Online Estate Sale Tips

There's a new way to host estate sales online on EstateSales.NET outside of the Marketplace. Online estate sales are a little different from Marketplace sales. They are most similar to a traditional estate sale because these sales are 100% managed by you, your company. That means you will manage negotiating the price with the buyer, the payment, and pickup or shipping. This is a great option for companies who prefer to accept payments like PayPal, Venmo, or cash.

Here's how it works: You'll begin by adding your sale just as you would a traditional estate sale, however, you'll choose the sale type "Online Estate Sale" instead. There will be no address, but everything else will look very similar to an on-site estate sale in the sale wizard. The biggest difference in the appearance of your ad for an online estate sale vs an on-site estate sale is that each picture you upload will contain a button that says "Contact to Buy". When buyers tap this button, they will be given the opportunity to reach out to your company about the item(s) in that photo. Your company will receive an email each time a buyer is interested in an item. You'll see the photo of the item and any questions the buyer may have. From here, you may arrange payment and pickup/delivery/shipping with the buyer. Finally, mark the items as sold just as you normally would in the sale wizard. The item will appear as a black and white photo with a "Sold" sticker in the top right corner and will be moved below your photos of items that are still for sale.

There are a few tips we'd like to share to help make your online estate sale as successful as possible.

1. List accepted payment methods

This is one of the great factors of listing an online estate sale. You can choose to accept any form of payment you'd like. Be sure to list that in your terms and conditions so buyers know what to expect.

2. Take pictures of single items

Individual pictures may initially take more time, but it's crucial for an online estate sale (unless you're selling an entire lot of something). Taking some extra time to separate items into their own pictures may save you some time in the end and it will keep confusion to a minimum for buyers. Remember that buyers won't get to see any of these items in person before a purchase, so use your photos to show any imperfections as well.

3. Include a detailed description

A detailed description will also help cut down on confusion. Use the description space to tell the buyers about the item and to list any imperfections. This will help mitigate any issues during pickup.

4. Include price in the description

It's up to you if you'd like to include a price in the description. Think of this as a traditional sale. All items typically are priced before a traditional sale. This will be another time saver for you if you list prices in the item's description. Every picture will have a button that says "Contact to Buy" and you will receive an email each time someone clicks that button and enters their information. Listing your prices may help keep emails from buyers to a minimum and from only serious buyers.

Now that your sale is published, it's time to start getting the word out! Be sure to share your sale with all of your followers on social media.