When I look around my basement I see a wealth of bad decisions and procrastination.  Things I purchased thinking they would be perfect…and then they weren’t.  Things I replaced with upgrades and then never got rid of the old ones.  Clothes I never wear or can’t fit into.  Hobbies that are no longer my hobbies.  So much stuff!

I know that there are several ways to purge my stuff and make some money in the process.  The easiest way to clear everything all at once is to have a garage sale.  In one or two days the stuff disappears and I get some cash.  But this is the method that reaps the least financial reward.  Garage sale shoppers are shrewd hagglers.  They won’t pay a lot for most things.  Maybe a dollar for a shirt or fifty cents for a book.  You have to be selling a lot of stuff to make much money this way.

The next step up from here is local online sites.  Craigslist.  Swap and sell pages on Facebook.  These are free to use and will command a higher sale price on your items.  But this method is more work.  You have to list your items online with descriptions and pictures.  You have to arrange to meet with your buyers to make the transaction.   But I find that this is the best way to actually get a fair price on bulky items such as appliances or garden tools or camping gear.  It’s worth the time and effort.

The highest yield I have found comes from selling on eBay.  This is especially true for electronics.  My last cell phone and my old Kindle will be finding their way to eBay soon.  But this is an even bigger investment.  You have to put together a great listing with lots of pictures.  There is a charge to list your items.  You have to be set up with a PayPal account to receive payment.  You have to predict shipping charges. You have to package up and ship the item once it has sold.  It really does require some serious work.  But you can control the reserve price to make sure you receive at least the lowest price you are willing to accept.

As with so many things, reselling items will bring varying reward depending on the effort you invest.  But any of these options will have to be a better choice than maintaining a basement full of guilt and regret.