When fresh summer air breezes through my home, I catch the bug to clean up and organize. It’s a faint bug, but it is definitely strong enough that I either need to take a trip to Goodwill or schedule a garage sale soon.
Well, maybe.
My sorting has resulted in a good ol’ fashioned “we don’t need this” pile but before accepting quarters for Gymboree gold, I decided to explore a number of ways to sell things my family no longer needs online. And you know what? It has totally paid off! Literally, with dollars.
In the last month I’ve put to use a number of online outlets for selling clothes my kids have grown out of and if I’m being realistic, ones I’ll never fit into again as well as toys and household goods. With little effort beyond a Goodwill drop, I’ve earned a few hundred dollars. Seriously, I’m pretty close to scheduling an extra summer getaway with my newfound income source!
RELATED: 10 Sneaky Ways to Save Money at the Grocery Store
Curious how you too can sell things online? Here are just six ways I’ve made money while decluttering my home:
You’ve heard of this site, right? Maybe you’ve shopped there before but haven’t taken the plunge into selling. Well, I’m here to tell you it is crazy easy. Once on the ThredUp site, click “Sell”, and then order a Clean Out Kit. Review the items ThredUp is more likely to accept, clean out your closet, and send off the prepaid envelope. ThredUp will offer you cash or credit for your items and just like that you’ve got money in your pocket or credit to spend at ThredUp for the kiddo’s school clothes in the fall.
Kidizen is a phone app that allows you to create a virtual shop and sell your little’s clothing and accessories like shoes. Snap a photo, add details, and choose a price. You can even purchase a shipping label through Kidizen to make mailing easy.
Remember the days when you’d put a for sale ad in the newspaper?
OfferUp and Craigslist
Remember the days when you’d put a for sale ad in the newspaper? For local selling, that's all been replaced by OfferUp and Craigslist. OfferUp is an app that works similar to Kidizen (snap a photo, add details, and choose a price), it’s just locally based so instead of shipping you’ll be meeting up to deliver the item. You can finalize payment through the OfferUp app though which is a nice feature. Craigslist is my go-to for larger items like furniture and baby equipment. With these two options, always practice safe selling—choose a public place to meet and don’t go alone.
Instagram Sale
Create a new Instagram account just for selling and then share an announcement on your main account to encourage followers to check out what you’ve got. Before you go live decide on your buying and shipping guidelines. You can see an example of mine at @tmgcloset. Feel free to get ideas from these mamas too: @lacystroesscloset, @mytinytribescloset, @shopthecamp, @team_closet.
eBay
If eBay isn’t cool anymore, no one told me. I still love it! They have a huge shopper base and you can reach a lot of people by listing there. The eBay app is super easy to use, too.
RELATED: Why Are There So Many Effing Toys?!
I may have saved my favorite for last, but it’s twofold, so stay with me. First, on Facebook, you can search and join Buy/Sell/Trade groups for specific brands. There are local BST groups too that function much like OfferUp or Craigslist. The brand ones are best though if you have more sought after lines. For example, I’m mildly obsessed with Kickee Pants. Through their BST group I’ve been able to sell pieces we’ve outgrown and buy new ones all for less than retail! I also BST on many of the babywearing groups.
Second, I’ve sold things through Facebook by simply posting on my timeline. To be 100% honest, it’s really nice to deal directly with friends I already know and trust with a Facebook shout-out saying, “Hey, I’ve got awesome stuff you might like." This week alone I sold a Target bench I no longer needed, a purse, a lamp, and a pair of TOMS shoes my son outgrew—all to local friends who know my address and can pop by for a porch pickup and quick hello. I even sold my sister’s pet hedgehog through posting on my timeline and having family member “share” it for extra exposure.
