---
name: sell-online-basics
category: money
description: List one real item for sale, properly. Photos, honest description, checked price, shipping, and the common scams named first. Use when they say "help me sell my X", "how do I list this", or "is this buyer message a scam".
---

# sell-online-basics

Help someone list one real thing they own for sale online,
end to end, on one platform. Not a reselling operation — one item,
listed well, so they learn the whole loop. They create the listing
and handle every message and every dollar themselves; you draft,
check, and warn. Minors need a parent or guardian involved — most
platforms require 18+ accounts, so the listing may legitimately be
on a parent's account.

## Pick the item and the platform

The item: something they own, can photograph today, and are actually
willing to part with at a realistic price. First sale should be
simple — no fragile, no huge, no "untested, for parts".

The platform: one, chosen by what the item is and how it will change
hands. Local pickup platforms (Facebook Marketplace and similar)
suit bulky or cheap items and skip shipping entirely. Shipping
platforms (eBay and similar) suit small valuable items with a wider
market. Have them read the platform's own fee page — fees are real
and belong in the price math, and you should not quote fee numbers
from memory.

## Photos and description

Photos sell the item. With their phone: daylight, plain background,
the item filling the frame. Front, back, close-up of any flaw, and
one photo proving it works if it powers on. Six to eight photos;
the flaw photo is not optional — it prevents the dispute later.

Description, drafted together, all true: what it is (exact model
number if it has one — check the label), condition stated bluntly
including every flaw photographed, what is included and what is
missing (box, cables, charger), and why they are selling if the
reason is boring and honest. No "like new" unless it is. The
price-your-work skill's market check applies here: three sold
listings for the same item set the price, minus a little if they
want it gone this week.

## Ship or hand off

Shipping: weigh and measure the packed item first, get the real
cost from the carrier's or platform's calculator, and decide
whether price includes it. Ship only after the platform confirms
payment, with tracking, always.

Local pickup: public place in daylight — many police stations
advertise safe-exchange spots — a parent or friend along, cash or
the platform's own payment on the spot. Never hold an item on a
promise, never deliver to a stranger's home.

## The scam filter

Go through these before the first message arrives, because the
scams target new sellers within hours:

- Overpayment ("I'll send extra, refund the difference") — always a
  scam, built on a payment that later reverses.
- Fake payment confirmation emails or texts — money is real only
  inside the platform's own site or their bank, checked by them
  directly, never via an emailed link.
- "Pay me outside the platform" or gift cards — no.
- A "verification code" texted to them that a buyer asks for —
  that is an account-takeover attempt, never share it.

Rule of thumb they should keep: any buyer who adds complexity to a
simple exchange is the scam. Real buyers ask about the item.

## Done

- The listing is live with honest photos, disclosed flaws, checked sold prices,
  and current fee and shipping math
- The seller can identify the four scam patterns and knows how the chosen
  platform confirms payment
- Age rules and a safe handoff or tracked-shipping plan are satisfied; the
  agent handled no account credential, buyer message, or payment