When we think of making money, we usually look for new things that we can do, for extra jobs, or for new business ideas. We rarely look at what we already have – yet there is often great opportunity for some fairly fast cash, right there in your home, or your garage / shed.
Over time, we all accumulate “stuff” both things that we have used, but don’t use any more, and things that we bought, because “it seemed like a good idea at the time”, but which, on reflection, we don’t like / don’t want to use or wear. Generally, we pack those things away, because we have spent money on them, and, if we are not going to use them, we don’t know what to do with them.
Or maybe you are a person who likes crafts – you probably have boxes full of things that you have made, because you like doing the making – but you don’t quite know what to do with them once they are made. All that stuff adds up – in fact, a report commissioned by eBay, a few years ago, assessed that the average person has around $2,000 in their home and garage of things that can easily be sold, and which they are not using, or wanting themselves!!
There are quite a few ways that you can get all that storage space back, and get a nice little infusion of cash, too. Here are some suggestions that may help boost your Christmas fund, and clean out your cupboards too!
1. Sell things on eBay
You can sell pretty much anything on eBay – and the buyer generally pays the postage too! Consider the size of the item, and the cost of shipping – some things you may want to specify local pickup only. Before you list things, search eBay for similar items and see what prices they are going for, so that you price your items realistically – if the prices are too low for the value of your item, look for another place to sell that particular piece.
2. Sell things on Etsy
If you have a cupboard full of craft creations, etsy.com may be the best solution for you – it is an eBay like site, but specifically for crafted items.
3. Have a Garage sale
If you have quite a few bigger items, or items that have seen a bit of wear and tear, a garage sale / yard sale may be your best choice – local people will come to see what sort of bargains they can get, and they will be the ones working out how to transport the big items!
4. Sell things at a local market
Most towns have local markets at pretty regular intervals – some have general ‘trash and treasure’ style markets, plus separate ‘craft’ markets. Taking a stall at one of these is usually quite inexpensive, and just before Christmas, or around other major holidays, is great time to sell to the people who come to browae for interesting items.
5. Sell things on Amazon
Did you know that you can sell second hand items on Amazon ? You can ! Just list the items, and either set things up for “Fulfilment by Amazon” – where you ship it to Amazon, and they will ship it to the customer when someone buys it – or set yourself up as an Amazon Marketplace seller, where you will ship to the customer once it sells.
6. Sell things through a ‘Buy and sell “ group on Facebook
Facebook has millions of groups, for all sorts of purposes. There are often local area groups just for providing a marketplace for people in that area to buy and sell (and often, swap and giveaway) amongst themselves. Just post pictures of your items and say how much you want for them, and interested buyers will message you to take it from there.
7. Sell things through a local auction house
Many towns will have a local auction house, some of which have an online presence. Generally, these auction houses will sell almost anything for you. Check how much commission they keep though, as sometimes it can be as much as 25%. They are an easy option – just take your goods to them, discuss your minimum price with them, and they do the rest, then they pay you the result, less their commission. If you have goods that many people may be interested in, but which are too big to sell on eBay, this can be a good option to get a decent price.
8. Sell things through relevant collectors groups
If you have items that are collectibles (and you would be amazed at what is!) before you list them on eBay or similar, see if there is a local collectors association or society for that sort of item. If there is, then you can take things to their next meeting to sell, or advertise your items in their newsletter. Someone who is a dedicated collector will often pay more a lot for a seemingly ordinary item, especially if it completes a set for them.
Good luck with your clean-up, and your cash flow boost !
