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Name: Nel van der Bijl
Superpower: Seller of a household worth of goods in 60 minutes flat
Gone in 60 minutes – that’s what this Wonder Woman does with an entire household worth of goods. She’s the mover and shaker that arrives before you move and sells all those unwanted items.
She makes packing a breeze. She lines your pockets with some extra money for the move. And she entertains you from hello to goodbye.
I met Wonder Woman when it was time to prepare for our big move to Australia. Mr Tiara Tribe and I had two households’ worth of stuff to get rid of as he’d moved in with me only months before.
It was a daunting job. We didn’t have the luxury of packing everything into boxes to open on the other side – a change of countries meant purging most of our worldly possessions and a much lighter load to carry overall.
There was a light in this tunnel. A light called Nel, who helped us sell most of our things as we temporarily joined the minimalist movement before boarding a plane for the long flight down under.
I liked this Wonder Woman’s grace and magnetism so much that I asked her to do an interview for the blog, which she did. And here’s her Selling On story…
Hi Nel!
Tell us a bit about yourself
There’s nothing like growing up around an actress mother and an army commandant father in sunny South Africa in the 1980s. In hindsight, I think this was the reason for me being just a bit more aware of all kinds of people in our beloved country.
Nel’s mother was an actress and her father was a commandant in the army.
My mom insisted I study ‘something’ before traveling, so after completing my National Diploma in Travel and Tourism in 1994 I set off to conquer the world.
How did conquering the world go at such a young age when you were probably still ‘finding yourself’?
I always knew I wanted to help people through difficult times in their lives… I just couldn’t envisage how and what this would be.
My travels ended after 7 years in the UK, when I decided to return to South Africa and study again. But this time I wanted to do something more creative: Film Studies. Now I was the ‘mature’ student (or so I thought) and I had BIG plans for myself, such as working for the BBC on all kinds of mockumentaries and documentaries.
But as fate would have it, I met my future husband one night in a pub called Firkin. I realized that I would have to have children with him as he was much younger and way smarter than me.
Jasper, Nel’s young and smart husband, with Woutrine, her eldest daughter
Did you just decide there and then that you wanted children?
It’s strange but I always knew I’d be a mother, with or without a husband, and that I’d enjoy being one.
Nel standing with her two daughters on the beach (Beatrice on the left and Woutrine on the right).
And it happened for you.
Yes, but I was still seeking a path with a purpose and I didn’t know how or what it should be.
I spent 5 years in Cape Town with my two daughters and husband Jasper, to advance his career. We then sold the contents of our home through a company called Moving On, before returning to our hometown Pretoria.
And your path opened quite unexpectedly, didn’t it?
It did!
I was very impressed with Moving On’s founder, Richard. He managed to clear away all our items within 2 hours. I remember the sheer relief after the sale as he’d managed to make our work of wrapping and packing so much lighter.
Then Richard mentioned that he was struggling to establish a franchise in Pretoria … and the rest is history as they say.
So, you joined Moving On as a franchisee?
Yes, I helped people to ‘move on’ for 7 years after that!
You’ve recently taken the leap to start your own business, haven’t you?
I officially started Sell On.
I use my Google business site to advertise my service, my exclusive WhatsApp Preview Buyers group and my ever-growing Facebook page to make the magic happen.
How does the Sell On process work?
I go to people’s homes to take photos of the items they want to sell. These are my clients. I then make a collage of the items available, which buyers view to decide what they would like to buy.
I set a sale (collection) date with the client for when the buyers can collect their goods, and we clean out the sold items within 60 minutes.
A typical sale listing by Nel. She makes a collage of the items on sale and distributes the collage to her WhatsApp buyer base and posts it on her Sell On Facebook page. Nel cleverly uses a pen to give viewers an idea of the size of the items in her pictures.
How long does the listing process take and when do you recommend people have their big sale?
We start listing the items for sale at least 2 weeks before the sale date.
We usually hold the big sale on the day or the day before my client moves out of the property, for their convenience. You don’t want to sell all your pots and couches weeks before and have nothing to eat with or sit on before you move out!
What do you sell for your clients?
I sell all home contents, from the pot plants and lawnmower in the garage to the cutlery and pegs on the washing line.
Nel sells pretty much anything for her clients. TVs, garden furniture, extension cords, baking goods, you name it – Nel will try to find a willing buyer for it.
How are items priced?
Items are priced to sell.
Many of my buyers buy and replace their old items with the ‘new’ items bought from my sales, as they find it hard to resist a bargain and become addicted to the buzz that every sale brings.
They trust me to check the quality of the goods and then buy directly from the photos in my listings.
And what commission do you take for all your work?
I take a 20% commission from all sales.
Moving is quite a stressful time for people. How does this affect you in your line of work?
Some sales go better than others and some sellers are much happier than others. But that is how life goes, sometimes not so great and sometimes fantastic. You just have to ride it out and learn how to cope with curveballs coming your way – the question isn’t whether or not life will throw you a curveball, it’s just a matter of when.
I’ve had to wear many hats when dealing with my clients who are going through different periods in their lives, such as scaling down, retiring, cleaning out deceased estates, moving house, or emigrating. There are so many emotions and so many different approaches…
How do you deal with this?
One thing I always tell myself is: Don’t take it personally.
My clients are going through a very stressful time in their lives and my buyers are hoping to bag a bargain. These are 2 sides to the same coin that forms the sale.
So Wonder Woman became my alter ego – she’s mostly funny and friendly, gently scolding and stern when buyers don’t follow the rules, but she always tries her best to help sellers find homes for their goods.
Do you have a favorite saying that keeps you motivated?
“Now the world is ready for you and the wonders you can do. Make a hawk a dove. Stop a war with love. Make a liar tell the truth!” ~ Wonder Woman
♥♥♥
Nel, thank you for sharing your story with us.
Life never goes according to plan, does it? But that’s the adventure and what gives you the stories to tell.
We should all follow our hearts and take opportunities whenever they come up because you never know where these might lead you… down the aisle or on to a blog called Tiara Tribe!
Put on that tiara and shine Wonder Woman. And don’t take things personally, unless things are great – then take them to heart all the way.
