It’s that time of year again. Christmas trees and sparkly decorations are filling up the display windows of every store (even though November just started), and you’re trying to figure out how on earth Santa is going to pay for all those presents that make your kiddo’s heart pitter patter in December. Before turning to your credit card for assistance, take a look around and see what you might be able to unload to earn some cash for this holiday season. Depending on what you have, there are many ways to turn your trash into treasure!
Of course, if you have a lot of items that aren’t super valuable but are taking up space, you may just want to have a good old-fashioned yard sale or post your items on one of the many Facebook sales groups. If you have items that are more valuable or collectible, however, there may be better options for you.
➜ Furniture
Perhaps it is time to update a bedroom set or unload an old sofa. Craigslist or a similar local “for sale” website may be your best option. If your furniture is in really great condition, a local furniture consignment store may be able to get you more money for your items. Antiques can be sold on consignment, as well. Check with local antique dealers to find out if they offer this service. You may also check out Chairish.com to sell your furniture and home décor online.
➜ Clothing
If you are like me and have little kids, you know that they can grow out of half their clothes before they get to wear them twice. You also may or may not have a wide array of clothing sizes cluttering up your own closet. Brick and mortar consignment stores will go through your clothing and sell it for you, keeping back a portion of the profit and paying you in cash or store credit. There are also many online consignment sites such as Thredup.com, Swap.com and Poshmark.com that will do the same thing for you with a broader audience.
➜ Electronics
If you have used smartphones, tablets, MP3 players or computers that are lying around, you may be able to get good money for them using services like Gazelle.com. With Gazelle, you answer a few questions about your item, ship it to them in a prepaid box and get paid by check, Amazon gift card or PayPal. Similar services like Decluttr.com will do the same for your used video games and consoles.
➜ Jewelry
Your best bet for selling old, broken or unwanted jewelry is to consign it with a jeweler or jewelry-focused pawn shop. Often, if the piece if too damaged or out-of-style to be consigned, the shop will pay you for the value of the precious metals or stones in the piece.
➜ Collectibles
From baseball cards to figurines to stamps, there are all sorts of collectibles and just as many avenues for selling them. eBay is still a great option for the sale of these types of items, but you may want to cross-list them on Craigslist and Facebook sales pages. Also check around for local stores that may buy your items outright or consign them for you.
Regardless of how you choose to sell your unused or unwanted items, the main thing to remember is that your trash is someone else’s treasure. This is a great time of year to put a little extra money in your pocket, so why not clear out the old and bring in the new? Or skip bringing in the new and use your extra cash to pay off last year’s debt or save for a rainy day.
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