Most people have stuff in their homes that they no longer use, will have no use for in the foreseeable future- and just really don’t need.  For some reason, we keep these things for a long time, until eventually we just throw it away.  Why not make money by selling these no-longer needed items?  Not only will you have some additional cash to put into savings or pay down debt; but you’ll be de-cluttering your home, as well.

eBay:  By far the website with the most visitors in terms of selling things online, you can take advantage of eBay’s traffic by listing your items for sale on the site.  It costs a few cents per listing, so even if there are no buyers currently for what you’re trying to sell it’s not going to break the bank to try!  eBay is a good site to list small items for sale, like clothing, accessories, DVD’s, games, etc.

You can increase your chances of having a successful sale on eBay by:

  • Using clear photos of the item(s) you are listing for sale, so potential buyers can see what they’re buying
  • Writing a detailed description of the item(s) for sale; including details about the condition of the item, if it’s missing any pieces or if it’s intact; and whether it does what it did when it was new!
  • Listing your item(s) in the categories where people would most likely search for it.

 Craigslist: Another site with lots of traffic, Craigslist.org has a section for selling your stuff as well.  This is a good place to list your larger, heavier items for sale, like furniture.  You should list in locations within driving distance to you, so if you find a buyer they can come and pick up the items rather than trying to pay for shipping.  Often, shipping on heavy items will be far more expensive than the price you’re selling it for and you aren’t likely to find a buyer willing to pay that much shipping.

Have a Real Yard Sale: Depending on where you live, and the time of year, setting all of your stuff on the lawn and putting a sign by the road that says “Yard Sale” can actually be a good way to sell the things you don’t need.   If your town has a community-wide yard sale day, participate on that day since you’ll get many more “customers” on that day than you would if you just set up shop on your own.

People who shop at yard sales prefer it if the items are clearly marked with your prices on them- don’t make them ask how much because there are many people who will walk away rather than ask you how much you want for one of your items!

If you have young children, yard sale day is a great day to let them set up their lemonade stand, too!



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