A lot is the one thing on this site where the buyer knows they are taking a risk. What decides whether they enjoy it is how honest you are about the size of that risk.
Say how much you have checked
This is the whole category in one line. There are three honest positions and they are worth very different money:
Checked and listed — you have been through it and here is what is in it. Partly checked — you have looked at the top layer and listed what you saw. Unopened or unsorted — you have not been through it and you say so.
All three sell. Claiming the first while meaning the third is what ends in a dispute.
Give counts and weights
How many pieces, roughly. How heavy, actually — weigh it. How big is the parcel going to be. A buyer bidding on "a box of kitchenware" needs to know whether that is four kilos or forty.
Say what is explicitly not guaranteed
Write the sentence out: "Sold as seen. I have not tested the electricals, I have not checked for chips, and I cannot confirm what any of it is." That sentence is protection for you and information for them.
Pull out anything that does not belong
Anything valuable, anything identifiable and anything restricted comes out of the lot:
- Valuable or identified — sell it on its own; a lot drags it down
- Restricted — wildlife products, antiquities, weapons, medicines and anything needing a licence are not sellable here, and "it came in a job lot" is not an exception. Prohibited items
- Personal papers and photographs — these turn up constantly in estate lots and they are somebody's private life. Take them out
What to show on camera
Everything laid out, not the closed box. A lot photographed closed is a lot nobody bids on.
Delivery
Heavy, bulky and often best collected. Weigh before you quote, and offer collection where it makes sense.
More: how to sell on Metzee, pricing lots.
Questions people ask
Can I sell a sealed box without opening it?
Yes, described as unopened, with its weight and size. What you cannot do is guess at the contents.
What if something valuable turns up after the sale?
It went with the lot. That is the deal both sides made, which is why it pays to look first.
Do I have to test electricals?
No, but you have to say that you have not. What you can and cannot sell.