Leah’s Casual Cam – Selling Sewing Machines on Ebay

I’ve had it! I’ve reached the breaking point with my studio where I am officially OUT OF SPACE something has to go! I’ve decided on a double attack – sewing machines and fabric stash – both are going to be seriously downsized.

So this week I’m selling all of my extra machines on Ebay. You can check out the listings here, and watch this casual cam video we shot as I was getting them ready for shipping:

A few tips for selling machines on Ebay:

1. Thoroughly brush out the machine and check for any defects – Make note of scratches, discoloration, cracks, chips – anything that signals the machine is not brand new needs to be included in the listing.

2. Collect all the feet and supplies – It’s easy to odds and ends like the machine cover and manual if you’ve owned it for a few years. Try to find every piece, and if you’ve added to the machine with extra feet or tools, make sure to find them all, including the original boxes if you have them. Extra feet and bobbins can really make a big difference when Ebaying an older machine.

3. Take good photos. Get several close up shots of the machines and all the hardware that’s coming with them. I’ve purchased many machines just based on the number of extra feet and special supplies that came with it.

4. Calculate shipping and decide on your policies – Shipping can be really expensive, especially on a heavy item like a sewing machine. Offering free shipping can certainly stimulate bids, but it can also eat into the profit of selling the machine. You’ll also need to mention which method you prefer to be paid and how quickly – within 3 days of auction end is fairly standard.

5. Determine your starting price – This is tricky and I’ve messed up more than once. It’s a good idea to make the starting bid a bit low for the machine value so you’re sure to sell the item. However, you don’t want to start so low you’re not comfortable selling the machine at that price.

Just ask yourself what is the minimum you’d like to get for the machine and that’s usually a good place to start. If the machine doesn’t sell, that’s a sign that the price is a bit too high and you should come down a bit.

So that’s it for my Ebay selling tips! If you’re in the market for a new machine or serger, definitely check out my listings here.

Tomorrow I’m going to bust out my stash and begin boxing up auctions of fabric and scraps. I can’t wait to send all this stuff off and be able to SEE my studio again instead of all this clutter!

Let’s go quilt,

Leah