Without the support of my father, who passed away last year, I turned to online marketplaces to make a little extra cash – and now I’m on a roll, writes Charlotte Cripps. But new rules for sellers might scupper my side hustle... I’m glued to my phone. It’s not because I’m scrolling Instagram or looking at breaking news stories; I’m checking my eBay balance. Only this morning I sold an old, cracked iPhone for £75, and a pair of berry-coloured children’s snow boots for £10. And now that I’m using Vinted as well, for cheaper items, I spend my life darting in and out of Evri’s parcel shops, InPost Lockers, DPD drop-offs, and Yodel stores. Luckily, I live opposite a Post Office, because whenever I have five minutes to spare, I’m selling my entire flat on eBay.
I hold my phone in one hand and open a cupboard door with the other. I pull out an item, photograph it, and list it. It doesn’t take long to get that satisfactory “ping” of another sale. The rate I’m going, I’m not going to have much left in my flat. But, it’s a case of needs must; I’m topping up my bank balance on the go. The proceeds cover all those little things – the children’s after school croissants, the endless birthday party presents, the new school shoes, and another netball lesson.
At a time when the average woman can’t afford to have a child, resulting in plummeting birth rates, it’s no wonder as a single mum I’m feeling the pinch. It all started after my dad died in July. He often paid for things for my two children, Lola, 8, and Liberty, 6. Suddenly, I lost his support. So, after my first sell (a pink Smeg fridge I had lying in my garage for £600) I’ve never looked back.
It’s not uncommon for me to be spotted carrying things like a huge Chico Next2Me crib that I’ve wrapped up in a few black bin liners – and frantically finding the QR code on my email to get the postage label while I’m double parked outside a shop. That item sold for £25. I’ve sold a lot of baby gear that I don’t need anymore – posh pram brands like YOYO fly off the apps; a pushchair rain cover went for £10 and a seat base for £20. I sold the pram itself for £150. It all adds up.
I don’t feel nostalgic. All I see is pound signs. There was the baby bath, £10; a designer Mini Rodini bat onesie, £30; a travel cot, £35, and a sheepskin buggy liner, £18. Oh yes, and the FAO Schwarz Giant toy piano dance mat for £20. I even sold my dad’s wheelchair for £40 and zimmer frame for £10, which, admittedly, was fairly emotional. The only item I can’t shift is a brand new chrome heated towel rail for £25, which in-store would cost £69.95. I got carried away when I listed a black wool wraparound coat for £45. When it sold, I‘d just caught sight of my reflection in a shop window and realised how good it looked on me, so I cancelled the transaction pronto.
Only once have I had a real issue. I sold a YOYO foot muff which the buyer then claimed “didn’t match the description or photos”. I had to refund him the £40 plus postage. He was clearly struggling to get the Velcro straps to match his frame, despite me telling him to watch a YouTube tutorial. I’d even got an email from the manufacturer to say this foot muff fits any model. eBay told me to report him for “misusing the eBay Money Back Guarantee” – or else I could get negative feedback.
Under brand new guidelines, platforms like eBay and Vinted have to tell HMRC if you make more than £1,700 in a year, or complete 30 transactions in one calendar year. That’s me busted. I’m hurtling towards 30 sales a month – and God knows how much cash. And I’ve only just started. I’ve not even moved on to furniture – there’s the Louis XV-style French chair and a grand ornamental gold mirror I don’t have space for. I want to sell a real mink fur coat that belonged to my mum – I’d never wear it as I’m vegetarian – which, on eBay, might sell for £220.
According to HMRC, if you’re only selling personal possessions, you’ll “probably” not have to pay income tax on these, as long as an item is not worth more than £6,000. But it’s the word “probably” that makes me nervous. It all seems a bit of a grey area. Nevertheless, none of this is going to stop me. I’m selling everything except the kitchen sink. I’ve lost quite a bit of weight lately so I’ve just started a new selling line of cult brand B Side vintage jeans for £50 a pair in sizes 28. There are also no listing fees on eBay or Vinted, so it’s a lucrative side hustle.
Annoyingly, in a major shake-up this week, funds earned from eBay sales will not be paid as soon as an item is sold, but will now be delayed until the item has been delivered, as is the case with Vinted. And eBay is charging a “buyer protection fee”, which will be included in the price of the item you’re buying. It’s sellers like me who will end up paying the price hike by deducting the fee from the sale.
