eBay, Craigslist, Garage Sale - which one to use?

This model car sold on eBay in less than an hour for $20 after languishing in a garage sale for four weekends at $5.  Finding the right venue for an item is important.

Garage sales can be good ways to get rid of some things, particularly things that are too bulky and awkward to pack or have no special interest.  If you are selling a lot of stuff, a garage sale also will get rid of a lot in a hurry.  Selling a rake on eBay or Craigslist just isn't worthwhile.  No one wants to drive 20 miles to buy a rake, and no one will pay $15 in shipping on one.

But some items, like this Kyosho 1:18 die cast model of a 1974 BMW 2002 Turbo (and no the photo is not reversed!) are better suited for the specialized audience of eBay than for the general audience of a garage sale.

Craigslist would also be a bad choice. Up here in Central New York, there are not a lot of BMW enthusiasts (but a model of Dale Earnhardt's #3 Chevrolet Monte Carlo NASCAR would no doubt sell briskly!).

The proof is in the pudding.  I put this model car on eBay for $20 and it sold in an HOUR.  I offered it at the garage sale for $5 with no takers!

$20 might not seem like a lot of dough, but it took me about 20 minutes to take the photos, prepare the listing, and pack the item for shipping.  That's $60 an hour cash.  Not bad.

Would have this sold for more?  Perhaps, but with a broken rear view mirrors and a missing windshield wiper, I doubt it.  And now that we are downsizing, I have no room for it, so it must go.  Momentos are fun and all, but it is even better if you can sell them and make money after enjoying them for a few years.

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