Whether you want to pick up a few extra bucks or want to declutter, odds are you have thought about selling more than a few items you have had lying around since… well, too long ago. While it is easier than ever to get good money for your unused items, you need to weigh your own personal answers to two questions before you can determine what to sell, how to sell it, and where to sell it.
Question 1: Why am I selling?
Are you selling primarily because you need money or because you are decluttering and might as well pick up a few bucks while you are at it? If you are selling because you really need the cash, then it makes sense to put more effort into getting top dollar. If you are selling because you are decluttering, then it is probably worth it to get rid of things the easiest way rather than the most profitable way. An example might help here. Let’s say you have a couch that is fairly nice, and you think you can get $200 for it. If you are selling it for the money, then it is probably worth it to put up some advertisements, take a few offers, and help some newlyweds lug it out of the living room; however, if you just want to declutter, then you will probably be better off asking Goodwill or another local charity to come pick it up for you. Giving to charity is more of a win-win than most people realize because of the fact that charitable donations are tax-deductible, and you can pick a (reasonable) value for the item that is favorable for you.
Question 2: How much work am I willing to put into this?
Whatever the reason that you have for selling is, how you go about doing it depends on how much work you are willing to put into the process. This, in turn, usually depends on how valuable the thing you are selling is. For instance, say you are decluttering your jewelry box and think to yourself, how can I make the most money when I sell my Rolex? Chances are you will not say well, it would be easiest to just run it down to the pawnshop. That’s because you know you could make ten times as much money selling by getting quotes from reputable jewelers and choosing the best deal. The same thing is true for nearly any item you could think of the more work you are willing to put into selling it, the more you will be able to get. At some point, however, the juice is not worth the squeeze. You would not want to spend an hour reviewing offers on an old DVD you want to get rid of for a few bucks.
Where to sell
With summer coming up, we are all looking to get rid of old clothes to make room for the new, so let’s look more specifically at where to get the best deal for your old things. Once you have answered the two questions above, the last step is to decide where to sell each item. The best place to sell each item will be different depending on the answers you came up with to the first two questions.
Low effort: If you just want to get rid of things quickly and easily, a good option is decluttr.com. You simply scan the barcode on your item, and they will give you a packing slip and money. Of course, not every item still has its barcode. Clothing and accessories are especially likely to have been used by the time you want to sell them. If this is the case for you, a great site is Poshmark.com since it is easy to use and you can get pretty good money for the effort it takes to list things.
Medium effort: Everyone has heard of eBay, and for a good reason: you can sell anything and everything on their platform. The reason that this is a medium effort endeavor, however, is that you will need to put some money upfront and create an account if you want to start selling. It is best to use eBay only if you are planning on selling a large number of items. A better option for those who have a bit of time to burn and only a few items to sell is Facebook Marketplace. You do not need to put any money upfront, and you can usually get a pretty good price for things. The catch is that you can (usually) only sell locally, so depending on where you live, you might need to wait a while to find a buyer and/or deliver the item.
High effort: This is the situation with the Rolex above. If you have something worth above a few hundred dollars, it is a good idea to bite the bullet and drive around in person to businesses that deal in that type of item. You can get better and more reliably accurate offers that way. Still, be sure to get at least three quotes so that you can be certain you are getting a good deal.
Whatever your motivations and wherever you are selling, there is a right way to do it for you. Just be sure to take into account why you are selling and how much effort you want to put into it.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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