I received this question from a seller…
“Financially I can’t invest in myself due to Covid19. I’m not receiving any funds such as unemployment or stimulus checks. The only funds I have are going towards my bills which is depleting.
How do I start selling and making money without having anything to invest?
Is there a way to make money without having money?
How do I sell myself or even get customers?”
This is a great question and unfortunately a situation for many sellers right now.
The good news is that there ARE platforms out there that will allow you to set up without paying anything at all. You just can’t access the services like being able to message people or read messages you may receive. (Full list of platforms here.)
Some will allow you to post listings, but without a means of being contacted by the messages on the site, it might seem pointless.
There are some ways around it. Some sellers put their KIK name in their profile picture or in their profile description. That allows people to be able to contact them. You’d want to mention in your profile description that you’re not able to pay for a premium account and therefore can’t answer messages. Then invite them to contact you via KIK instead.
That’s one way around it.
Join platforms and take full advantage of the free features they will give you – a lot of sites differ in this. Some will allow you anything between 1-5 listings.
If you want to go down the ‘free’ route of selling, you’ll want to consider Reddit, Craigslist (and UK/EU equivlaents) and eBay. Those take different amounts of effort and time. With eBay for example, you need to be super subtle in order to bypass the checks that will shut you down for breaking their terms and conditions. Some sellers also use Facebook Marketplace.
It’s possible to join KIK selling groups but the majority are going to want you to be a proven seller and may even ask you to bring a buyer or two to join. But that is an option that won’t cost you anything. If you don’t have a track record then it’s much harder to get in a group.
Finally, you can set yourself up on social media platforms. Ideally, I’d choose Twitter and start connecting with other sellers and potential buyers. Twitter is a long game. You won’t make money straight away. But, you can link your selling profiles to your Twitter and therefore build your credibility as a seller and your ‘know, like and trust’ factor.
Really, the best place to sell will always be platforms. If you can stretch to one month membership and you put in consistent effort and follow my advice, you WILL make it back and then some.
Believe me, when I paid my first month on Pantydeal I really didn’t have the money but I threw caution to the wind and thought that it was worth a try. Premium features are always going to make things EASIER for you to connect with customers. And platforms work!
I hope that helps…