Best sites to sell used computer hardware?

Jack0f5pades · March 20, 2020

Before my whole plan was so rudely interrupted by a friendly little pandemic happening outside, I was in the middle of concocting a sort of daisy-chain like plan to upgrade my computer. I saved up enough to buy a new cpu, then I would sell my old cpu and use that money to buy a new board, then sell my old board and use that money to upgrade my GPU, so on so forth. Unfortunately, I mainly sold my old parts on craigslist, but nobody wants to buy my stuff in person because of the quarantine. I still want to continue with my plan of fully upgrading my system before summer, so I'm looking for ways to still be able to sell my used hardware without having to meet up in person. I don't really like shipping stuff but it seems like the only way. Be it ebay, Mercari (I think that's how it's spelled?) or something similar, if it's gonna help me sell my stuff I'd love to hear recommendations.Thanks.

ShadySocks · March 20, 2020

Facebook marketplace?

Worstcaster · March 21, 2020

I've used ebay to sell a CPU, RAM, and a monitor no problem. Having pictures is good. For example, take a picture of the CPU pins to show none are damaged. Take a picture of the screen to show there are no cracks. I found with the monitor taking a picture standing still is best because my camera could not keep up with the FPS so things seemed blurry. You can set a minimum bidding price, so set that for the least you would take and be happy, then every bid above is just more money for you. Check the listings to see what the parts you are selling are actually selling for not necessarily what people are asking for them. I like to disable the "make me an offer" option. People tend to offer far less then your asking price. Generally waiting a few days for the end of the auction will get your a better price. It's a used part so no need to rush. Having a few pictures of the parts working will also be helpful if someone tries to say the parts were not working when they arrived. I haven't had that happen yet, but ebay tends to lean more towards the buyer than the seller.

harryk · March 21, 2020

I use eBay for everything that's reasonable to ship. A few suggestions from my experience.

- Check the recently sold listings for similar items to gauge the typical selling price. You can select this filter on the left sidebar.

- I typically set the auction price about 20-40% below the average recently sold price and add a "Buy It Now" price 10-20% above the recently sold price. I actually end up selling most things with "Buy It Now".

- If its something I can ship via USPS flat-rate I offer free shipping and factor this into the listing price.

- Pictures are a must. I won't even consider buying something that does not have photos. They don't need to be pro quality but at least clearly show the item.

- Be clear what you're selling in the listing description and state what is being sold and included. Note any defects otherwise they may come back to bite later.

- With computer hardware you're more likely to encounter someone who is not knowledgeable and will claim the item doesn't work when really it's a compatibility issue or mistake with putting the computer together. Be prepared to do some troubleshooting via email to avoid taking returns.