Well, perhaps we should say, “Why don’t you go through your home from top to bottom, get rid of old things you no longer want, and make yourself some ready cash?” Sound like a winning idea? In these days of pinching every coin twice, you just might welcome a little extra income with a minimum of work to earn it.
What can you sell? Just about anything. In the tradition of garage or jumble sales, flea markets and car boot sales, you can literally get rid of anything you no longer need. Do you have old unwanted dishes, CD’s, clothing, shoes? Do you have yarn, fabric or craft items? How about furniture, novels, office supplies, or maybe that unwanted wedding gift that you never returned. Whatever it is, clean it up and mark a price on it. Someone will want it. For a great read on decluttering, take a look at Toss, Keep, Sell: The Suddenly Frugal Guide to Cleaning Out Clutter and Cashing In by Leah Ingram.
Although yard sales are probably the cheapest and easiest way to sell old things around the house, you may have items worth quite a bit of money. In that case you’ll need to research the best way to exchange them for hard cash. To sell locally you might place an advertisement in the local newspaper or on an online community marketplace. Often the best deals are found in other online venues such as Amazon marketplace, Ebay, and the like. Check out the online market sites in your area. In my area we have Craigslist which is a great place to post anything under the sun for quick sale.
Some people enjoy taking quality items to consignment shops or antique stores. To do this you must have items in clean and useful shape and be willing to wait some time for the sales price minus a commission to become available. In some cases your best bet is to donate items at fair market value to a local charity being sure to get a non-profit donation slip with items listed and the date marked on it. Some good choices might be Goodwill stores or the Salvation Army in the US.
Now, just what sort of things will bring in that cash you need? Well, just about anything. Here is a list of items to get you started, but you may have an entirely different list of salable items in your garage or shed.
Old jewelry
Books
Works of art
Furniture
Gold or silver
Tools
Sporting goods and gear
Old barn wood, flooring, hardware
Bicycles
Automotive parts
Musical instruments
CD’s, videos, DVD’s
Camping gear
Really the possibilities are endless. Although old clothing is not always an easy sell, children’s clothing, especially baby and toddler items are always easy to move. Toys that your family has outgrown will also sell rapidly if in good repair. Coats and other expensive items of clothing will sell if marked inexpensively.
It is advisable to have larger, more expensive items appraised before selling. For example old books may have more value than you think so take them to a reputable book dealer before selling them. Antique shops and junk dealerships usually have a good idea of the value of furniture, dishes, and the like. Shop your items around to several places before making a decision to sell.
In some cases and if you have a large amount of merchandise, you might want to use an auction house to sell your items. They will take a commission, but the sale turns into a fun event and you can sell everything at one whack. If you think you have true antiques, you can do a lot of your appraisal research online. Or, your local library will have catalogs and pricing books in many genres.
So gather up the things in your household that are merely taking up space and see what you can do with them. As summer is approaching you’ll enjoy having a little extra money around for those trips to the beach or to finance the new hot tub for the back garden. And, not only will you enjoy a cleaner, less cluttered home, you’ll have fun throughout the entire process.
