Can You Sell Flawed Items on eBay?

Can you sell flawed items on eBay?  Many people think that if an item isn’t in good condition or working properly, it can’t be sold.  No one would want to buy that junk, right?

Not so fast!  Before you start tossing out non-working electronics, clothes with holes or stains, or random pieces to a board game, check to see if you can salvage the item.  You may just be sitting on money you never knew you had.

Stained or Damaged Clothing

Very recently, I sold a shirt on eBay.  As I was packing it up, some natural light from a window hit the item just right, and I discovered a stain on the front!  I was disappointed, so I contacted the buyer to let them know and offered to cancel the order.  Guess what?  The buyer THANKED me for letting them know and still wanted the shirt!  The stain was light and didn’t appear in the pictures, but I noticed it.

In addition to stained clothing, buyers who are quilters or into sewing look for “cutter” fabrics to use in projects.  These are fabrics/clothing that have flaws that they will be cutting up anyway and using certain pieces to create something else.  Search the term cutters fabric flaws, and you will see many listings with piles of sweaters with holes, denim jeans that have holes, and such.

Sell For Parts

I recently heard a story about a reseller who found an expensive coffee maker by the side of the road.  They took it home and discovered it wasn’t in working condition.  However, they noticed that this particular style of coffee maker was no longer being sold, so they took it apart and “parted out” the working, usable pieces!  They made almost as much money as they could have if they could have sold it in working order!  People look for parts to repair beloved items all the time.

Broken/Random Pieces

If you break a dish or piece of pottery, save those pieces!  List them on eBay!  Some people make mosaic items, and they look for these pieces for their work.  I’ve even seen people who have sold broken pieces of toys!  Search Barbie heads.  People actually sell Barbie and doll heads!  Isn’t that wild?  You could sell broken jewelry, broken electronics, and individual pieces for board games.

Don’t Forget to Disclose

The most important thing is to remember to make sure you disclose the flaws in your listings.  Words like “parts only,” “broken,” “damaged,” “imperfect,” “stained,” “cutter,” or “flawed” should be in your listing title and the description.

You can sell flawed items on eBay!  Don’t discount something just because a part may be missing or something is broken.  List it, disclose the flaws, and see if your junk brings in a little cash!