Buying and selling guides UK
Practical guides for selling, importing listings, avoiding scams and completing a local handover.
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- How to sell safely online in the UK: a step-by-step guide
A step-by-step guide to selling second-hand and new items safely online in the UK as a private seller.
- How to meet a buyer safely for a local sale
Meeting a buyer in person? Follow these steps to complete a local marketplace sale safely.
- How to spot a fake buyer or scammer
Warning signs to review before completing a marketplace sale, and how to report concerns.
- How to price second-hand items
Consider condition, comparable items and your seller earnings when pricing personal goods.
- Selling high-value items safely (phones, consoles, designer goods)
Payment, listing evidence and fulfilment checks for phones, consoles and designer goods.
- A beginner’s guide to selling second-hand online
New to selling second-hand? This beginner’s guide covers everything from your first listing to getting paid safely.
- Marketplace scams UK: eight warning signs
Check the payment, inspect the item and keep evidence. Use these eight checks before sending a parcel or completing a local sale.
- Is it safe to sell in person? UK handover guide
A local sale needs a clear payment and acceptance process. Plan the inspection first, then complete the handover with PIN Pickup.
- Fake payment emails: checks before you sell
A payment email can look convincing. Check the order in the app before dispatching, handing over an item or entering account details.
- How to sell trainers in the UK
Make a trainer listing buyers can judge: show the soles, size label, wear and what is included. Then choose Shipping or PIN Pickup.
- How to sell clothes online in the UK
Help a buyer judge fit and condition with useful measurements, clear photos and an honest description of each garment.
- How to sell a phone safely in the UK
Show the phone’s condition, prepare your personal data for removal and agree how the buyer can check it before accepting.
- How to price preloved items in the UK
Choose a price using condition, comparable items and what you want to receive. Check the buyer’s total as well as your own proceeds.
- Sell locally without cash: PIN Pickup explained
Keep a local sale in the app, with payment before the handover and a PIN to confirm acceptance after inspection.
- Collection-only items: sell safely with PIN Pickup
For bulky or fragile items, prepare the collection details and inspection. Complete the in-person sale through the app.
- Move listings from Vinted to SilentSale®
Bring your own Vinted listing export into private drafts. Check details, add anything missing and publish each item when it is ready.
- Move listings from eBay to SilentSale®
Bring your own eBay listing export into private drafts. Check details, add anything missing and publish each item when it is ready.
- Vinted account suspended? What to do next
Read the notice, preserve order records and use the review route it provides. Keep existing transactions separate from plans to sell elsewhere.
- Item not received? What to do on a marketplace
Check the order and tracking, keep evidence and report the problem through the service where you paid. Do not confirm an item you have not received.
- Vinted alternatives UK: an honest comparison
Compare fees, postage and in-person handover if Vinted’s buyer charge or prepaid label is what you want to change.
- Depop alternatives UK: an honest comparison
Compare fees, postage and in-person handover if Depop’s processing charge or meetup rules are what you want to change.
- Gumtree alternatives UK: an honest comparison
Compare fees, postage and in-person handover if Gumtree’s buyer charge or a no-show is what you want to change.
- eBay alternatives UK: an honest comparison
Compare fees, postage and collection if eBay’s buyer charge or a coded handover is what you want to change.
- Facebook Marketplace alternatives in the UK
Compare fees, postage and in-person handover if a Facebook Marketplace no-show is what you want to change.
- Selling fees compared UK: check the whole cost
Compare listing costs, seller deductions and buyer totals. The cheapest choice depends on the item, delivery and optional services.
- Is eBay Simple Delivery compulsory, and what if the parcel is lost?
For an eligible private listing, eBay says Simple Delivery is the only postage method. Loss cover starts when the carrier scans the parcel.
- What if an eBay buyer returned a different item?
If the item is damaged, not as described, or the wrong item, eBay says you generally have to accept the return. Check what comes back before you refund.
- What do I do if my Vinted InPost parcel is stuck in transit?
A stuck InPost scan is not yet a lost-parcel case. Vinted’s refund policy gives two clocks, and they are not the same.
- Vinted says the package was empty. What should we do?
Photograph what arrived, and use the order within 2 calendar days. Vinted’s refund policy sets out more than one possible result.
- What are Depop fees in the UK?
Depop’s own pages do not all use the same processing figure. Read them side by side, then read the checkout and the receipt.
- Evri lost my Depop order. What can I do?
Depop’s Evri label and Depop’s seller cover are different caps. Report the loss on the clock the right page uses.
- Buyer says a courier will collect and pay cash. What now?
A courier with cash, or an email that says you are already paid, is not money in your account. Keep the item until you can see the payment yourself.
- Should I pay a deposit on Facebook Marketplace?
No. Do not send a holding fee or the full price by bank transfer before you see the item, unless you are in a checkout whose rules you have read.
- What if a buyer shows a fake banking app at collection?
A picture on the buyer’s phone is not your money. Open your own banking app. Hand the item over only when that account shows the incoming payment.
- How do I spot fake notes on Facebook Marketplace?
Check the note before you let go of the item. The Bank of England says a counterfeit note is worthless, and that it cannot pay you back.
- Should I give a car buyer my home address?
No. Do not send your home address to someone you have only spoken to online. Nottinghamshire Police warned car sellers about this in February 2025.
- A buyer asked me to read out a text code. Should I?
No. Do not read a text code to a buyer, and do not type it into a page they sent. That code can let someone else onto an account that uses your number.
- How do I sell furniture locally in the UK?
Use photos of your own sofa, real measurements, and a day someone can actually collect. A one-line reply is not a booking.
- Will the sofa fit up the stairs or in the car?
Measure the item, the narrowest doorway, the turn on the landing, and the vehicle opening. The room size is not enough.
- The cash-on-delivery sofa is not the one in the photos. What now?
Open the wrapping and compare it with the photos before you hand over cash. If the driver will not let you look, do not pay.
- Is selling in a Facebook group the same as Marketplace?
A group post is not Marketplace checkout. Facebook’s UK help says Purchase Protection isn't available in your location right now.
- How do I sell a washing machine for collection?
Run a short cycle if you can, look at the hose and the cable, and check the back for transit bolts. Agree the price before it is on the stairs.
- How do I check a second-hand bike before I pay?
Copy the number stamped on the frame and check it on BikeRegister before you pay. A clear result is not proof of ownership. Then look at the bike itself.
- How do I sell a pram in a Facebook mum group?
Use photos of your pram, a clear price and a collection area. A pram is not a car seat. Do not take a bank transfer to hold it.
- How do I collect a piano from Facebook Marketplace?
See the piano before you pay. Measure the doors, the turn and the stairs, and agree who will move it. An upright is heavy.
- What is the best app to sell clothes in the UK?
There is no single best app to sell clothes in the UK. Match the fee, the label and the report window to the garment.
- What is the best app to sell furniture in the UK?
There is no single best app to sell furniture in the UK. Most sofas and wardrobes are a collection, not a small parcel.
- What is the best app to sell electronics in the UK?
There is no single best app to sell electronics in the UK. A phone, a console and a washing machine are not the same sale.
- What can’t you sell on UK marketplaces?
Knives, vapes, alcohol and medicines are blocked on several UK apps, and the lists do not match. Check the site, and the law, before you list.
- What is an online car boot sale in the UK?
An online car boot sale on SilentSale® is a local event in the app. You pay before you meet. The handover uses a PIN, with a deadline after the event.
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Sources
SilentSale® Terms and Conditions, checked 2026-10-02. Each article includes its own sources.