Think about all the stuff you never use that's just cluttering up your life. Wouldn’t it be great to trade them for cash?
Now is a great time to start selling your unwanted belongings, as people are starting to get ready for the holidays/gift-giving season and scouring online sites for great buys.
Whether you have designer clothes to discard, regular everyday jeans and bags, or books and collectibles there are several great places to trade your old treasures for cash. These are my personal favorites among many, many possibilities:
1. eBay. It’s free to set up an account, and you can auction off your items or set a Buy it Now price. One of the biggest benefits of using eBay is its scope and how many buyers you can reach – in 2020, there were 182 million active buyers worldwide. There are fees charged for your sales (about 10%) which vary according to volume and options you choose, and you are responsible for doing all the shipping. Customer ratings keep everyone honest!
2. Facebook Marketplace. This started out as a sort of online garage sale, and is great for selling in your local area. Marketplace is free and very easy, you just set up an account, take photos with your phone, write a description and post it. No shipping is involved as folks usually arrange a pick-up spot (either in their home or a safe, public space), but you are limited in how many people actually see your post. If you want to move something fast, this is a good option.
3. Poshmark. If you have higher end designer clothes, bags, jewelry and accessories, Poshmark might work well for you.
They supply you with a pre-paid, pre-addressed label ready to put on the package, which can be dropped off at a USPS or have it picked up for free. They do charge fees, generally for sales above $15, the fee is 20% and you keep 80%.
4. Next Door. This is really a neighborhood trading/selling site, as you have to be a member of that particular area to have access to posts. So the range is limited, but it’s an easy and relatively safe way to get rid of stuff you don’t want.
5. OfferUp. Originally a locally-focused outlet, they are now expanding nationally and giving eBay a run for its money. OfferUp will send you a pre-paid shipping label (sellers pay shipping fees) but you have to do all the packaging. They charge a 12.9% service fee for your item, and offer a very easy to list process using your phone. They recently merged with another similar platform, LetGo.
6. Amazon Marketplace. The big cahuna of them all! Amazon has the greatest reach and offers a lot of options for sellers. You can use Fulfillment by Amazon (where you send your inventory to a warehouse and they handle all shipping) or handle that yourself. This is better for folks who have a lot of things to sell, or are looking for a broader market for a particular collectible or antique, because the fees can get kind of high.
7. Online Auctions. Now if you are looking at liquidating an estate, or are moving and have mountains of things to get rid of, you may want to try an online auction site such as MaxSold or Everything but the House. They both do most of the work to catalogue and market your stuff in auction lots and can sell everything from Grandma’s china to motorcycles to leftover mulch (for a fee and percentage of the sale). It’s amazing what people will buy! What I like about these is how easy they are for the seller and how quickly the process moves - it’s usually about 2 weeks from when you contact them to the completion of the sale and item pickup.
So sell or donate? Depends on how much time you have, and how motivated you are to earn some cash. Make no mistake, selling is time consuming and not guaranteed but it’s so gratifying to exchange clutter for cash!
* Note – this blog does not endorse any particular site and is not responsible for your interactions with these vendors; these are simply suggestions