick run down of the eBay mobile app!

Download the App


It’s available for both iPhone iOS and Android and it’s FREE!

 

Login & View all your options on eBay


Find the item


What do you want to buy or sell? Find it by typing into Search bar or scan the UPC code.

 

My example below shows my results when I searched for “Rocketman DVD Elton John”.

Click and Buy or Sell Yours


Click “Sell yours” and fill in some details like price, condition and how you will ship and you are done! It’s listed!

Other Pluses


  • Communication is a breeze between buyers and sellers if you have questions about listings.
  • You can accept “Best Offers” if that option is included in your listing.
  • You can pay with PayPal when you purchase an item.
  • You can check your Feedback score under your profile. See mine (as of today, below).

Another Cool Feature


On the home page you can see what is Trending on eBay.

Cha-Ching


The single best feature about the eBay app is the “Cha-Ching” alert! It rings out when you make a sale, if your sound notifications are turned ON. It’s fun to get that notification in real time and know you are making money right then!

Works on iPad too!


The next best thing about the mobile app is the crossover listing feature. The eBay app works on the iPad and other tablets and allows you to list from anywhere you have internet access! If you begin a listing on your desktop computer and SAVE DRAFT, then you can finish the listing on your phone or tablet and visa versa!

Here is a draft started on my desktop computer.

Here is the same draft that I will finish listing on my iPhone.

And finally, I will add a few photos with the iPhone and finish my new listing.

 

The desktop and mobile modes of eBay sync with one another quite well. I often begin a listing on the desktop, where I can type more quickly and then finish on my iPhone, which allows me to add the photos. So easy! So awesome. I highly recommend getting the eBay app today!

Limitations with the App


There are a few limitations for us PowerSellers. I have been told by people at eBay that the app was basically designed for the casual seller, though any type of seller can use it to list on eBay. Hopefully down the road, eBay will see advantages in having a PowerSeller style app with a few of the missing features I highlight below.

  • Unable to search more than 600 of our own listings (currently I have 650 listings)
  • Unable to send a refund to a buyer with the app (must use a desktop to do that)
  • Unable to check a Sales Tax box in a new listing from the app (must use a desktop to do that)

Recap


Tip #8

If you want a simple and fun way to list on eBay, then I recommend getting the eBay app for your phone or tablet.

  • Task: Download the mobile eBay app on your phone or tablet.
  • Goal: Create an eBay listing with it.
  • Goal: Buy something from eBay using the app.
  • Goal: Listen for the “Cha-Ching” alert! Congrats, you’ve made a sale!

Places to Sell Online

As an online seller for over 25 years, I am asked practically every single day….

 

“Where Can I Sell My Stuff?”


Here are some of my favorite places to sell online:

 

I will be reviewing each of these sites and give my insights on them, along with their strengths, and weaknesses from my personal use and experience.

Please add your comments and opinions to help others in their search for the best sites to sell stuff!

Buy, Sell, Get Some Coin and Rewards from 5 Miles

Review – 5miles


“A new, fast way to buy and sell with others. Bid on or list items on 5miles today” is the tag line from their app.

They wanted to create a better local experience for the buyer and seller. Their goal was to make it easy to navigate, in a safe environment with no fees.

5miles has been around since 2014. I have sold about a dozen or more items since I joined in 2017. It has a limited audience in my view, but is growing. They have added incentives for logging-in every day by offer users “coins” which can be redeemed for Amazon gift cards.

The principle of 5miles is to buy and sell using your mobile device. Snap a pic, write a quick description, fill in a price and bingo, your item is listed. The app is very easy to use. Once you fill out your profile, all users have an app wide ID with name and photo. It’s possible to list services, housing and jobs!

Buying


It’s easy to browse listed items in the search bar. Your searches can be fine tuned using “filter” and “categories”. Once you see something you want, click and either meet locally with seller or place an order. There is a 5miles Wallet which is how one pays for shipped items. There are protections on the site if you need to “return” or need a “refund” from a purchase.

Selling


Snap some pics of your item, add a quick description, enter price and choose payment method and delivery method, then click “publish” and it’s listed. By choosing 5miles Wallet as payment and allowing shipping as a delivery method it will increase your chances for selling quicker.

There is a “chat” feature to communicate directly with the seller, which confirms delivery method with shipping or if you want to meet locally. I have added the exact location for meet up, which for me is the local Safeway grocery store parking lot a block or two down the road.

The order is “complete” once the buyer receives the item, and you will receive payment at that time.

I have only used the local meet up option up til now, but would like to ship some of my smaller listed items to increase my buyer pool. I will report back once I have a couple of experiences.

Invite Friends and Earn Coins


There is a built in community with members who enjoy buying and selling with 5miles. You can earn coins (reward points) for each friend you refer and for each friend your friend refers. Your friend will get coins too! Every user gets an “invite” code that can be filled in at registration, in order to receive the coin rewards. You can also earn coins by doing “tasks” like inviting more friends and being a top user. My favorite way to earn coins is the “daily check-in”. I’ve also tried some of the “daily tasks” to earn more. Today I downloaded an app called “Flipp” which saves you money when shopping. In fact I’ve just passed 3000 coins! Once I reach 4,999 I can turn that into a Amazon gift card, among other credits for 5miles Dash (auction opportunities on 5miles).

Getting Better, But Not Quite There Yet


While my 5miles selling experiencs have been agreeable and profitable, it has not created a ton of sales for me. I do enjoy earning “coins” by clicking the app link on my phone everyday. I will eventually earn enough for Amazon cards. I have not investigated or tried the 5miles Dash part of the app yet. I also have not been a buyer, but some items have caught my eye, like sporting goods equipment and a few nice guitars for sale by others.

My "Z" Rating from Anne Z.


On my scale of the “Z” Rating with 5 being the highest and 1 the lowest, I give 5miles a solid 3 ZZZ’s with room to improve. What is missing for me is the amount of active users. I encourage more of my “friends” and “readers” to join me on 5miles and get some coin!

3 "Z" Rating from Anne Z.

Let me know how you like the app and marketplace. Have you purchased or sold items? Share your experiences below.

Cross Post-it Review

Can You Sell Something for Me?


When I mention to people that I sell on eBay, one of the first questions I get asked it what do I sell?

I answer: “Anything I can put into a box and ship”.

Next they ask me if I would be interested in selling things for them.

I answer: “Sure, what do you have?”

The problem with that question, is that I’ve gotten myself into many pickles because I sometimes get too many consignment clients at one time and it becomes overwhelming.

I Am A One Woman Show


I am a one person show right, and I have to keep track of all the sales I make for my consignment clients. Luckily one of my biggest helpers is the software called “Cross Post-It”. It is a web based software for people like me that sell on eBay and other online platforms. It helps me to list, ship, track packages and handle bookkeeping for my clients from my computer as long as I have internet service.

I can set the commission I make from each sale from each of my clients. (I usually take a 50% cut from my sales.) It gets real time feeds directly from eBay, so that when a sale happens, it records it by item number, client name or any number of sorting techniques. Every product I enter has its own unique ITEM # and so it’s fool proof as far as what is what.

And if I have trouble locating where I’ve put that item as I wait for it to sell, it has a blank line where I can fill in exactly where it’s located in my eBay office. That feature has been a life-saver to me many, many times.

Cross Post-It Keeps Track For Me


There are so many reasons why I love Cross Post-it. The best feature has to be the ease it provides when paying my clients. It allows me to use PayPal or print a check with my printer. It will add up all the sales, less commission or any other fees and print a line item inventory sales record for my client and copy for myself too. It keeps track on check numbers and make reconciliation super easy, especially for people like me without a bookkeeping background. All the info I need is one spot online.

Best Tool Out There for Consignors


I have reached almost 6000 items entered into my data base for my over 120 clients. I can keep notes about each client, like who referred them to me, contact info and miscellaneous info like pick-up and meeting times with my clients and new items they want me to sell for them. Cross Post-it has helped my consignment business immensely.

One day last fall, I received a call from their marketing staff and was asked to share some thoughts about Cross Post-it. I am honored to share it below. If you have an interest in selling on consignment and you want a robust software to help you navigate keeping track of your sales and payments, then Cross Post-it is definitely for you. I am so glad not to have a hassle with spreadsheets and files that are misplaced and hard to keep track of. Please let me know if you are interested and I can introduce you to the product.

Anne Z Shares Her Thoughts About Cross Post-It


My "Z" Rating from Anne Z.


On my scale of the “Z” Rating with 5 being the highest and 1 the lowest, I give Cross Post-It a solid 5 ZZZZZ’s for all that it offers consignment sellers/businesses.

5 "Z" Rating from Anne Z.

Share your experiences below! I’d love to hear your comments and questions!

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