If your family is anything like mine, you probably have lots of stuff around the house that isn’t used, isn’t played with, or doesn’t fit. Of course, you could keep all of that stuff laying around, but most people don’t have the space for that. Plus, if you can make a little extra cash from things you don’t use, why not?
Here are a few tips that will help you cash out on your summer clean out.
1. Check into consignment sales. If you have a lot of clothes or toys that you children have outgrown, look into whether there are any children’s consignment sales in your area. This is a great opportunity to get your products in front of a large group of people, and will require minimal effort on your part. All you have to do is create tags for your inventory (some sales you enter the information into a computer program, others you hand write the tags), drop it off, and cash in! Check out Consignment Mommies to find a sale near you.
2. Have a garage sale. Garage sales are a great way to get rid of some of your extra stuff. Find out if your neighborhood holds a community garage sale. If it does, plan to participate. If it doesn’t, talk to some of your neighbors and see if they would be interested in holding garage sales on the same day as you. The more families that participate, the larger the crowd that the sales will draw, which will ultimately mean more money for you.
3. Sell your old CDs, DVDs, and games online. CDs, DVDs, and video games are those type of things that take up a lot of space, and often, are rarely used. I know myself that our TV stand is filled, and with the exception of a few, most are rarely used. If this sounds like your family, why not consider selling your media online? There are a lot of great sites out there that allow you to look up the values of your CDs, DVDs, and games and then trade them in in exchange for cash or credit. This will free up space in your house while also giving you a little extra money.
4. Check out Facebook yard sale groups and Facebook. Larger pieces of furniture or more expensive items many not be practical to sell at a garage sale. This is when the power of the internet comes into play. By joining, and subsequently selling on some of the Facebook yard sale groups and on Craigslist, you are able to reach a larger market than you would if you were trying to sell your item at your own garage sale. The nice thing about sites like Craigslist is that it also has a search function so people can search for specific items — which might be what you are selling!
5. Donate it. Even if you try selling your items at a garage sale or online, but they don’t sell, you aren’t out of options! If your items are still in good condition, you can always consider donating them to charity. There are a lot of charities out there that will take unwanted household items and clothes. The best part is that when you donate to these charities you will receive a receipt which you can use in order to write off the amount of your donation on your taxes!
Great tips!! I need to get busy and do some of those ideas.