The Emotional Stages Of Selling Your Stuff On eBay
Turn your pre-loved stuff into money by selling it on eBay.
When you need a ‘fit for your cousin’s wedding, a controller to replace the one your housemate broke, or some vintage macrame art to clinch that luxe boho-slash-mid-century chic look you’ve been going for, eBay obviously has you covered.
And there are certain things all eBay selling experiences have in common, whether you’re a first-timer looking to make bank from your unused tech or a seasoned seller in the throes of an annual declutter. Let’s go on this journey together.
1. Procrastination
If you’re anything like me, pretty much any activity or life experience begins with a period of prolonged procrastination. That’s OK! You’re just conserving your energy for all that rolling around in giant piles of cash you’re going to do when everyone on the internet is scrambling to get their mitts on your stuff.
2. Motivation
Your bathroom is clean, your laundry is done, you’ve video-chatted with your mum: your procrastination quota has officially been reached. Proud of you! Now you are the patron saint of motivation, researching listing tips, sussing out the competition, and cleaning out cupboards like it’s nobody’s business. You don’t see belongings; you see opportunities for making bank.
3. Confidence
You’ve crunched the numbers, made a spreadsheet, and devised a strategy. You’ve thanked your gaming consoles, vintage handbags, and cute homewares for the good times, Marie Kondo-style. You’ve ironed clothes, polished screens, and untangled chords, snapping photos in the most flattering light and diligently organising the pictures into folders on your laptop.
You are too big to fail; you are a wolf and eBay is your Wall Street.
Image: Javier Martínez / Unsplash
4. Creative flow
You’re describing that pair of immaculate Air Jordan IVs in a way that makes you wonder how Anna Wintour hasn’t graciously vacated the editor’s chair of Vogue to make room for you. The art direction on your image galleries is so inspired you’re beginning to wonder if you’ve actually been a creative genius this entire time.
5. Waning
OK, so maybe there’s only so many ways you can describe the fit of cigarette pants or the way a PlayStation controller functions. You forge ahead, giving your laptop’s thesaurus function the workout of its life.
6. Satisfaction
Your pile of ‘To Sell’ stuff is now a pile of ‘Listed’ stuff. You lean back, satisfied, and appraise your live listings with pride. You think this must be what it feels like to raise a child.
7. Excitement
You pull your phone out from under your pillow, immediately checking your listings for overnight activity. Watchers! Offers! You’re a side-hustler-slash-business genius not seen since Sara Blakely cut the legs off a pair of stockings and called them Spanx. You’re going to be rich! Rich, I tell you!
8. Over-investment
You’ve started obsessively refreshing your live listings, watching as two people on opposite sides of the country but with the same impeccable taste go neck-and-neck in their offers for the Zimmermann dress you wore once on your birthday. On the one hand, your eyes are basically cartoon-style dollar signs at this point. On the other, you just want everyone to be happy.
Image: Vlada Karpovich / Pexels
9. Elation
Offers have been accepted, your clothes and shoes and consoles and décor have found themselves loving new homes, and your bank balance is starting to look a lot like a cheeky trip to the snow is on the cards. They said you couldn’t do it, but here you are.
10. Laser-focused organisation
You carefully package up your items, copying the unique postage code onto the packages with precision not seen since you got your pen licence in Year Six. You book the courier, carefully stacking the precious cargo at the front door. And now you wait.
Image: Liza Summer / Pexels
11. Gratification
Your packages have all made it safely to their destinations and the five-star ratings are rolling in. Your listings are accurate, your customer service second-to-none, and your negative feedback non-existent. Your cupboards are clear and organised with military precision and your bank balance is looking pretty tidy, too.
You hang up your selling hat for now, knowing it’s only a matter of time before you do it all again.
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Don’t need it? Time to list it. Turn your pre-loved stuff into cash money by selling it on eBay. It’s super simple to sell and ship – you don’t need to print fiddly labels or even need to go to the post office. It’s win-win.
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(Lead image: Liza Summer / Pexels)