Research from eBay has found you can make as much as over £50 from old costumes and almost £20 for decorations and masks by selling them online to last-minute shoppers
Halloween is just around the corner – but it is a major contributor to landfill with a recent study finding out 46 million items are thrown out unnecessarily each year.
This is not just bad for the environment, but as many of these items are single-use you could be wasting your money by throwing them out.
Research from eBay has found you can cash in on your old Halloween items, making as much as £46 for an old costume, £18 for a mask and £16 for decorations – and sellers can list these for free on the site.
The online retailer also said this year, popular searches for Halloween costumes include Freddy Krueger, Wolverine, Beetlejuice, Harley Quinn and Wednesday Addams – which have all seen demand surge in the past few weeks.
Other popular items are less scary but inspired by the likes of singers Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter.
An eBay spokesperson said: “As Halloween approaches, we’ve seen a significant rise in demand for costumes influenced by recent pop culture hits.
“This year, excitement surrounding Joker: Folie à Deux has brought back interest in Harley Quinn outfits, while the upcoming Beetlejuice sequel has reignited demand for costumes of this legendary character.
“Beyond spooky looks, we’ve also seen rising interest in ‘It Girl’ costumes like Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift. While these trends are gaining buzz, many classic looks continue to be popular —such as Freddy Krueger, which remains a top choice.
“With eBay now offering free selling across all categories for private sellers – except motors – it’s the perfect opportunity to cash in on these trends by selling costumes from years gone by to fund this year’s Halloween look.”
Five top tops for getting the best price and a quick sale
1. Take Clear, Bright Photos: High quality pictures are key when it comes to selling. Make sure to show your costume in great lighting and from different angles so buyers can see all the details – it makes a big difference in catching people’s attention.
2. Be Detailed in Your Description: Include everything a buyer might want to know—such as the brand, size, material, condition and any fun accessories. The more information, the better. On eBay, you can even use AI to help write your descriptions at the touch of a button.
3. Use Popular Keywords: Think about what buyers will be searching and include as many key search words as you can, and don’t forget to include ‘Halloween’. Also, avoid descriptive words like ‘lovely’ or ‘beautiful’ when describing your item as buyers won’t be typing those words in when they search.
4. Price it Right: eBay offers guidance on pricing when you list your item if you’re not sure where to start and you can do further research by searching for your item on eBay and filtering the results by sold item’ to see how much others made from similar items.
5. You can also offer ‘Buy It Now’ to attract buyers who want to lock in their costume quickly. Offer Quick Shipping: With Halloween just around the corner, fast shipping is a big plus. Highlight quick dispatch or offer speedy shipping options to grab those last-minute shoppers.
