So you’ve cleaned out your home and have tons of stuff that your family no longer needs. Luckily, the saying is true—one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
SELL
> Consignment stores and fairs offer families an opportunity to sell their unwanted new and like-new items for profit. Consignment is great for items such as baby clothes and equipment, books, toys, and special-occasion clothing. Rules and profit percentage for the consignor vary depending on the store/fair. NJ mom April Larsen has been selling items at consignment fairs and stores for many years and says, “Consignment sales are only for items that are in very good condition. Sometimes items are new with tags and there is a lot of brand-name merchandise.” For more information, check out njfamily.com/consignment.
> Yard sales (or tag or garage sales) are a great way to make extra money and involve the whole family. Yard sales may take more time and effort than some of the other selling choices but the upside is you keep 100% of the profit. Such sales can be a great learning opportunity for kids. Kids can work side by side with their parents to figure out what to sell and how to price and market items. If kids work at the yard sale, they can earn a percentage of the profits.
Julia Scott of bargainbabe.com says, “Pricing and presentation are key to a successful yard sale. Get the dust off your merchandise and display it nicely. Price fairly and be willing to negotiate.” To maximize foot traffic to your yard sale, try getting a few people on your block to join in for a big group sale and advertise on sites such as yardsalesearch.com.
> Online sites such as Ebay or Craigslist are an easy way to unload your unwanted items. And Tradsey is a relatively new online resale marketplace that focuses on women’s new and slightly used fashion from shoes to purses to wedding gowns. Tradsey does not charge people to list their merchandise and takes a 9% commission from all sales. Thred Up is an online consignment shop and great for children’s “like-new” clothing. They offer 20-40% of the resale value upfront (rather than waiting for the item to sell).
DONATE
> Relatives are great recipients. When my son outgrows clothing, we put it in the “Cousin Mikee” box. Seeing my nephew in these clothes provokes great memories of my son at that age.
> Goodwill is a nonprofit community organization that accepts donations of a wide variety of items, using its profits to provide job training and placement.
> The Stuff Stop and Donation Town are free nationwide community-resource sites that provide information to match items with those in need of them. Simply click on your location to get a list of places accepting donations—from stuffed animals to prom dresses.
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