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to a stranger can sometimes create some potential safety problems

If you paid a great deal for the item and are hoping to break even with the impending sale, don't forget that you're still going to have to pay listing fees on some online marketplace sites and, if sold, final value fees at times. On the other hand, if you have a unique item that is just taking up space, even if you did pay a lot for it at one time, wouldn't it be better to have that gone and have a little extra money for it in your pocket instead, even if you don't break even? Depends, of course, totally on the item, whether it's something you can or want to sell, whether it will be overly cumbersome to ship (don't forget, the post office now charges by weight and size of package, not just weight alone).

Plus, you won't know what the item will bring, what buyers will be willing to pay, until you list, so that's a little bit of a gamble, which is why it's important to consider all upfront costs first. Also, depending on which online auction site or marketplace you choose, if it's a site you're not that familiar with, you may want to read the board forums first to see if there are a lot of problems with non-paying bidders, etc. Still, in these harder economic times trying to list and sell a unique item that you no longer want or need in exchange for some extra money might be something to consider.

There are other venues besides eBay that are auction style sites, but, unlike eBay, they don't charge for sellers to list. One site that is gaining in popularity, where it's free to sell, is www.buysellit.com. Another is www.ecrater.com. eBay is the best known and largest online auction site, so you will automatically get more exposure there in most cases. Still, a lot of the free marketplace sites are getting good reviews from both sellers and buyers so you might want to check a few of those out as well. Another alternative to eBay that is growing rapidly is Bonanzle at www.bonanzle.com. Here sellers don't have to pay to list although when something sells they are charged a final value fee (although Bonanzle's final value fees are cheaper than eBay's).

There are several such alternative marketplaces and many of them are totally free to list. To find them type in "free marketplace" into your favorite search engine (don't forget to include the quotation marks to narrow the search or you may end up with more information than you can handle at one time).

Whatever you decide to try to sell online in return for possible fast and easy extra money, always remember to first consider all costs, outward and hidden.

Learn more about this author, Marijoyce Porcelli.
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