At a time when the cost of living is evident in all possible areas of consumption and incomes remain the same, every possibility to add to the monthly income has meaning.
One of the ways is to "get rid of" objects that are in our house without use.
These can be brand new items that we found we don't actually need, or even used items that others might like.
The ways of selling are many and can contribute in several aspects: preserving the quality of the environment, saving for someone else, and of course a small income for you.
One of the biggest channels for selling products is selling on eBay.
According to Miki Sokolowski, eBay's Emerging Markets Marketing Manager, the second-hand market is very dynamic: "You never know what people will be looking for. I am also sometimes amazed by the things people have sold or bought and the amounts they have paid. There are things that can bring in a lot of money, such as old newspapers, stamps, Cards that lie under the couch like Pokemon or sports cards."
What are the most expensive products sold in Israel through eBay?
"The most expensive products that were there were a workstation for the laboratory that sold for $43,000, a LAB PRINTER for $41,000 and a unique vintage camera for about $40,000. There was also a Torah book that sold for more than $20,000. Also, there are Israelis who buy Expensive items: a $31,800 ruby engagement ring, a $26,000 Japanese samurai sword, a $20,000 Rolex watch, a $20,000 Audemars Piguet watch, and a $20,000 Barry Stein "Eagle" sculpture dollar. The most popular categories in which e-commerce is sold are clothing, technology, collectibles, books and toys."
Similar model to the vintage camera that was sold, photo: screenshot
Following the cost of living, have you seen an increase in the number of people selling products?
"This is an area that is growing - not only in Israel. It is understood that the cost of living contributes to this in a very significant way. Israel has a very developed market in the digital aspect, but it is still not in the top three or four countries that sell the most on eBay, so there is no data on Israel in this aspect."
"Someone else's gold"
According to the recomerce survey published in 2022, it appears that approximately 75% purchased second-hand on a certain platform for a variety of reasons: because it is cheaper there, because it is not possible to find the requested products in new condition, due to existing values and due to the hope that the value of the product will increase and they will be able to sell it at a profit .
About 12% of those who answered the survey started selling second hand products online in the last year.
Those who lead by a huge margin are the members of Generation Z (from 1996 to 2002), who started selling second-hand products and make up about 32% of all respondents.
Miki Sokolovsky, photo: Inbal Marmari
Assaf Lieberman from the center of Haaretz sells special objects on eBay as a side income.
"One person's trash can be someone else's gold," he says.
"I started researching the topic of selling personal belongings. My partner doesn't like it because I bring a lot of things home, but on the other hand she sees things she doesn't believe I'm selling. I go for a walk with the dog every day, and about once a week I find crap left outside .Thanks to the extensive experience I have, I can tell if it can work. I clean them, take pictures, and most of the things I posted did sell.
"Once a week I go to the market in Netanya. I saw a 'National Geographic' magazine there. I wanted to buy it because it is a well-known brand, and the seller sold it to me for a shekel. Someone from England bought it for $40. I'm not sure he can read at all Hebrew. I bought the "Guinness Book of Records" from 1996 in Hebrew for a shekel and a half, and a person from the Czech Republic who does not speak Hebrew bought it for $45. I also sold a 5-agora coin for $30 because there is a lot of demand for it. People don't understand There is gold there, but you need to know what to buy, how to take pictures and what to write in the sale notice."
Lieberman emphasizes that there are sales commissions, but the bottom line is that you make a profit.
"I made a profit of 100 shekels on the 'National' magazine," he explains, "there are eBay commissions of about 10%-15%, which is still very profitable. You have to take into account that shipping also costs money. I pay 45 for it Shekels, but it includes a certificate that the customer received it."
Lieberman recounts other intriguing realities: "A scarf of Maccabi Haifa against Manchester United that I found in the Netanya market and sold it to someone in the US, it's crazy.
It cost me 5 shekels, and I sold it for 50 dollars to an Israeli in New York."
Lieberman concludes that this is a nice income on the side: "I don't work for three months, and until I start a new job it gives me employment. My dream is that it will be my profession, but there is no stability in it. These are niche products. For me, this is a side income of NIS 2,000-1,000 , but it has crazy potential."
without bothering with repetitions
Benny Bohnik, the owner of the group "That's what I want", offers a "garage sale" once a week.
"My group members buy a lot of products abroad.
They don't always want to return the product and deal with the return, so every Thursday and sometimes on Friday I publish a 'garage sale' post, which allows people to sell these items among themselves.
These are usually clothes, shoes and light electronics.
This is the most popular post, because people find it much more convenient.
If they bought a product for NIS 150, they can sell it for NIS 120 and close the deal.
There are many who are waiting to buy these products because there are many new products, and usually it is the wrong size.
People prefer to lose about 20% of the cost and not bother with returns."
Benny Bohnik,
Other options for selling to people in Israel are of course through the "Yad2" website and communities on Facebook.
Furthermore, items can be delivered for free through the "Agora" website.
On Facebook you can find many diverse groups, among them the community "Peshfshuk" and "Giving Bench", an initiative that started with a bench in the neighborhood on which you can put things to pass between neighbors, and is accompanied by a neighborhood WhatsApp group.
The initiative grew, and today there are dozens of benches maintained in neighborhoods across the country and communities built around them.
The community "It does not sit on a stamp" offers those who ordered a new product in the wrong size to sell it to other women, and there is also a day dedicated to a second hand.
Also, there are dozens of second hand groups for sale or delivery according to neighborhoods or cities.
According to the site's data, the most requested category from January 2022 to July 2022 is furniture.
Then there are electrical products, cellular devices, baby and child products, sports products, garden products, bicycles and computers and related equipment.
"You can see in the data a 23% jump in the number of people looking for second-hand products on the Yad2 website in July of this year compared to July 2019," explains Ayelet Nitzan, VP of Marketing on the Yad2 website, "Also in the amount of ads for products offered for sale on the website there was a 4% increase between the periods .
It seems that the corona crisis and its economic consequences for the public, as well as the increase in the cost of living in Israel in these years, led to an increase in demand for second-hand products as a worthy substitute for new products in stores."
Ayelet Ronan, photo: Einval Ronan
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