How to sell products online

You are about to move and, thanks to the move, you have finally been able to put some order in the wardrobes, discovering that you have kept lots of clothes and accessories that you didn’t even remember existed. In the cellar, then, you found some antiques that would surely delight collectors: what if you sold them on the Internet? In my opinion it would be a really good idea. Indeed, if you dedicate a few minutes of your free time to me, I can explain how to sell products online and how to raise some money to devote to the things that really interest you.

Selling products over the Internet is very easy because there are several sites that allow the publication of ads for free (or at low prices) and direct interaction with potential buyers. A few examples? Subito.it, eBay or Kijiji, which are all simple to use and generally reliable. There are, then, other resources that you can use for online sales, such as the Etsy portal, dedicated to those who have a passion for “do-it-yourself” and want to open a virtual shop, or Facebook Marketplace , a market of the used integrated in the famous social network. But let’s go in order.

Take a few minutes of your free time and carefully read the information contained in this guide; I am sure that you will be able to find the service that suits your needs and use it to earn some money by getting rid of the objects you deem superfluous. So, are you ready to get started? Yup? Perfect; Let’s roll up our sleeves together and get to “work”. I wish you a good read and, above all, a good sale!

Index

• it
• Shpock
• eBay
• Facebook Marketplace
• Other solutions to sell products online
• Open an e-commerce

Subito.it

To sell products online, I recommend that you first use ad sites, which allow you to publish advertisements through the use of virtual message boards, in order to be able to easily sell products and services of various types. Among those I recommend you to use is the Subito.it ad portal, one of the most famous in the sector, which can also be used via an application for  Android and iOS.

Subito.it can be used free of charge and there is no commission to pay for the sale. To use it, connect to its official website and click on the Register button that you can see located at the top right. Then type all the required data in the text fields  Your email,  Password,  Birthday,  Municipality and  Gender and then put the checkmark in correspondence with the words that refer to the acceptance of the terms of use of the service and the privacy policy. Finally, press the Confirm button.

Wait for an email to be sent to the address indicated for activating your account; then click on the Confirm button within it to verify your profile and thus be able to start using the ad serving tool.

Now, from the main page of the site, click on the Insert ad button (top right) and then, on the next screen, fill out the ad form in its entirety, indicating the category of the product you want to sell (such as for example Car accessories ), and then put the checkmark next to the wording For sale, to indicate that you are publishing an advertisement for the sale of a product or service.

Optionally, you can insert an image that represents the product; then fill in the text fields relating to the title and text of the ad. Do not forget to also provide all the necessary information for the contact: your name and also your telephone number must be typed in the homonymous text fields. If necessary, put the checkmark next to the wording Hide number, if you want to hide your phone number and, once you have finished filling out the ad, press the Continue button.

The publication of an ad is free but there are some optional paid options, such as the Put to Top feature, which is used to ensure greater visibility for the ad. There are also other promotions to sponsor the published ad, such as the one called Promo 2 in 1. The prices of the same depend on the time in which you want to keep them active (starting from € 1.65 up to € 22.95).

Shpock

Another solution that I recommend you to consider is the Shpock web portal, mainly known for its use through a free application for  Android and iOS. It is a service rather used for the sale of online products whose operation is similar to other ad sites, such as the aforementioned Subito.it.

Shpock allows you to post ads for free for the sale of items throughout Italy. To use it, connected to its official website, press the Sell button that you can see at the top right and then follow the steps dedicated to creating an account, in order to use the service.

First of all, choose whether to register quickly, by pressing the Login with Facebook or  Login with Google buttons or, if you want to register with an email address, click on Login with your Email + SMS. In the first case, the compilation of all subsequent data requested takes place automatically, while in the second case you have to manually fill in the text fields ( name,  surname,  email and password ) to complete the registration.

To sell products online through Shpock you must then use the next form you see on the screen and enter all the information relating to the ad: use the text field corresponding to the heading Title of the article,  to indicate the title of the advertisement, refer to to the text field that you find in correspondence with the word Description of the article, to illustrate the product offered for sale, and finally also indicate the category to which it belongs, through the drop-down menu Choose a category (for example Electronics ).

Finally, provide some information about the position you are in, using the text field Enter your address and house number and, using the EUR text field, indicate the price at which you want to sell the asset you own. If you wish, you can also share the ad on Facebook, by placing the checkmark next to the wording Share and sell faster. Then complete the publication of the ad by pressing the Sell button.

The advertisement will be published online and visible to all Shpock users, who can contact you to establish negotiations or for more information.

eBay

An equally valid solution is that offered by eBay, a well known and appreciated auction site, which can also be used for the publication of ads with traditional sales methods, thanks to the “Buy now” formula. eBay can be used from its official website but also on Android and iOS devices, by downloading the dedicated application from the Play Store or from the App Store.

Posting ads on eBay requires registration and is not completely free as there are some additional paid features. Furthermore, excluding shipping costs, in the event of a sale, a commission equal to 11.5% of the sales amount is applied (to which a commission of 0.35 euros per transaction + taxes on shipping costs must be added).

To create an account on eBay, connected to the official website of the service, click on the Register button at the top left and then proceed with the creation of an account indicating all the required data ( Name, Surname, Email address and Password ); finally presses the Subscribe button.

After creating an account, you need to add a payment method to be associated with it, which can be done from the control panel of the account created. From the eBay main page, presses on your name located at the top left and then on the words Account settings; then click on Connect your PayPal account.

To carry out the connection procedure, indicate the required contact information, such as the postcode, the city and the province where you live, but also your mobile phone number. Next, log in with your PayPal account details to link it to eBay. If you have a PayPal account, create one by following the instructions in this guide.

Once connected, you can devote yourself to writing and publishing the ad: then press the Sell button located at the top and type the description of the object you want to sell, using the text field Describe the object offered for sale, then click on the Start button.

Now you have to provide all other information requested, such as the condition of the item, specifications and other information concerning the sale such as format, duration and price. There are only two options for selling an item on eBay: Auction Online or Buy It Now.

In the first case it is a system that sells the item with an auction lasting 1, 3, 5, 7 or 10 days. The online auction is in fact characterized by a price called the starting price, a price called buy it now and also by a reserve price. This means that the asset will initially be sold at auction at the starting price and that this may undergo changes, up to the established deadline. However, the asset can also be purchased at the buy it now price or upon reaching a figure indicated as a reserve price. The sales format Buy it now it allows, on the other hand, to sell an item at a fixed price, with possible purchase proposals.

Once the sales announcement has been completed in its entirety, check for any paid options and consequently the cost of the listing; finally presses the Put for sale button at the rates shown. To learn more about how eBay works, read my guide dedicated to the subject.

Facebook Marketplace

As an alternative to ad sites or the use of a web portal for publishing online auctions, such as eBay, you can take advantage of the Facebook social network and its tool called Marketplace, which is included directly in the Facebook application for  Android and iOS and is especially useful for selling products on the Internet.

To use Facebook Marketplace it is obviously necessary to be registered on the social network, but also to be of age, as the publication of ads is reserved for those who have reached the age of majority. Therefore, if you want to sell an item online through Facebook Marketplace you must first connect to the main Facebook page to log in or register: if in doubt, consult my dedicated tutorials.

Once connected, click on the word Marketplace which is located in the left sidebar, then click on the Sell ​​something button  (also located on the left), in order to see the form for publishing an ad. Then indicate all the information necessary for the publication of an ad: choose the category of the product, using the drop-down menu Select a category (for example Furniture ), specify what you are selling, using the text field What Do You Sell? and possibly describe your article, using the box at the bottom of the screen. Do not forget to provide all the information related to the price and the place where you want to sell the product (for example Milan ).

Before publishing the announcement via the Publish button, you can also upload accompanying photos for the same: to do so, click on the button with the symbol of a painting and attach a maximum of 10 images. Once the announcement has been published, it will be visible to all users of the social network in this special section dedicated to sales. Interested people will be able to contact you privately to request further information if necessary.

The sale of items on the Facebook Marketplace can also be done through the Facebook application for Android and iOS. In this specific case, press the button with the symbol of a house located at the bottom of the main Facebook screen and then tap on the word What to Sell. Then press on one of the items you see on the screen to select the type of product to sell ( Items for sale, Vehicles for sale, Rental/sale accommodation or  Job offers ), then fill in all the text fields present for the publication of the announcement, as already explained in the previous lines.

If you want to learn more about the use of Facebook Marketplace, read my tutorial dedicated to this platform.

Other solutions to sell products online

The ones I’ve told you about so far were just some of the most popular solutions for selling products online, but there are others that are similar and some that have different characteristics. I want to talk about it in detail in the following lines, so that you can find the sales tool that best suits your needs.

• it  – is one of the best known Internet sites that allow you to post ads for free, to sell products and services online. The operation of this web portal is, in principle, similar to other Internet sites dedicated to the publication of advertisements. It does not necessarily require registration, as, to publish an ad, just go to its official website and press the Insert ad button, located in the upper right corner. After that, its operation is practically identical to the other platforms mentioned: for the publication of the advertisement, the completion of the dedicated form is required, which is used to provide all the details on the goods placed on the market.
• Kijiji – it is an Internet site, part of the eBay group, similar to those previously indicated, as it is dedicated to the publication of free advertisements. You can use it for free to sell products and services and there are also some paid options (such as the Premium profile at a cost of € 34 per month). Kijiji can also be used on mobile devices, by downloading the free app for Android and iOS from the Play Store or via the App Store.
• AutoScout24  – this is an Internet site that allows you to sell used vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles and campers, online. To use it, you need to create a free account, a procedure that can be easily performed by connecting to its website, clicking on the My AutoScout24button  (located at the top of the home page), then pressing on the item Register now and finally on the word Insert. It is possible to publish an ad for the sale of cars, motorcycles and scooters for free, while for the sale of commercial vehicles or caravans or campers it is necessary to pay. For more information on how AutoScout24 works, you can read my dedicated guide, in which I explained how to publish an ad on AutoScout24 or the one concerning the modification of an ad.
• Etsy  – This is a totally different website from the others indicated, as it is aimed at the sale of handmade items. In fact, you can use it to create your own virtual shop and publish sales announcements. The publication of the same is subject to a fee and requires registration: publication costs are € 0.17 but there are also additional prices for managing the transaction (5% on the sale price and shipping cost). In addition, it is also necessary to pay a payment management fee which corresponds to 4% + € 0.30. All prices for the use of this website are available on the relevant official page. You can use Etsy also through the free downloadable application on Android and iOS. I talked to you in more detail about this website in my dedicated guide.
• Amazon – I don’t think it needs any introduction. It is the most famous online store in the world, thanks to which you can also sell your own items. If you want to know more, check out my tutorial on how to sell on Amazon.

Open an e-commerce

The sale of products on platforms managed by third parties can have several limitations: this is why, if your intention is to set up a real online business, I strongly recommend that you create an e-commerce that you can freely manage yourself. Let’s see how.

Aruba Managed WooCommerce Hosting

There are many solutions to create online stores, both free and paid. One of the most valid, in my opinion, is to use a CMS optimized for e-commerce. Going into more detail, I would like to recommend WordPress, the most used CMS in the world for the creation of blogs and websites, coupled with WooCommerce, a free and open-source plugin that transforms WordPress into a solution for creating and managing professional online stores. in an extremely easy and fast way.

Normally, to use WordPress and WooCommerce you would need to buy an online space, a domain and manually install both the CMS and the plugin: operations that are certainly not within everyone’s reach. Fortunately, however, there are all-in-one solutions that allow you to have hosting, domain and a ready-to-use WordPress and WooCommerce installation.

Among the solutions of this type, I would like to recommend Aruba Managed WooCommerce Hosting which for 124.50 euros + VAT the 1st year and then 249.00 euros + VAT/year offers a WordPress installation with WooCommerce ready for use. ‘use, complete with domain name with annual maintenance, unlimited space on SSD and 2GB database on SSD with support for 200 connections and traffic up to 500,000 monthly visitors.

The service also includes a DV SSL certificate for secure HTTPS connections, automatic monitoring and backups ‌, unlimited 1GB mailboxes and 10 PEC mailboxes on domain and much more. If you want to learn more, read my tutorial on Aruba Managed WooCommerce Hosting and consult the official website of the service .

Shopify

Among the solutions you can consider to create an e-commerce there is definitely Shopify. It is a service used by over 1,000,000 stores around the world, thanks to which it is possible to create online stores without having knowledge of programming or Web design: it is all done through customizable ready-to-use themes and an extremely intuitive interface to manage orders, products, sales, inventory etc.

Shopify includes unlimited secure hosting, free unlimited bandwidth, free SSL certificate, a free shopify.com domain name (with the option to purchase a custom one or use an existing one), the blog feature, the ability to create discount codes, launch marketing campaigns via Google, Facebook, email or SMS and view detailed sales analytics.

You can use it for free for a limited trial period (without entering payment details and without obligation to renew), after which it has prices starting from $ 29 / month with unlimited products; 2 staff accounts; 24/7 assistance in English; recovery of abandoned carts and much more.

To create your free e-commerce on Shopify, connected to the official website of the service, type your email address in the box provided and click on the Start free trial button. Then you have to type the password you want to use for your account, the name you want to assign to the e-commerce and press the Create your store button.

You must then specify if you have already started selling, what your current income is and if you are creating a store for a customer, provide the rest of the requested information, click the Next button (or the Skip button, if you want to skip the step) and fill in the address form to receive payments.

You will then find yourself in the Shopify management panel, which includes a practical menu (on the left) to access all the sections of the service: Home, with the main dashboard; Orders, Products and Customers, to manage the elements in question; Analysis, to view sales data; Marketing, to set up marketing campaigns; Discounts, to manage discount codes; App, to install apps that allow you to expand the functions of e-commerce, and Online Store, to customize the appearance and pages of the store.

Shopify can be used from PC, via browser, but also from smartphones and tablets, via apps for Android and iOS / iPadOS. If you want to know more, check out my tutorial on how to create an e-commerce with Shopify.