According to a study by Nielsen, the average US household has $3,100 worth of unwanted stuff laying around! Look around your room or your house right now, look at all that potential money!
So a lot of these studies are kind of hit or miss. Nielsen says the average household has around 50+ items that are unused/unwanted, worth around $3,100. The items they say are worth the most are clothes and electronics.
Are there clothes in your closet you haven’t worn in years? Did you replace your phone and have your older ones stashed in a shoebox? I actually like the idea of keeping at least 1 of your former phones just in case you break or lose your current one. You’ll have a backup waiting for you at home.
Back to the Nielsen study, the majority of people with unused stuff said they were planning to donate or sell their stuff. They also say they have had the stuff for years and have planned on getting rid of them for years.
There really is no better time than now to get rid of items you have no plans of ever using. When cleaning out my rooms, I usually ask myself if I would miss the item in 5 years. I think of where I want to be in life in 5 years and how the item would work in my future life. If I dont see it really being a part of my life, I throw it in a pile to sell. If I cant sell it in a few months I’ll just donate it. I always check with my friends and family before selling stuff if they need anything. That’s my favorite method for recycling.
Turn Your Stuff into Cash!
So, you’ve spotted items around your house you no longer want. You’re ready to get rid of it and get some cash.
Here are my favorite ways of selling stuff. For larger items you can use Craigslist, but I really prefer to stick to selling online without having to meet people. I might be a little lazy.
1.) Sell on eBay
eBay, of course! eBay is still one of the best ways to sell online. I still sell regularly on there clearing out things from my house and maintaining my 100% feedback score. Here are some tips for selling on eBay.
- Find what your item is worth by searching for the exact item, and then clicking on Show Only – Sold Listings. You should expect to make around the same.
- When you are ready to sell, find a similar listing that sold at a great price, click on the Have one to Sell button to prefill your listing.
- I always get more money from eBay when I sell at a Fixed price, and accept offers. If you auction off items, people may not find your item if its on there for just 7 days. A fixed listing can stay up for 30 days garnering more attention and dollars.
- Save boxes/padded envelopes you get when you shop online, use them for when you mail out what you sell.
- Include a hand written thank you note, increases the chance of getting positive feedback!
2.) Sell on Amazon
I regularly sell on Amazon as well, I have listings up as I type this. When you sell on Amazon you are competing with Amazon and other third-party sellers like yourself.
To find our what your item would sell for just search for your item on Amazon. Click on the “have one to sell” link to see a break down of exactly how many items are listed, at what prices, and at what condition.
What’s great about selling on Amazon is you can easily list your item, you dont have to take pictures, and Amazon gives you a shipping label to use. They take the cost of shipping from what your product sells for. And don’t forget there are other ways to make money on Amazon.
3.) Recycle by Trading on Yerdle
I’ve been going crazy on Yerdle for the past few months. The site is pretty simple, it works like this.
- 1) List items you dont want
- 2) Users pay with points, you mail your item to them with a free shipping label
- 3) Spend your points to get other users items
I really like that its an easy way to get rid of items. They cover shipping so you only have to find a box to ship in. It feels great getting rid of stuff by giving them to other people who genuinely want them. Then you can use your points and get something you’d like.
Do you get rid of things you no longer use or save them just in case?
Thank you for reading!