I bet you just finished your spring cleaning, and your sitting there looking in disgust at the pile of stuff you found in your house that you simply don’t need.
And this time, you’re determined to keep you clutter under control.
How do you keep accumulating all that stuff when you really don’t buy that much?? (At least, that’s what I feel like)
Well, the good news for us is that there a quite a few simple ways to turn your junk into cash.
You may not want it anymore, but somebody, somewhere does! And it’s really easy to do.
Of course, the bad news is, it does take a little effort.
But it’s worth it. You know, trading a pile of stuff you no longer want or need for cash to spend on things you DO want and need.
Here are six ways to get cash for your junk, starting with pretty basic tactics, but progressing, with a bunch of genius tips you may not of though about!
Simple Ways To Turn Your Junk Into Cash
Hold A Yard Sale
Garage sales and yard sales are probably the number one method here in the U.S. for getting rid of stuff. They’re great! You do the work once, and move a LOT of stuff in one weekend. Of course, the downside is that you usually don’t move all of it, so you’ll have to find a way to deal with the leftovers (which you’ll find further down the list).
Here are some brilliant tips for making your yard sale a success:
- Set reasonable prices. Go on the low side. Yard sale shoppers are bargain shoppers!
- Advertise! Set ups flyers, and let all the local community Facebook groups know it’s happening
- Let people know what you have. Take pictures of the highlights and post them in the community Facebook groups along with your yard sale information
- Make your sale easy to navigate. Throwing out a box of clothing for people to rummage through results in a.) people passing it up because it’s too much work, or b.) traffic jams of people all trying to dig through the box at once. A bargain bin seems like a good idea, but think through it carefully before you set one up.
Instead, you can fold each piece of clothing, and lay them out of tables, tarps, or table cloths on your driveway/yard.
- Start your sale early. The majority of yard sale buyers are out early. I’ve been told by some avid yardsalers that good stuff is always gone by 8:00 A.M. So be prepared to start early to catch the most buyers!
Sell to consignment shops
If you have great clothing is excellent shape, you can sometimes get a good price at consignment shops.
Some tips here are:
- Don’t bother with non brand-name clothing. A lot of consignment shoppers are looking for top brands on the cheap so consigning off-brands often results in the shop asking you to take your clothes back after a few months.
- Make sure your clothes are spotless. Again, Consignments shoppers are looking for like-new, top-brand clothing without paying full price, so rips, stains, or pilling isn’t going to get you results.
Resell to Antique Stores
If you have antiques you need to move, but aren’t really into the antique scene, then an antique store may be your best way to sell. The drawback is that you won’t get the best price, but on the plus side, it’ll be sold.
Resell Through eBay
There’s a market for almost everything on eBay. From clothing, to household appliances, and pretty much everything else.
I’ve even sold dish towels through eBay, and it’s really pretty simple!
- Find a well lit area to take descriptive pictures of your items
- Weigh them, so you can figure out how much shipping to charge (eBays will walk you through the process as you list them).
- Title your item with a keyword rich description so people can find it (i.e. Ann Taylor Loft Midi Skirt, size 8, beige linen).
- Describe the item – be honest, and very detailed! Aside from the personal virtue of honesty, you can get in really hot water with eBay if a purchaser’s items arrive not as described.
- Select item condition – this will help costumers find exactly what they’re looking for
- Set your price or auction starting bid price.
- Publish
the first listing can feel a little confusing, but once you’ve got the system down, it goes pretty fast, and it’s a great way to get things moving without ever leaving your house.
Also, there’s an eBay app that lets you do the whole thing from your phone, which is pretty cool.
Resell Through Amazon
This one is addictive, since Amazon is one of the most trafficked retail websites in the world, Selling through Amazon FBA can turn from an easy way to sell extra stuff, to a full time income, and if that interests you at all, I recommend going through The Selling Family’s Free video training on it.
For selling your extras lying around the house, the process is similar to eBay, and it’s important here more than ever to be really, really honest about the condition of your items.
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of selling clothes on Amazon, but almost everything else can do really well.
- Books
- Appliances
- Toys
- Decor
- Tools
Resell on Facebook
Every town, not matter how small has a Facebook group these days.
Search for your town’s or county’s name + “buy sell trade” “classifieds” or other search terms you think up, and join them. It’s also a great idea to join the groups for nearby towns (we live in a town of 900, so most of our buying AND selling activity is done through FB groups in larger, nearby towns).
Some tips for Facebook Groups:
- Follow the rules – of course! Some groups allow you to bump up your post every 24 hours, some don’t. Some don’t allow certain things to be sold. Read the rules before you start!
- Take good pictures. You know how they say people eat with their eyes first? The same is true for buying anything – they want pretty stuff.
- Be very descriptive, and take pictures of any flaws. People appreciate honestly, and they’ll trust you – and buy from you – more for it.
- Price reasonably. Good items with reasonable prices get snatched up FAST on our Facebook groups – which can be annoying since I don’t check Facebook more than once a day, and miss out on a lot of stuff).
For this reason, even though you have to answer questions directly in in Facebook and Facebook messages – which can get a little hectic – and often have to drive somewhere to meet buyers, Facebook groups are by far my favorite way to sell yardsale-type items.
Which one should you try first? It doesn’t really matter – just try one! Since none of them cost you anything, you have nothing to lose.
And you might be tempted to go for another round of spring cleaning once the cash starts rolling in (not really, but you might get bit by the selling bug).
My final parting tip is, if you have stuff laying around that you’re having a hard time parting with, ask yourself if that item benefits you on a regular basis, or if your keeping it based on a dream of a “maybe I’ll use it some day”.
If you’re even considering putting it in your “sell” pile, the odds are high that you’ll never miss it.
So sell it!
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Kristie says
This is very interesting! My daughters and I were just working on getting rid of stuff today. Would you say it is easier to sell on Amazon or on Ebay?
Elise says
Personally, I prefer eBay, because it’s more straightforward, but I know a lot of people like Amazon.