Time to confess. Do you have a guitar that’s been gathering dust in some forgotten corner of your room? Sure, you’ll make time for it at some point (like you’ve been saying for years).

Hey, there’s no judgement here. You lead a pretty busy life. But as long as it’s unused, you might as well sell it. If you do ever decide to pick up the instrument again, you can always just buy second-hand later!

Wondering how to go about it if you do decide to sell it? Simply post an ad online. Here’s the catch though – there are thousands of second-hand guitars for sale online. How will your ad stand out?

First, do away with all the rumours that you’ve heard about selling online.

Most people don’t know the first thing about effective second-hand selling. You can’t just put up an ad titled, ‘GuItAr 4 $alE!’, and expect the dough to roll in.

Most internet users are like children in a toy store; easily distracted. You need to really grab their attention to make a successful sale.

Here are a few mistakes that people commonly make when they’re selling used things online.

1. Writing Like Shakespeare

Before you post the ad, check the spelling of your product. If you’ve used the wrong spelling, the only people who’ll find it on Google will be a preschooler who happened to spill milk on his dad’s laptop and all those cats that can’t get enough of the keyboard.

Bad spelling is bad, but there’s also the flip side – don’t pull a Shakespeare.

Having a decent grasp on the English language is great, but no one wants to read something like, ‘This auburn chair is accompanied by a luxurious bolster to ameliorate your thorax’. Use simple, straightforward language, and people will be more likely to read your whole description.

Of course, ‘simple’ doesn’t mean that you behave like the early man and write, ‘Want Sit? *grunt* Buy Chair’.

2. Shhh… It’s A Secret

It’s hard to keep secrets. All it takes is one person who knows and the secret isn’t all that secretive anymore. So why bother?

If you’re trying to sell your guitar online and decide that the buyer doesn’t need to know about the gigantic hole in the back till they come to inspect it, you’ve already lost the battle. Not to mention, the sale.

It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to hide. The buyer is probably going to find out before too long.

Instead, if you were actually honest about the damaged back, you might find someone who wants exactly that! (don’t ask why, just smile and take the money)

Give prospective buyers the history of the product you’re selling and you stand a much better chance of actually making a good sale. Include details like the year you bought it and any flaws they should know about.

3. *Upload Picture Here*

This is probably the biggest mistake amateur online salespeople make. You can’t expect someone to want something when they have no idea what it looks like. If you don’t upload a few pictures, most people will simply skip your listing.

Take simple, clear pictures from various angles and ensure that the background is clutter-free before you do. Also, you don’t have to include every single angle of the object. Sometimes, buyers don’t really need to see the bottom of a fridge or washing machine.

4. Getting Sentimental

Sure, you’ve driven your car across the country, and it might have provided you with shelter when you needed a place to sleep. It means the world to you, but how does this matter to the buyer when they’re purchasing a car?

Before you put up the price of your second-hand car, do a little research and figure out the going market rate for a similar car in the same condition and price yours accordingly.

Don’t confuse sentimental value with market value. If you charge a bomb, buyers are just going to ignore your car.

No matter what you’re trying to sell, be brutally honest about the pricing.

Okay, you’re almost ready to start selling!

One last piece of advice:

When you’re trying to sell something online, try to keep your phone handy at all times. You never know when a buyer’s going to call. They’re only going to try to reach you so many times before they give up and buy a toy truck instead.

But what if you don’t want to deal with strangers? Not to worry. You can use the Quikr Doorstep service instead. We’ll literally do the heavy-lifting for you. From online negotiation to pick-up from your doorstep, we’ll take care of everything. Honest to God.

And now – *drum-roll* – either learn to play that guitar or sell it!