Veteran online vendor offers tips, selling items from home during COVID-19

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- People are cleaning out closets and attics and coming across all kinds of items they can sell using apps such as Mercari, Poshmark, and eBay.

Meanwhile, people stuck at home are shopping online during the mandatory stay-at-home order.

Julie Clevenger, who lives in the Chestnut Hill area, has been selling items from her home for over 20 years. Clevenger has sold cars, couture clothing, and even antiques.

Since the stay-at-home orders, Clevenger business has been booming. This is a good thing since her job working with autistic children is on hold.

Clevenger provided some tips on how to best sell items from home:

"For me, it's always a learning thing. When I see something and I think, 'this is really weird', I just want to check and see what it would be worth," said Clevenger. "I am usually pretty surprised cause the odd things tend to sell the best."

"If someone said to me, 'what's the most important part of an auction or putting something up to buy/sell?' Absolutely. It is the photographs," Clevenger added.

Clevenger says eight is a good amount of pictures to take of all angles of an item. Especially any discrepancies or anything that's flawed in it.

"It's really crucial whether it's clothing or antique pieces."

The next step is to really describe the item your holding onto, Clevenger says. "For someone that's looking to buy, it's hard to see it on a computer or a screen. You try to make it come to life with the description and the photographs."

Clevenger advises you do at least 30 minutes of research on your item before writing the description. She says people often think shipping items from home will be difficult, but says that's not true.

"There are lots of different carriers out there like Fedex, U.S. Postal and UPS, and they have programs for porch pickup," said Clevenger. "So those carriers come right to my front door every day. I have a pick up and delivery service."

Those carriers also have programs where they will deliver packing materials to your home for free. Just order off their websites and get it delivered to your door.

It's perfect social distancing, and you're making money.