Craigslist and eBay are fine, sure, but there are several other online tools around that provide added convenience and safety when it's time to declutter. Here are some lesser-known options.
WASHINGTON — Congratulations: All those late-summer shopping safaris were a success. You found most everything the kids wanted for school (and a few things you were wanting for your own wardrobe). …
… And you can’t cram any of it into your closets.
It’s understandable: Consumers consume, and that means accumulating clothes, gadgets and other stuff from safaris past that you now want to be rid of.
It also means a fatter credit card balance.
Selling off that unneeded stuff, of course, is how you kill two birds with one stone, but you’re probably not keen on wasting your weekend(s) watching strangers roam your front yard, picking through possessions like so many suburban jawas.
The alternative: Go virtual. It allows you to be flexible with both your schedule and location — and to stay in business even when the weather is terrible. All you need to set up that storefront is a smartphone.
Craigslist and eBay are fine, sure, but there are several other online tools around that provide added convenience and safety.
Some lesser-known options include …
Facebook Marketplace
Just like Facebook, it’s free. It offers regional targeting in terms of where your ad shows up, as well as information about prospective buyers.
“You can see the other person,” said Deb Liu, vice president for Facebook Marketplace.
It also gives you the ability to share your for-sale items on your feed.
“Once you list it, you can share it on your profile,” Liu said, “but you can also relist it and make sure people see it.”
Letgo
You might recognize it from its whimsical commercials, in which people in danger unload unwanted stuff.
This app is built for quick sales: Image recognition and artificial intelligence allow for automatic tagging. GPS allows prospective buyers who are nearby to see your sale.
Nextdoor
This app puts you in touch with your neighbors, with whom you can connect to talk landscapers, storm damage, lost yard furniture or, in this case, stuff you’re selling.
Signing up involves sharing a bit of your own information, but the flip side is you have better information about who your prospective buyers are.
(WTOP’s own Chris Core is a big fan.)
WTOP’s own Chris Core is a big fan.
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OfferUp
It calls itself “the simplest, most trustworthy place for people to buy and sell locally.” Much like Letgo, its features aim to facilitate quick sales in a mobile marketplace.
Similar to eBay, OfferUp allows sellers to build up their marketplace reputation with every satisfactory transaction.
(WTOP’s own Chris Core is a big fan.)
While you’re dusting off the merchandise and taking pictures, be aware: Doing business with strangers does raise some safety concerns.
“This can put consumers in a vulnerable position and create opportunities for criminals,” said Emmilie Cherry of Fairfax County police.
Authorities respond to numerous reports of robberies, assaults and thefts throughout the year, she said.
Ways to avoid that kind of trouble, Cherry said, include the following:
Insist on a public meeting place, such as a cafe or shopping center. In Fairfax County, sellers are more than welcome to meet the buyer at the Police Department. “You can come into the lobby,” she said. “There’s always an officer there at the front desk.”
Don’t meet in a secluded place.
Don’t invite strangers into your home.
Be especially careful buying or selling high-value items.
Tell a friend or family member where you’re going and what you’re doing before you meet with a prospective buyer.
Take your phone.
Consider having a friend accompany you.
Trust your instincts. “If it doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t right,” Cherry said.
