At Extra Care Living, we understand that reaching retirement, and therefore losing that security of having regular income, can be a daunting process. For some, cutting down on expenses enough to provide financial security is not an option; and it certainly shouldn’t be if it’s negatively affecting your quality of life.

Over the years you may have accumulated a lot of clutter, so your ‘no longer needed’ items could present the opportunity to not only have a good clear out, but also generate some additional cash. Additionally, if you are downsizing into an extra care property you’ll have a ready-made excuse to get rid of the things you don’t need and selling them online could give your savings account a bit of a boost.

The first step of selling online is learning how to do it. It’s surprising how much money you can make from this method – so it’s worth taking the time to research some key online selling platforms, such as eBay and Gumtree. You’re highly likely to have many more items than you initially realise, that you don’t actually want or need. Make sure to spend some time looking around your home, and set aside everything that you haven’t used in a while, and items that you don’t really need anymore. It’s well worth considering this method, since statistics have suggested that many homes contain several thousands of pounds worth of unwanted/unneeded items.

With millions of active buyers, eBay is one of the most popular online selling platforms. From clothing items to electronics and antique collectables, this site can list almost any kind of item. Before you can sell anything on eBay, you must make an account. To do this, head over to the website (www.ebay.com) and select ‘register’. At this stage, make sure to sign up to a personal account – since you’ll be selling your own items. Once you have become a registered user, you can then begin selling. To do this, you’ll need to create a listing where you’ll upload the details of the item you’re selling. You then need to provide authentic financial information so that potential buyers can pay you online. Following this, all you need to do is wait for other users to bid on your item – which will eventually be sold to the highest bidder.

There are a few things to keep in mind when selling your items online. Firstly, make sure to only create one listing for each item to avoid any confusion – and once it’s been sold, make sure it’s been removed from the site. When creating your listing, try to be as clear as possible. To increase the chances of your item selling, you need to create a clear description; outlining what the item looks like, what it’s used for, the condition it’s currently in and any item specifics that could affect the buyer (e.g. if it’s an item of clothing, make sure to specify the sizes). Try to be as accurate as possible with your descriptions and with postal information, as keeping your buyers happy will increase your reputation as a seller – therefore making you more likely to make further sales in the future. It’s also important that you upload good quality images with the description.

Selling online doesn’t have to be a difficult process – and it’s becoming increasingly popular and easy to do – just don’t sell any item until you’re completely sure that you don’t want it anymore.