How to sell live: seven ideas for UK sellers

Gary Vaynerchuk, who runs VaynerMedia, says live shopping today is where social media was in 2010. He calls it "QVC on social media". In a recent article he walked through how seven very different businesses could start selling live, from a barber to a painter to a cookie bakery.

His ideas work for anyone with something to sell in the UK. Here they are, in our words, with what we've seen on Biddurs so far.

1. Start with what you already have

You don't need a warehouse to run your first show. Pick ten things you own and would happily sell, and run a short live sale. You'll learn more about pricing, talking on camera and packing parcels in one evening than in a month of reading about it.

2. Tell people before you go live

A live show with nobody watching is just a video call with yourself. In the week before, post that you're going live, say when, and say what's coming up. Then message people you know directly and ask them to come. A personal message beats a post every time.

3. Make the show the reason to watch

People stay for the show and buy along the way. A baker can bake live, a painter can paint, a collector can tell the story of each piece. Hold every item up to the camera, answer questions in the chat, and let people see exactly what they're bidding on.

4. Turn a weekly drop into an event

If you release new stock on a set day, make that day a live show. A short preview the night before, then the sale itself at the same time every week. Regulars learn when to turn up, and the clock gives them a reason to bid now rather than later.

5. Sell things that post well

Live selling suits physical things you can hold up and pop in the post. If what you sell can't be posted, sell what goes with it, like branded merch, and use your shows to build your name.

6. Use your shop as your studio

If you have a shop that's quiet at certain times, go live from it. Walk the shelves, pick things up, chat to the people watching. Every viewer is someone who walked into your shop for free.

7. Keep going, and get better each show

Your first show will be small. That's fine. Each show you'll get quicker, you'll learn which items get people bidding, and the regulars will start to come back.

What our first show taught us

On 28 October we ran our first live show with testers: jewellery and watches. 36 people watched, all 21 lots sold, and people stayed for over 17 minutes on average. The lots with a longer clock drew far more bids than the quick ones, so we changed the default clock the next day. Read the full write up.

Selling on Biddurs

On Biddurs you go live from your phone, show one item at a time, and buyers bid in one tap. Sellers pay a 6% fee on the item price and no listing fees. Here's the full breakdown of seller fees, and how live auctions work.

We're opening to sellers soon. Join the waitlist to be one of the first.