So, with this in mind, I headed off to visit my old friend eBay. One of my vices is buying clothes (albeit second-hand mostly). I’m the kind of person that will bring lunch in to the studio with me so that I can do my ‘West-End Walk’ on a Saturday and have a look round the charity shops with Mark, me looking for clothes, him looking for records. Because of this, I have a fairly sizeable wardrobe and not all of it gets worn on a regular basis. Obviously I’ve got summer dresses that go into hiding in winter, but there’s always a few bits and bobs that I love, but don’t really wear. Spring cleaning my wardrobe out by putting some things on eBay always seems like a good option, as it’s quick and easy to do, plus I earn a little money out of it from people buying things.
My general ‘Time to eBay it’ rules are as follows:
- If it hasn’t been worn in 6-12 months, it should go. Even if I love it, if I don’t wear it, it’s only taking up valuable closet space. It’s sometimes hard to get rid of things which are maybe a designer label, and were bought from a charity shop as I saw it as worth a lot, but it makes more sense to then put it on eBay and make some money from it to buy something I’d actually wear!
- The fit is wrong or it looks a bit sad. If it is too small, too big, or has holes or marks that make me look like I may be living on the street when I wear it, it has to go.
- It’s been a gift from someone but it’s not been worn/only worn around them. It’s a shame if I’ve been given something and I’m not super keen on it, but I’d hate to think anyone was wearing something that I’d bought them that they hated, and were only wearing it to keep me happy. Sentimentality is obviously important, but if you don’t love it, why don’t you send it off into the world of eBay for someone who actually loves it to give it a good home.
When eBaying, remember:
Photographs are all important:You can put up 12 photos for free, so why not use all 12 image slots? It gives potential buyers a really good idea of what the item looks like, so you get more people bidding on it.
Be honest and precise:
If it has a flaw, mention it. People will appreciate your honesty and you avoid any bad feedback. If it’s clothes, include measurements as well as dress size, as sizes can vary from brand to brand. Give a short, but informative description of what the item looks like, where it’s from and what size it is, if applicable.
Give Deals and Be Friendly:
Do things like offer reduced p&p if a person buys more than one item from you, as this makes it more likely people will buy more, and it won’t cost you the price of two packages to send a bigger single package. Offer to answer any questions a buyer may have, as a question can be the difference between making a sale or not.
Post Speedily:
The faster the item gets there, obviously the happier the buyer will be, and then they’re more likely to leave you 5/5 feedback. So pack fast, and hit the post office ASAP.
I hope some of you do give eBay a go, as it really is a quick, effective way to make some extra pennies, and it’s pretty easy to set up. I reckon if a 19 year old, somewhat ditzy student (a.k.a. ME!) can do it, everyone else should have no problem.
This week I did a wee bit of shopping with the money I’d earned, and I just have to mention the lovely people I met while I was out and about.
I’d been meaning to get a hot water bottle for a while, as although it’s coming up for summer, it’s a handy thing to have. After fleeing from an overpopulated Primark, me and Mark headed instead to the Boots in Buchanan Galleries. Here we floundered about, as we had no idea what sort of ‘section’ hot water bottles come under. We were then approached by the Duty Manager (whose name I unfortunately didn’t manage to catch) who took us to the right floor and the right section.
When we got there he realised that they didn’t have any hot water bottles, as it wasn’t the right season, but he was nice even to go look in the back in the storage section to go find one for us. We were chuffed to not only find a decent hot water bottle, but also to have such a nice encounter with a friendly and efficient member of staff. It really does make a difference when someone goes the extra mile.
After this, we headed out to the West End, as I was hoping to find a nice dress to wear to my exhibition opening night on Monday. We went from shop to shop, but with my little budget of £13, I wasn’t finding anything I could afford, or liked enough. Our last stop was the Salvation Army on Dumbarton Road, where I’ve found some great things before, including a Jaeger Camel coat for £8! I was about to give up when I spotted a pretty 1950s style dress (£3.99) and cute black heels (£2.99). I was really chuffed with this, but then we spotted some cute kitchen utensils too, which when I asked the man at the desk how much they were, he said he’d charge us only £1.50 for all 5.
Clearly he recognised that we were students, and remembered that the point of charity shops is to make money, it’s also to allow those who are maybe a bit skint to afford things too. I received great service here too, so all in all it was a great day for friendly people and good bargains. A great finish to a great week.
Ellis Cameron, Young in Argyll corespondent
Photographs accompanying this article are by Ellis Cameron.
