Weird things that sell on eBay

Since the dawn of currency, one of the first things people do when they are short of cash is sell their belongings. Pawnbrokers existed as far back as ancient Greece, Rome and China.

Whether you call it a yard or boot sale, hocking, pawning or flogging junk it's all the same. You sell something you don't really want to sell and inevitably for less than you'd like.

I've written before about silly ideas like selling organs but most people are sensible and just clear out their junk at home. With the relatively recent growth of the world wide web, many people now do this on eBay. Most people see an old laptop, a guitar or their childhood collectible toys collecting dust, sell them for some quick cash and are pleased with that. Don't stop there though as you'd be surprised at the other items that'll sell, even those that you think are only good for the trashcan.

Firstly, take your time to look at the items that are a few minutes away from ending in categories you wouldn't normally look at and you might be surprised at what you thought was trash that has a value.

Those carrier bags from designer shops; people will buy them to parade around with.

• Empty ink cartridges - people will buy them to refill.
• Unwanted coupons and vouchers - people will buy them to save a greater amount of money.
• Broken electronics - people will buy them for parts or to repair and sell.
• Old sports and concert tickets - there are collectors for these.

Further than this, there are a number of items that with the right marketing could sell for even more. I give you the example of the worn shoes.

Can you spot the valuable pair?

Can you guess why worn ladies shoes sell well on eBay? Yep, you got it. There is a certain segment of the population with, shall we say, a great interest in ladies feet. Officially, eBay prohibits dirty and unwashed clothing and a lot of listings with a sexual nature but worn shoes sell. And sell well.

I recently saw a pair of old and battered ladies running shoes that had probably run hundreds of miles sell for $86.

Furthermore, I recently saw a pair of plain, black, no-brand, flat ladies work shoes (nothing special at all) sell for $113.
One hundred and thirteen dollars.

The reason for this high value? Obviously I am not an expert at the complex dynamics of supply and demand in the eBay microcosm but this high value likely has something to do with the description detailing how these were being sold by a 'young air hostess' who had been wearing them for 'a few months on 10 hour long haul transatlantic flights' along with some other vaguely suggestive phrases. This was all finished at the bottom of the description with a small print stating the shoes would "be cleaned to eBay's standards before shipping".

Looking at the previous item history for the vendor and making some educated guesses about the kind of person that would buy and sell the listed items, I'm not sure all of this was true but regardless, they deserve full marks for creativity and marketing. Those old shoes in the trash can can be worth serious cash.

This has got me thinking about the broken laptop that I can sell to a repairer, the old football ticket stubs that a collector may want and everything else on my shelves that I now look at in a different light. Think about this next time you are sorting out your junk and instead of thinking "Who would buy that and why?", think "Who can I sell that to and how?"