Most people will agree that buying and selling second-hand and unwanted items through classified ads is the easiest way of generating extra money quickly.  Unfortunately there are also people (commonly known as Scammers) that use classified ads to illegally con unsuspecting buyers out of their hard earned money.  Although most websites employee many technologies to ensure their users stay safe, by simply following some basic steps can ensure your transaction completes successfully.

The first golden rule is that if something looks to good to be true, it most likely isn’t.  You should always ask yourself why is somebody able to sell these items cheaper than anyone else?  This is a classic trick used by scammers, advertising highly desirable items, normally electrical goods like mobile phones and games consoles, at highly discounted prices.  This is how they hook the buyer into the scam, as you assume you have found the bargain of a lifetime.  Unfortunately these items never exist!  If the item is considerably cheaper then any other source then assume it’s a scam and avoid.

Carry out some basic checks on the seller and read reviews / feedback on any other transaction they have completed.  By simply completing a Google search on the sellers email address whilst adding “scam” to the criteria will quickly return any known scams associated with the seller.  Also carry out a searches on the title of the item advertised, scammers are often lazy, and simply copy and paste their adverts into many websites.  These other listing may offer some reviews or feedback on how genuine the seller is.  Although you need to treat this information with caution as sellers will create fake accounts to enable them to leave positive feedback that is not genuine.  Use the information gained from your quick searches to help form your decision on whether to continue with your transaction.

Collect in person, or request an address to collect in person.  Nearly all genuine sellers will allow you to collect your items in person.  If you experience many excuses why you are not able to collect in person or the seller is unwilling to give their address, then assume it’s not a genuine seller.  Although this is not always the case as some people don’t like giving addresses if they live alone for example.  Use common sense here, if alarm bells are ringing before you ask for the sellers address, then failure to supply an address should conclude it’s a scam.  Even if an address is given, a quick search on Google will help to confirm if it’s a home or business you are buying from and if it’s in the location the item is being advertised.

Finally always pay for purchased items via a secure online method or in person when you collect.  If the seller is not genuine they will ask you to pay via some unsecure payment method.  Western union, Escrow and even direct bank transfers are common forms to obtain the funds.  Most people assume that bank transfers are safe and secure.  Sadly many people either have great difficulties retrieving funds from banks once the funds have been transferred or the accounts have been closed by the time the authorities have traced the accounts involved.  Using PayPal or even better cash on collection are some of the most secure method of payments.  Although some credit cards offer buyer protection and can offer piece of mind when purchasing items.

Although this article concentrates on the negative side of buying and selling via classified ads, it’s still the best platform for advertising and selling your unwanted and second-hand items.  By following these simple steps and using common sense, you can enjoy buying and selling through you favourite classified ads website safely!

What to do with unwanted Christmas presents?

Is a question thousands of people ask themselves every year after receiving unwanted Christmas presents.  Unfortunately most people hide them away in cupboards or the loft never to be seen again until they de-clutter many years later. 

Sadly most of these presents have a second hand value that is never realised due to these items normally ending up in the rubbish many years after they are received.  This also has an environmental impact as they create thousands of tonnes of unnecessary rubbish that ends up in ever increasing landfill sites.

So what can you do with all those unwanted presents you receive every year without offending the kind person who gave them?  Well why not sell them through online Classified Ads, which helps reduce unnecessary rubbish and earns you some extra money enabling you to purchase the items you really want.  The other big benefit with Classified Ads is that you may also save money by purchasing somebody else’s unwanted presents at a second-hand price, which will most probably not be used and still be in the original packaging.  Again you have reduced the amount of unnecessary rubbish going into landfill sites making your decision to sell your unwanted Christmas present the most ethical choice!

Now you have made the decision to sell all those un-used and unwanted presents, the next decision is where to sell them.  These days there are many Classified Ad websites, some that specialise in certain items and some that are more generic.  The best choice is to use a Classified Ads site that was easy for you to find on the web, if you can find it quickly and easily then in theory potential buyers for your items should also be able to find it quickly.  Also consider using advertising sites that charge a small fee over the free ones for listing your items as these may offer a better service due to being able to promote their own site and your items more effectively. 

Remember, always create and catchy and precise advert for all your items and they will be sold in no time! 

Help keep your business cash rich!

Businesses are sitting on a mountain of unsold stock and un-used office equipment which if advertised correctly could give them an addition income stream without impacting on there existing business. Classified ads are a great way for businesses to sell these items without having to market them under their brand name, which can be undesirable if it is end of line stock or second hand office and stationary equipment. But selling these items can be critical to the survival of the business during a financial down turn.

As most items that businesses use have a good second hand value they normally sell quickly to smaller businesses or home workers. Items like computer equipment, stationary, office furniture are always easy to sell and with the correct classified ads service can be sold quickly and effortlessly.

By advertising your surplus stock and unused business equipment on www.job-lot.com you could quickly and easily generate a new revenue stream and cut back on the cost of scrapping and binning all those un-used and unwanted stock and office equipment through waste management companies.

How to advertise your items to get maximum impact!

The most critical thing about advertising unwanted and second hand items is an accurate and descriptive title. This is the key piece of information that will attract people to your item and draw them in to want to know more about it.

Things to ignore in titles are key phrases like ‘For sale’, ‘Second hand’ etc. These are a waste of text, as they don’t describe your item in any form. People have a rough idea already what they are looking at and don’t need reminding that they are searching for second hand items for sale!

Try and make you title as descriptive as possible in one short sentence, don’t add condition or age this can be added in the description. An example for a second hand film camera is below to show how the key words have been used.

Nikon F100 auto focus SLR 35mm film camera body only.

Any body searching for any of the keywords above will now find this item, as most of the main search terms for second hand cameras are in the title, the item will be viewed many more times than the description below.

Second hand Nikon camera for sale!!

The next important piece of information to have is the description field; this is where you need to list the exact functions and features that your item offers. The condition and age, if the item has been modified or damaged, size dimensions, any special uses etc. The more information you can get into the description the more interesting your item will be. It will also save you time by not having to answer questions about your item over and over again.

If you have any special shipping or payment details, again explain them in the description field so it doesn’t cause confusion later on.

By following these simple rules you will find selling unwanted and second hand items quick and easy!

Selling second-hand items and unused stock is defiantly one of the best ways to recycle products. 

We always assume that recycling means that we take a product that we no longer a use for and send it to be broken down and have the raw materials recovered to be later manufactured into something else.  Although this is a very good way of recycling broken and unusable items it is not so environmentally friendly for items that we just don’t want or use anymore.

A classified ad is one of the most environment friendly ways to recycle these types of items that still function for the purpose they were made.  By not having to recover recyclable materials from products valuable resources are being saved and toxic chemicals are not being released into the environment.  You are also saving landfill sites from being filled with the components that cannot be recycled.  The products or items are simply advertised and sold or passed on to the next user to be put to good use.

The other plus side to selling your unwanted items is that you can generate extra money from the sale which can help to give you more of an incentive to throwing the item into the rubbish.

What sells well through classified ads?