How Do You Offer Delivery When Selling on eBay, Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree?

By the Smart Taurus team · Updated 13 July 2026

"Collection only" is the most expensive phrase in secondhand selling — it shrinks your buyer pool to people with a van who live nearby. Offering delivery flips that, and a courier marketplace makes it practical even for a sofa.

In short: Sellers on eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree who offer delivery reach buyers nationwide instead of within driving distance, sell faster and can hold firmer prices — the delivery cost is simply added to the listing or paid by the buyer. Smart Taurus is a delivery marketplace where a seller (or buyer) posts the item free, verified transporters quote to collect and deliver it, and the job is tracked and paid securely in-app. For furniture-sized items, uShip's published averages run $150–$600.

Why does offering delivery win you more money?

Because collection-only listings compete only for local buyers with transport, while delivered listings compete for everyone. The practical effects sellers see:

A bigger buyer pool — a wardrobe in Leeds can sell to a buyer in Bristol instead of waiting weeks for a local one.
Firmer prices — collection-only buyers habitually knock money off "for the hassle of coming to get it"; delivered items face less of that pressure.
Faster sales — fewer no-show collections, fewer "is it still available?" dead ends from people who never had a van anyway.
Bulky items become sellable at all — sofas, dining tables and gym equipment often only find buyers when delivery is on the table.

And critically: the buyer typically pays the delivery, either baked into the price or as a separate line. You are not funding it — you are unlocking it.

How do you list an item with delivery via a courier marketplace?

Get a real quote before you list, then advertise delivery as a known number rather than a vague promise. The workflow:

Post the item on Smart Taurus free with dimensions, weight, photos and your collection address — before or while you list it for sale. Quotes from verified transporters give you the realistic delivery cost for typical distances.
Write delivery into the listing: "Delivery available nationwide via insured courier — ask for a quote to your postcode." On eBay, list with a courier/freight delivery option rather than collection only; on Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree, state it in the description.
When a buyer commits, confirm the exact quote for their postcode, agree who pays, and book the transporter in the app.
Hand over to the driver at the agreed window — the buyer can even track the delivery.

Transporters quoting on marketplace items are often filling spare space on routes they already drive, which is why the numbers are frequently lower than sellers expect — the same mechanism behind our dedicated eBay delivery service.

How do you coordinate the collection window?

Treat the driver like a second buyer appointment: agree a window, be reachable, and have the item by the door. What smooth handovers have in common:

Offer a window, not a minute — drivers run multi-stop routes; a two-to-three-hour window with your phone on gets collections done first time.
Stage the item — ground floor if possible, drawers empty, anything agreed disassembled. Our furniture packing guide covers getting it van-ready.
Share access notes in the app — parking, gate codes, "third floor no lift" — before the day, not on the doorstep.
Loop the buyer in — confirm their delivery window and that someone will be in; a failed delivery costs someone a re-run fee.

How do you protect yourself as the seller?

Two rules cover almost every marketplace-selling horror story: get paid before the item leaves, and photograph everything.

Payment before dispatch, always. The item does not go on a van until the sale money has cleared — platform checkout on eBay, or cleared bank transfer for Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree. "I'll pay when it arrives" is how sellers lose both item and money.
Condition photos at handover. Photograph the item from all sides — including existing marks — just before the driver loads it, timestamped on your phone. If a damage dispute ever arises, you can show the condition it left in.
Use insured, reviewed transporters. On Smart Taurus every transporter has a verified profile and customer reviews; ask about goods-in-transit cover for high-value items. Our choosing a transporter guide lists the checks.
Keep the conversation in the app — quotes, agreements and tracking in one place beat a trail of text messages if anything is questioned.
Beware overpayment and fake-courier scams — a "buyer" who overpays and asks you to wire the difference to "their courier" is a scam, every time. You choose the courier, not the buyer.

Sequence that works: money clears → transporter booked in-app → condition photos taken → item dispatched → buyer tracks it to their door.

What items are worth offering delivery on?

Anything too big to post is exactly where courier-marketplace delivery earns its keep: sofas and armchairs, wardrobes and dressers, dining sets, appliances, exercise equipment, garden furniture. Small parcels still suit the postal network — for the crossover cases, our guide on how to ship large items shows where the line falls. Single furniture pieces are the bread-and-butter of furniture delivery jobs, and a same-city sale can often go same-day via courier delivery.

How does it work on Smart Taurus, step by step?

Post the delivery job free — item details, photos, collection and delivery postcodes, your preferred windows.
Receive quotes from verified transporters and compare their profiles, reviews and prices.
Book, hand over, and let the buyer track the delivery in real time while payment for the transport is handled securely in-app.

Frequently asked questions

Does offering delivery really increase what an item sells for?

Sellers consistently find collection-only listings attract lowball offers 'for the hassle' and sit unsold longer, while delivered listings reach nationwide buyers who compare against retail-plus-delivery prices. For bulky items like sofas and wardrobes, delivery is often the difference between selling and relisting.

Who pays for delivery — me or the buyer?

Usually the buyer, either as a separate delivery charge or baked into the asking price. Get a real quote from Smart Taurus first so you can state an accurate figure in the listing rather than guessing and eating the difference.

How do I offer courier delivery on Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree?

Neither platform arranges bulky-item delivery for you, so state it in the description: 'nationwide delivery available via insured courier, ask for a quote to your postcode.' When a buyer commits and pays, post the job on Smart Taurus with their address and book a quote.

Should I ever dispatch before the buyer has paid?

No — never. Payment clearing first is the seller's one non-negotiable rule. Use eBay's checkout or a cleared bank transfer for Facebook and Gumtree sales, and treat any buyer who resists paying before dispatch, or who overpays and asks for a refund to 'their courier', as a scam.

What if the buyer claims the item arrived damaged?

Your timestamped condition photos from handover are the answer: they establish what left your house. Damage in transit is then a matter for the transporter's goods-in-transit insurance, which is why booking a verified, insured transporter and keeping the whole job documented in-app matters.

Can the buyer arrange the courier instead of me?

Yes — buyers often post the job themselves on Smart Taurus, especially for eBay wins. It works either way; just agree who books before payment, share honest access details for the collection, and be available during the driver's window. Only ever release the item to a courier you or the platform-paid buyer genuinely booked.

How far ahead should I book the courier after a sale?

Post the job as soon as payment clears — quotes typically arrive quickly, and flexible collection windows over the following days attract the best prices because drivers can slot your item into routes they are already running.