I’ve probably mentioned this several times in the past but I think it’s worth repeating…you can DEFINITELY make money by selling items that you have in and around the house. You CAN turn your clutter into cash!
The thing is, you have to determine:
- How much time do you have to spend on getting this done? Everything takes time. You have to determine how much time you have or want to spend on selling whatever it is. Only you know if you have the time or not to undertake this project.
- At what point do you decide that the item you want to sell is not worth your time? I advise my clients that if a particular item is not worth at least $100.00 then it should probably be donated.
- Remember…it takes time to photograph, list and advertise the item and then deal with the emails, questions and meeting interested buyers.
- Then, there’s out-of-pocket expenses to consider, i.e. packing/shipping materials, mailing/shipping costs.
- Sentimental value versus Fair Market Value. We all know that we attach more value to items that we have sentimental attachment to. However, the general public is not interested in sentimental value. They will typically pay Fair Market Value which is loosely defined as the value people are willing to pay for a particular object at a particular point in time.
If you decide to try and sell things that you no longer want or need, here are the Top Ten Items you can sell to make money:
- Jewelry: Broken chains, single earrings, extra links and pieces that you no longer want or need including, costume jewelry.
- Coins or stamps: Collections that were passed down to you and have been sitting in your closet or garage that you never wanted in the first place.
- Clothing: There are soooo many options. There are stores that buy used clothing; expensive, trendy or otherwise. There are also thrift stores (Wasteland, Buffalo Exchange) and on-line apps (The RealReal, Chairish, Thred-Up). Other options may be to have a Garage Sale or contact a liquidator.
- Vinyl: I know many of us have saved the records from days of old but how many of us actually have something to play them on? I’m thinking not many. Time to sell them. What exactly are you keeping them for?
- Sports Cards: Ya know…the cards you started collecting when you were in elementary and middle school. Some may actually have some decent value. What’s the point of keeping them in a box in the closet or garage. If you’re not going to give them to your kids or grandkids it’s probably time to sell them. That was the plan any way, right? They were going to have value one day! Well…today might be the day!
- Musical Equipment: If you’re no longer playing or now have better equipment, why not sell the ones you aren’t using anymore? Someone else, perhaps a kid learning how to play, would love to get their hands on a guitar or drum set as they begin their musical journey
- Gym/Sporting Equipment: Did you know that there are retail stores out there that will happily buy your used gym equipment? Well…there are. They buy and sell used gym equipment because people do outgrow the equipment and there’s someone out there that doesn’t’ want to or need to buy this stuff new (Play It Again Sports). Chances are if these stores are willing buying a piece of equipment, it’s still in good enough shape for someone else to use.
- Luxury Hand Bags/Purses: There’s a market for that as well. Women are notorious for buying gently used purses. Especially designer handbags. It may be used for the seller but it’s new to the buyer.
- Cars/Motorcycles: This goes out to those of you who are no longer driving or no longer driving (or should be driving) a motorcycle. Perhaps it’s time to face that reality and sell the car and/or motorcycle to someone who can put them to use. Cars are expensive these days! You can get top dollar for your used car and there’s no time like the present. Just do it!
- Tools: Used or new they sell! If you’re not using them someone else will.
If you’re in the decluttering zone and want to make some money from the possessions you no longer want or need, consider the above-options.
For those of you who decide you don’t have the time or where-with-all to take this on, consider donating. You will get a write-off that you can use on your taxes and hopefully feel really good about the fact that someone out there who really wants and needs this “stuff” will have access to it.