How I became a (relatively) successful online seller.

I've always laughed at all the people who offer junk on Ricardo or eBay. What's the point of selling a used cell phone, a no-longer-needed bike lock, or an old plastic wall clock for a few francs?

That's what I thought until I sold my used cell phone, my no longer needed bike lock, and my old plastic wall clock online. My change of heart came suddenly. I had decided, rather reluctantly, to replace my cell phone because the device had a harmless but annoying glitch. I asked a chatbot if there was any chance I could still sell my used device. The answer was a resounding yes.

And so I entered the world of online sales. Because I don't want to advertise, I won't mention which platform I use. All I can say is: It makes selling easy. Once you've uploaded images, it automatically recognizes the product and uses AI to generate a title and sales text.

This description is already surprisingly useful. But I quickly became ambitious. After all, I'm a journalist and used to writing texts. So I hit the keyboard and fervently touted my wares.

The first thing to go through the digital counter was my old cell phone, purchased by a self-described migrant from Africa. He wanted to send my old device to a school in his old homeland.

Next, I managed to get rid of my plastic wall clock. It's my biggest success so far, because I managed to sell it for exactly the same price I originally bought it for. Unfortunately, that price was 1 franc. And the buyer even persuaded me to ship the thing. And then he even negotiated a lower shipping cost.

Nevertheless, online shopping has almost become a bit of an addiction. I find myself pacing around the apartment with the analytical eye of a bankruptcy trustee, wondering whether we really need that porcelain plate with a fish motif or that grill pan with a built-in overheating warning function.

When I get a bottle of wine from the cellar, I immediately scan it for anything worth buying. My old three-speed bike, my fancy suitcase for air travel: How much would I get for them?

Although, "a lot" is the wrong word. If I add up my earnings so far, I arrive at the equivalent of a decent dinner in Zurich. But that doesn't really interest me that much. Much more important is the joy when an offer is successful. Even if I received less for the twenty-volume adventure novel series than a single volume would have originally cost me.

I'm almost a little proud, actually. So far, I've sold everything I've put on the platform. There's only one item I haven't been able to get rid of: the power supply for an old, broken digital piano (Yamaha PA-5D). Would you be interested? It's only 5 francs.

An article from the « NZZ am Sonntag »