I sell my clothes on eBay to buy holidays

IreNe CrammoNd, 72, is a retired training and competence manager for a bank. divorced, she has a grown-up daughter and a grandson. She lives in andover, Hampshire. She says:

HAVING always loved fashion, I’ve bought far too many clothes over the years.

When I retired six years ago, I decided that I needed to get rid of some — not only to free up space, but also to supplement my income.

I have my pension from work as well as my state pension but it isn’t very much.

And although I can afford the bills now, the price of everything is going up and I just want to be able to afford the occasional holiday or treat.

I started off selling one or two things at a time on eBay.

But once I’d got the hang of it, I realised that I could make a profit every month if I dedicated some time to it.

Once you’ve been doing eBay for a while, they stop charging every time you want to list something and just take a percentage of the sale.

Sometimes I will spot a bargain in a charity shop and sell it for a profit. My best buy was a Toast dress that I bought for only £1 and sold for £84.

But, normally, I’m just selling my own clothes that either don’t fit any more or I’ve simply grown bored of them.

I might buy a dress for £60 and wear it a few times but I’d rather sell it for £20 than having it sitting in my wardrobe. Clothes from shops such as Next and Monsoon sell well.

I’ve also sold jewellery, boots, shoes, pictures, pots and pans, and even almost-new bras because I had a breast reduction so they no longer fit.

I’ve noticed that fascinators sell well too but men’s clothes and baby clothes don’t.

You have to be organised — I have a drawer where I keep all my labels, pens and envelopes — and I can make up to £200 a month most months, which helps to pay for holidays or things for my new grandson. My best month was £700.

I’ve started selling on Facebook Marketplace, usually larger items I can’t post on eBay. I’m moving house in a couple of weeks so I’m selling bits of furniture and have made £300 in the past few weeks. I insist on collection-only as I don’t have time to deliver.