The Do’s and Don’ts of Selling Items

Is it worth it to sell your unwanted items?

Bethany posted a few things online to sell which may have costed her more to post and mail than she actually made selling the item. This got us thinking, when is it worth it to sell your things?

I’m sure you’ve come across some item in your home when you thought, hey I could sell this! So grab the items you are still thinking of selling and follow along with us!

Step 1: Research online what similar items are selling for

I have a rule of thumb that if an item is selling for $20 or more, than it’s worth my time and effort to sell. You might have your own number based on your own personal goals for selling items. Some goals for selling items could be:

• Getting out of debt
• Saving for a big purchase or vacation
• You enjoy the process of buying and selling to add a little extra to your wallet
• Starting a side hustle

These reasons might make selling items more worth it compared to someone who is just trying to clear their home of clutter.

Step 2: Price items accurately

Once you decide selling your items are worth it, be sure to price your items accurately. Bethany usually prices her items $1 cheaper to keep her inventory moving.

Step 3: Decide Where to Sell

There are so many different options for selling items like Etsy, Ebay, Craigslist, Amazon, Facebook Marketplace, apps like Let Go and even garage sales or consignment stores. Here are a few things to consider when deciding where to sell your items:

• Why are you selling items? Are you trying to earn extra money or are you starting a side hustle?
• What type of items you are selling; books, art, crafts, clothes, collectibles or furniture? What you are selling determines where you should sell. For instance, Etsy or Ebay would be a good fit for collectibles and Facebook Marketplace would be a good fit for furniture.
• Do you mind the posting site taking a portion of your sales? Sites like Craigslist and FB Marketplace are free to post and Etsy, Ebay, and Amazon all charge a fee.
• Do you mind shipping and mailing items or would you rather make in-person sales?

The answers to these questions steer you into the right place to sell for your needs. My personal preference is Facebook Marketplace and Amazon for books.

When is it not worth it to sell your items?

For a large percentage of items I come across, I usually believe they are not worth selling.

This opinion largely comes from my experience working with clients who have the best intentions of selling their items but usually I find such items cluttering up their homes.

When you are deciding if your items are worth selling, this is the time to really be honest with yourself. Are you really going to put in the effort to sell it?

Here are a few things to consider:

• Are the items you wish to sell, hindering you from moving forward on a project?
• Do you have every intention of selling items but you are too busy to follow through?
• Have you been talking about having a garage sale for over a year?
• Do you have a bunch of errands that you procrastinate?
• When you researched your item, you found it wasn’t worth as much as you thought?

If you answered, “yes” to any of these questions, it probably isn’t worth your time, effort, and mental energy to sell!

But don’t worry! There is still a great option!

Donate to a thrift store

I’m sad to say, many times people put donating on the bottom of their list when it come to getting rid of items. I’m here to champion the importance of donating to a thrift store.

Whenever I go to my local thrift store to make a donation (which is often) the parking lot is packed. I think it is easy to forget, if you don’t shop at one regularly yourself, how many people do shop at thrift stores. Instead of going from garage sale to garage sale a thrift store is a one-stop-shop to find second-hand items.

Also there are so many different thrift stores that benefit a variety of causes. You can chose the one that you would like to support and know that your donations are going to a good cause.

Post for free

As Bethany explained, sometimes when you drop of your donations there is a disconnect on whether or not people are really going to actually use what you’re donating.

I felt this about old teaching materials left over from when I was a teacher. What made me feel better about giving them away was listing them for free on Craigslist. Then I knew someone who wanted them were actually getting them.

I want to encourage everyone that donating to a thrift store is a great option and deserves to be moved higher up on your list of possible options for your unwanted items!

Even if your items aren’t worth selling, remember one of our favorite quotes from Dr. Robin Zasio that we first touched on in Ep 56 Uncovering Hidden Fears.