Just don't list anything of value. List for 99p or £1 and only include those items you would willingly sell for that amount. Make sure they are only listed when it is free and by automatically relisting when free, all you need to do is a couple of mouse clicks and top up the gaps when items sell. Even with that strategy you will probably only sell 5-10%, with most selling at opening price. This provides benefits all round in that it gets rid of shi*e you don't want, without risking the loss of anything valuable. This is good for the environment. It helps collectors of washers to adequately source material for their collections whilst enriching yourself in the process. As a seller of crap you will probably make a considerable profit on a few pence worth of scrap metal. The poundshop mentality of your average eBay buyer means they will be equally happy paying a pound for something worth pence as something worth a couple quid. Don't pretend you can educate people about quality - buyers have rose tinted spectacles meaning if the book says something is worth £1K FDC, they by extension have a £1K washer as it is the only number quoted. The race to the bottom will attract more due to the (outside) possibility of finding a valuable item than it will ever convince the same that they are throwing away good money. Saying something is UNC or FDC is meaningless as nobody believes an eBay seller anyway. Make sure you include an adequate amount in the postage charge to cover eBay's FVF and Paypoo fees. Cover your own backside by getting everything signed for even if it sells for only a quid. That covers you against eBay's bias in favour of buyers. If people complain that the postage is three times that of the item, explain that if eBay didn't bite the hand that feeds them, you might be more amenable to trust others. Success breeds an arrogant attitude. Most businesses eventually go tits up because they don't listen to their customers. I confidently forecast that eBay will be no exception to this rule. Once the initial work has been done, ongoing maintenance is relatively untaxing and you convert something you don't want into a modest amount of cash, occasionally hitting the jackpot when Mr Thicko pays many times an object's worth.