We all have that one chair that we stack with everything. Winter is coming and it’s a perfect time to have a good clear out of all the junk and clutter that’s lying around unwanted. We collect so much stuff that most of the time we forget we own certain items and things get lost in the back of the closet.
But there is no reason to simply throw these items away instead why not sell them for extra cash. With winter around the corner, heating bills go up and not to mention the money we need for Christmas.
A good clear out can give you a little extra money to spend over the holidays – and here’s our step-by-step guide to making it work!
- Starting is always the biggest challenge! Set yourself aside time to do it. All you really need is a couple of hours at the weekend. Instead of doing the whole house just do your own room and communal areas get the children to do their own rooms to save yourself time and stress.
- Once you have items you no longer need then it is time to sell them! You have quite a few options available to you here.
The first one is, of course, a car boot sales or garage sales. It’s a good idea to check the local papers to see if there’s any near you or you can hold your own if you prefer. - If car boot sales are not your cup of tea, then another simple option, of course, is to list them in local classified ads but this can be pricey depending on the paper.
Facebook and other social media sites are great free options but are slightly more limited in reaching a wider audience. - So if you have the time, then selling on websites like eBay is a great idea for selling almost every type of item such as clothes, books, CD’s, DVD’s, furniture etc. And if you’re not familiar with it yet, then the important thing to know is that it is free to join eBay!
- Before you list anything on eBay you need to set a price for the item. Think about this carefully; think about how much it cost you to buy originally, and also see what others like it are selling for online second hand. These are good indicators on what you can sell it for.
- Don’t forget to include the price of delivery in your price. For smaller items like clothes, this will be simple, you just need to go to your nearest discount store for envelopes and eBay adds the price of postage on to your price. But for larger items like furniture, it can be a bit trickier. You can get free quotes on Shiply.com from couriers who transport large and bulky items.
- When it comes to listing the item be sure to describe it in as many details as possible and use keywords. Take pictures from different angles. Answer all questions potential buyers may have.
- When it comes to getting paid on eBay its best to set yourself up a PayPal account, this is free to do and it’s the safest way to conduct transactions.
Get listing and have fun with it – before long you will have a nice bit of extra cash to show for it.