We’ve all been there. You tell yourself that THIS is the month you’re going to start working out. But that Peloton you ordered quickly turns into a glorified coat in just a few short months. Your nightly glass of wine turns to two, and you wake up the next morning to realize you’ve just ordered the Ninja Creami, which after just two uses is now eating up tons of your precious cabinet space.
We have all made purchases we regret. But you don’t need to continually live in regret over spending choices. Here’s how to turn your unwanted items into cold hard cash by selling them!
The Benefits of Selling Your Stuff
“But isn’t that a lot of work? Is selling your stuff really worth it?”
Yes, selling your stuff requires a little bit of work. But, it’s totally worth it! The little bit of elbow grease required is not much at all compared to the benefits to listing your old stuff for sale. Here’s what we’re talking about…
Help someone else get something at a discount
One of the most rewarding aspects of selling your old stuff is that you get to help someone else out by giving them a deep discount on something they need. You know what it’s like getting a deal for yourself, so passing on that good deed can feel great!
You can be content knowing that your previously loved item is going to a good home, and helping out other frugal folks can strengthen your local community. Plus, if it keeps someone from buying an item brand new, it’s better for the environment too!
Clean up your space
It’s no secret that maintaining a tidy home can seriously benefit your mental health. Living in a disorganized home can lead to more stress and anxiety, whereas an organized space can encourage feelings of control and increase focus. Better yet, you’ll waste less of your precious time looking for things you already own (we spend 2.5 days every year looking for things within our homes!), and will be less likely to accidentally purchase something a second time.
Deciding to sell things you seldom use around your home is a great excuse to work in some spring cleaning. You’ll make extra cash, all while taking stock of what items you already own and tidying your space.
Accomplish financial goals quicker
You may be surprised at the value you find hidden in the back of your closets or in your attic.
What would you do with a few extra hundred dollars? Would you use it to pay off debt, freeing up more of your monthly cash flow? Toss it in your high yield savings account to help you reach your home down payment goal? Or maybe combine it with your travel rewards to take that much needed vacation?
By selling your stuff, you can make any of these dreams a reality. When it comes to achieving your biggest financial goals, every dollar counts. Earning a few extra bucks by selling your stuff can help to bring you closer to the finish line.
How to Sell Your Stuff
Sold (pun intended)? Here’s a step by step guide on how to sell your stuff, so you can declutter while earning extra cash.
Step 1: Figure out what you want to sell
Maybe you have something in mind already, or maybe it’s in your “I’ll decide later” list. Either way, we recommend scheduling a spring cleaning day to go through the areas of your home where you tend to store the things you use the least often. Think basements, closets, cabinets, and those catch-all drawers that we ALL know could use a good organizing. Then, put everything you want to sell into a pile, and return the things you want to keep to their places.
If you’re struggling to decide whether or not you should sell something, a good rule of thumb is to ask yourself if you have used it in the last year or two. If you have not, and it’s relatively inexpensive to replace, it’s time to let it go. Even if you end up deciding later on to replace an item. The hope is that with everything you’ve sold you’ll still come out on top!
Step 2: Give it a good clean
Listen to me very carefully when I tell you this…
No one wants to buy your stinky old woolen sweaters and your grime and dust covered coffee table. Those who are looking to pick up secondhand goods can tell when an item has been well looked after. And they’re likely to pay more money for pieces that look like they’ve been taken care of. Before you start trying to pawn off your stuff, give it a good deep clean!
How you should clean your sale items will vary depending on what it is. But a quick YouTube search will likely pull up tons of tutorials on how to make your stuff look brand new.
For clothing, make sure to launder and iron it, and you can get your electronics looking fresh out of the box with a little bit of screen cleaner and a keyboard brush! Whatever the item, make sure you get it looking its best before moving on to the next step.
Step 3: Take good pictures
A picture is worth a thousand words… but it could be worth a thousand dollars if you do it right!
The truth is having high quality, good looking pictures of the stuff you’re selling will help them to sell more quickly, and for more money. If you can play into this, you’ll earn more for your wares.
Here are a few tips for taking the perfect picture of your item:
- Natural lighting– if you can, take your pictures near a big window where natural light is abundant. You’ll capture a better representation of what your item actually looks like.
- Use a good camera– If you want your item to sell, avoid posting grainy or pixelated photos. Luckily, our phone cameras have gotten so advanced that in most cases your smartphone should take perfectly good photos. But, if you’re rocking an older model, consider borrowing a family member or friend’s phone to take the pictures.
- Get lots of angles– When it comes to shopping online, people want to know exactly what they’re getting. That’s why it’s important to take photos of your item from every angle!
- Make sure nothing is cut off- make sure your items fill the frame of your photo, but that it isn’t cut off.
- If you’re selling clothes, consider putting them on– People often want to see how the clothes fit on a person. Just be sure to crop your face out before posting online. While this isn’t necessary, it can help your item to sell more quickly.
Seriously, take the time to take good photos. It’s the single best thing you can do to make your items sell faster and for more cash.
Step 4: Price out your items
Now, you’ll have to figure out just how much you want to sell your items for. To do this, it’s best to compare different prices online and see what others are selling the same or similar stuff for.
If there are a lot of similar items listed, you may want to consider pricing yours competitively so that it doesn’t take ages to sell. When it comes to selling online, the rules of supply and demand apply, so make sure to take this into account. You don’t need to severely underprice it, but you’d be surprised at how effective even just a 10% discount can be in getting someone to take your item off your hands.
Things to consider:
- The age of your item. Newer is better, even if it’s totally functional.
- The condition and how much it’s been used. Even if it’s a couple years old but brand new and only used once, that’s a plus!
- Your location and how long people have to drive to grab it: the less work on the buying end, the more you can charge!
Make sure to be realistic with your selling ads…If your item has some wear and tear on it, don’t price it the same as an item in mint condition. The more realistic and honest you are, the quicker your stuff will sell. It will be more of a headache if you’re charging too much or attempting to swindle people.
Step 5: Create listings for your stuff online!
Once you’ve taken your pics, you’re ready to move on to listing your sale items online. There are myriad platforms you can use to list them, and you can choose one or many. Here are a few of my favorite places to sell used items, and what kinds of items they are best used for.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace allows you to sell both locally and globally. Users can choose to browse items by location, making this an especially good place to sell those bulkier items that you don’t want to ship out. However, you don’t need to limit yourself to just those bigger items. List smaller stuff on here if you’d like to potentially save yourself a trip to the post office!
Craigslist
Craigslist is one of the OG places to sell your stuff online. Similar to Facebook Marketplace, you’ll want to limit yourself to posting items you would like to sell locally. However, Craigslist is notorious for hosting scams, so always do your best to meet people from Craigslist in a well-lit public place, and bring someone else along with you for safety.
eBay
eBay is a great place to sell… well, anything! Whether you’re selling an old video game from 1998, an old prom dress, or a power tool, eBay is a great catch all for any items you’re selling that you don’t mind shipping out.
Don’t know exactly how much money your item is worth? You can even set a minimum and allow people to bid for that item. This can be especially helpful if you are selling collectables, or vintage items that can no longer be bought new.
Just be aware that eBay takes a cut from all sales, so be sure to factor this into your pricing. eBay’s cut will be anywhere from 6.5%-15% depending on what you’re selling, and their fee structure can be a little bit complicated, so make sure to give their info on selling fees a good read before creating your listing.
Depop & Poshmark
If you’re looking to sell used clothing, Depop and Poshmark are some of the best places to list your previously loved outfits. Just make sure to include the brand and sizing information on your listings. Again, watch out for sellers fees- Depop’s seller fee is 10% plus a small transaction fee, whereas Poshmark charges $2.95 per sale or 20% for sales greater than $15.
Sweetwater & Reverb
Got an old guitar sitting around from that month you convinced yourself you were going to learn? Or maybe you want to sell some of your old gear so that you can upgrade it. Whatever the case is, Reverb and Sweetwater are two of the best places to sell music gear online. Reverb will charge you 5% of your total sale, and Sweetwater will take a 5% cut, as well as a 2.5% transaction fee.
Social Media (Instagram and Facebook)
Sometimes the best way to sell your used items is to sell them to someone you know in real life! That’s why I always like to try posting my items on Facebook and on Instagram Stories first. You’ll avoid any transaction and seller fees, and maybe even get to catch up with an old friend in the process.
Yard Sale
Lastly, if you don’t want to be bothered with selling things online, you can always host a good old fashioned yard sale. No shipping costs and no seller fees can make this an appealing option, but remember that you’ll need to get the word out about your sale. Consider posting signs along nearby streets, or getting together with your neighbors to put up a multi-family yard sale!
Step 6: Wait, and renew listings if necessary
Now it’s time to kick back, relax, and wait for your items to sell. Patience is key. You’ve done the hard work, and now you can forget about your listings until you get some hits. Answer any questions from potential buyers in a timely manner, and wait for someone to strike.
If nobody is biting within the first five seconds of posting your item, don’t stress! You need to wait for people to notice your stuff. Remember, a lot of browsing happens before people buy. Let it marinate!
If it’s been 4-5 days without anybody noticing, and you really want to get rid of your stuff, perhaps you want to modify the listing. Always make sure your items are categorized correctly and be willing to adjust the price as needed.
The most helpful thing here is to think with the mind of a buyer. When you see an item that is listed and the price drops every hour, it looks like the seller is desperate. So make sure you keep this in mind and do the opposite. Decrease prices in small increments. Someone will eventually notice and make an offer.
Step 7: Ship Out Your Items
Yay! You’ve sold some of your stuff! Now it’s time to get it into the hands of your buyer. Follow the shipping instructions from the website you’ve sold your item on if they have them. Otherwise, pack your item nicely and drop it off at the post office. Make sure to get a copy of your item’s tracking number, and alert the buyer that you’ve mailed it out.
If you’re selling locally, make sure you meet the buyer in a safe location. If you don’t feel comfortable giving out your home address, try meeting at a coffee shop or busy gas station. This is pretty common, especially for meeting buyers on Craigslist and Facebook.
Step 8: Get paid!
For local purchases, ALWAYS ask for cash, Venmo, or Zelle. Never accept cryptocurrency, checks, or any promises to pay later. When you sell your stuff, you need to walk away with cash in hand.
If you sold your item online, chances are you’ll have to follow the website’s instructions on how to withdraw your earnings. PayPal, Venmo, etc. It will be different for every platform, so make sure to do your due diligence and read through their payment policies. If you get confused, don’t hesitate to call their customer service line for help!
Tips for Success
Selling your stuff isn’t always a breeze, but like any skill it gets easier the more you do it. Here are a few tips for selling your stuff to help you get started.
Be patient
Sometimes things may take a long time to sell, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t get any bites within the first few days of posting it. Let it sit for a few weeks, and if it still hasn’t sold, consider a small price drop.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
Sometimes, folks may offer you less money than what you had originally listed the item for. Whether or not you take that offer is up to you. Don’t be afraid to come back with a counter offer to see if you can meet somewhere in the middle, or to stand your ground if you believe the item is worth more.
Use item descriptions to your advantage
Don’t neglect the item description when listing your item for sale. Write a compelling description that details the item’s condition, purpose, and specificities. Being thorough when it comes to the description is a great way to make sure that your item doesn’t get returned.
Pro tip: You can usually search for and re-use the original manufacturer’s description. Just find the item for sale online, and copy the features and notes to help make your listing.
Donate items you can’t sell
At the end of the day, if you just can’t seem to sell an item, it doesn’t mean you need to live with it taking up room in your home forever. Instead, donate it to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army, or list it on your local buy nothing group on Facebook. Your unwanted items could still go to a good home, and you’ll still get to enjoy a less cluttered space.
The Bottom Line:
Selling your stuff is an art. The more you do it, the easier it will get. When you sell your stuff online or locally, you can turn unused items into cash, and will help you to achieve your financial goals more quickly.
Well, that’s all we have to say about selling your stuff! Be sure to check out these related posts for more ways to make and save more money this week!
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