More cash for your junk... (loot.com)

Member Name: MichaelR

Product:	loot.com
Date:	10/10/01 (499 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No fees, Reach non-Internet enabled audience, Items can fetch higher prices than at auction

Disadvantages: Ads have to be short, Printed versions not available in all parts of UK, Internet version not well known

Isn’t the Internet great? Not only does it allow squillions (yes, I know that’s not a proper word – but I like it) of people to come together to talk and share information, experiences, and opinions – but it also allows those people to sell their unwanted junk, ahem, I mean “quality goods” to each other.

There are many trading mechanisms available online now. The most popular form of online trading comes in the form of online auctions such as eBay – where for a modest fee you can reach potentially millions of people who are looking to buy that very item that you are desperate to get rid of. The problem is that some items simply don’t have that much value in online auctions because there is more supply than there is demand… there are many examples of this… e.g. eBay is not the best place to sell a computer, as it is flooded with cheap new machines produced by independent computer shops – so this makes getting a decent price on a used machine very difficult.

So then, how do you reach the large audiences that the Internet offers you, whilst also ensuring that you manage to sell your unwanted goods for a reasonable price?

Well, Loot could be the answer. Loot is a popular classified advert paper that operates in many parts of England. It also operates a website that is accessible to buyers and sellers all over the UK. Loot can be used to sell virtually anything – just like eBay really… you can sell anything from cameras to camels as long as it’s legal.

Advertisements may be placed free of charge on Loot.com (and the same ad can also be placed into Loot’s printed publications – again free of charge, giving you access to an even wider audience of non-Internet enabled buyers) by private advertisers, or by businesses for a modest fee.

In order to place your ad, you have to register with Loot.com. You simply fill out the usual registrati
on form, which asks for your name, address, e-mail address etc, and then you can log into the site using your e-mail address and chosen password.

Placing an ad is very simple – just choose the relevant category from the pull-down menu box and then enter the text of you advert. You can have a title in bold text up to 3 words long, and then you may enter up to 160 characters total as the body of your advert (the title and contact details are included in the count). Loot also provides the facility to add your contact details automatically using the check boxes at the bottom of the submission form to retrieve your details from the Loot database.

Once you have finished entering your ad, a preview is presented and any errors (usually using too many characters in my case) are highlighted and you will be invited to go back and correct the errors, or else if all is well, to continue on and submit the ad. Web-based advertisements usually appear within two days, whilst advertisements submitted to the printed versions as well will appear in the next edition of the relevant publication.

Adverts placed on the website will remain active for two weeks, although you can keep them running for longer by logging into the website and clicking the “renew” button next to the relevant ad in your profile.

Selling success is limited with Loot… it is largely dependent upon supply and demand still, but when a sale is made, it is generally made at the price specified. You have nothing to lose by listing an item though, as there are absolutely no fees.

Loot is definitely worth using if you have something to sell that you *know* won’t fetch a high price at auction – even though it deserves to.

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