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Selling on Gumtree - any success

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hi,

Over the last year I have tried to sell some items (motorcycle gear) on Gumtree (London) with zero success. A couple of people have contacted me but never turned up.
I have tried dropping the price quite a bit. I realise that Im not guaranteed a sale but I expected a little more interest.

What is the general opinion on selling on Gumtree, does it work?

I have used some of the other sections, and Im not very impressed with it, you really do seem to get what you pay for.

Opinions welcome.
«1

Comments

  • ukjoel
    ukjoel Posts: 1,468 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    My personal view is its pretty much a waste of time and is heavily loaded with scammers.
    Every day I do a countywide search and see the same adverts for either pets (puppies, kittens, birds etc) in every city in the area. The same happens with far too cheap Iphones and playstations.

    Gumtree done want to know and everytime they delete an ad another two appear.

    From a selling perspective I have put loads of stuff on and again very little sold. I think its because the search options are much poorer than ebay (who own gumtree) and most peoples items drop off after a few days.

    In theory its a great idea but in practice pretty poor. From a buyers perspective I like it as I get things on there much cheaper than ebay.
  • kev.s
    kev.s Posts: 513 Forumite
    waste of time IMO, full of dodgy items
  • mobile48
    mobile48 Posts: 745 Forumite
    As a buyer I've been disappointed in Gum Tree high prices and one seller I contacted wanted to charge extra for the box an electrical item came in.

    Are there any better free local sites - viva street of loot - or do the same comments apply to these also? In relationship to motorcycle gear what is the best site to sell on - is it ebay, auto trader or another?
  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 74,121 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    I usually have a number of things listed on there, I have around 5 items on at the moment that I listed in the week. In the past couple of years I have had two sales and both sales were to absolutely lovely people who could not have bene friendlier or more helpful. However i do get a lot of scam mails which I just ignore, they are easy to spot though as they are a generic 'I want your item how much to ship please' and they obviously have no idea what they are actually responding to.

    So for turnover it is really useless but the scam issue is easy to overome if you remember that it should all be cash on collection.
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales, Boost Your Income, Praise, Vents & Warnings, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning , UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know.. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • jonnypb
    jonnypb Posts: 333 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    was ok a few years back but now full of scammers and time wasters
  • gravitytolls
    gravitytolls Posts: 13,558 Forumite
    I hardly ever sell anything on gumtree these days, nor find anything I want to buy either!

    However, Facebook now has pages dedicated to wanted and for sale ads within local regions, so that may be a better bet, and Cheapcycle might be worth a shot too.

    TBH, if it's freeads, it's worth a go, you might be lucky.
    I ave a dodgy H, so sometimes I will sound dead common, on occasion dead stupid and rarely, pig ignorant. Sometimes I may be these things, but I will always blame it on my dodgy H.

    Sorry, I'm a bit of a grumble weed today, no offence intended ... well it might be, but I'll be sorry.
  • padington
    padington Posts: 3,121 Forumite
    edited 6 February 2011 at 2:51AM
    Ebay bought gumtree.com and ran it into the ground. Just like how oil companies buy innovative energy patents to ensure they never see the light of day. Such practice should be illegal but its not. Thankfully facebook is now pioneering the concept of the free market.
    Proudly voted remain. A global union of countries is the only way to commit global capital to the rule of law.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newbie
    edited 6 February 2011 at 3:57AM
    Its been a great site for finding tenants but not tried selling anything on it.
  • TUS
    TUS Posts: 692 Forumite
    I'm going against the grain here, but I have sold quite a lot of things on there quite well. Generally bulky things which I can't post.

    Specificially baby related items sell very well. A cot, crib, stair gates, larger toys, bath/baby box - all sold well. Most expensive thing is a HTC HD Mini phone for £280, cash which avoided ebays fees.

    A tip: if possible offer to deliver the item to the buyers address for free. This always works for me.

    I guess it's probably regional though, in terms of success. Newcastle gumtree is OK IMO.
  • roddydogs
    roddydogs Posts: 7,479 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Sold my Old Banger Free.........Tip Re-submit your ad every day to keep it near the top, and cancel your old ad.
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