2nd-Hand Tips

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An Overview of Second-Hand Marketplaces

Consignment Shops, Estate Sales, Flea Markets, Garage Sales, Pawn Shops, Tag Sell It, Tech Corner / by

Several second hand online marketplaces exist and each has their own strengths and weaknesses but we’re going to avoid the “which is best” question because we believe that is a question best suited for the seller to answer. We’re simply going to give a broad overview of the major second hand marketplaces and what makes them unique.

eBay – The most popular auction website with global reach. eBay has expanded since it’s early days of simple online auctions to add “buy it now” options and “storefronts” features for business owners. eBay is a great site to research items and learn about the trends of items that have sold or identify price ranges for your items and what the current market value of those items is. It’s important to note that a large part of eBay’s business is still auction-based, so while you might fall in love with a second hand treasure, there’s also the risk of getting caught up in a bidding war over an item (which can be fun or painful). One of the greatest things about eBay is their user rating system. With this technology, you can choose which users you wish to do business with and which ones to avoid, based on other users feedback after a transaction was completed.

Craigslist – The most popular e-classified website on the web with a dominant presence in the US, but it has a more limited global reach than corporate second-hand websites like Amazon and Ebay. Craigslist has virtually put newspaper classifieds out of business (thankfully), who reads the printed version of the newspaper anymore? Just kidding. It’s great that the world has had a web-based e-classifieds option, saving millions of forests and trees each year (yes, I’m a tree hugger). Craigslist has everything you’d expect from a newspaper classified but in digital form. While the service is geographically limiting and your risk of being scammed is increased over corporate sites like eBay and Amazon, it’s still not a bad site to use as long as you proceed with caution and heed basic safety rules. One thing that really SUCKS about Craigslist’s garage sale section:

  • Most sale events posted are not responsibly managed by users, so you’re likely to find sale events posted on the site from days, even weeks ago. That’s not entirely Craigslist’s fault, some users are just irresponsible for not removing their ads when the event is over. (On Tagsellit.com, we do this automatically so the user doesn’t have to go in and delete their sale – it automatically expires at the end of the scheduled sale event on the last scheduled day. Technology is pretty sweet.)

    • One thing that’s really awesome but they don’t do anything about (Again, stressing user irresponsibility too):

  • Oh and for the love of whatever, please keep “virtual garage sales” off Craigslist – they clearly discourage this, yet people still abuse it. Nonsense, respect their rules!

    • Amazon.com – A global department store with both a corporate business model and successful entrepreneurial business model. You can find a lot of goods on Amazon.com but if you’re looking for second hand treasures, there are alternatives, like going to a Flea Market. Amazon.com is great for getting deals on pre-owned media, like books and DVD’s. Their individual seller platform is a bit more confusing and complex to use than other sites but has gotten much easier recently. From new to used and everything in between, chances are good you’ll find at least some information about what you’re looking for or looking to sell when using Amazon.com.

    Tagsellit.com – While not yet a household name, the founders of this site did have the foresight to come up with an interesting way of revolutionizing yard sales, especially for folks who don’t physically have a front yard or garage, or who may even be restricted by neighborhood ordinances to have a garage sale. Founded in 2007 and launched in 2008, the idea behind Tagsellit.com is simple, a second hand marketplace with nationwide reach where virtual garage sales can take place, 24/7 and serve as a resource for folks looking for services from professionals specializing in the second hand industry (including Consignment Services, Pawnbroker Services and Estate Sale Services). The beauty of a virtual garage sale is simple: Even if you’re hosting a garage sale it makes sense to advertise your event and items in advance. By listing them on Tagsellit.com, you immediately get a nationwide reach. So, someone in California might really like that trinket that was listed for sale in New York – that buyer wouldn’t travel all the way to California for a garage sale, but shopping virtual garage sales online, now that’s genius!

    It’s important to note that not one single website has all the answers or all the solutions to everyone’s online buying and selling needs. Having options such as these makes life easier, and more fun, for everyone!