Do you ever sell your old stuff?
Most of the time, having clutter out of my home is reason enough for me to give something away, without the cash incentive.
It simply feels good to have the stuff gone, like how some have described how it “gives you a psychological boost,” and it “feels like losing dead weight.”
Lately we’ve been selling some of our stuff that we haven’t used in a few years, and it is nice to have the bonus cash.
We mostly give household stuff to a local charity or Goodwill. We keep track of the tax deductions, which we’ve estimated to be worth the same if not more than what we could receive at a garage sale.
I’m not enthusiastic about garage sales. If I price something for a quarter and then someone offers me a nickel, it makes me wonder why I’m sitting out there all day long. Other people seem to be garage sale pros, and it is worth their time to have one each year.
Ebay can be good, but sometimes it seems more suited for someone who wants a side business, instead of selling just an item or two.
What I’ve found Ebay to be really useful for is determining a fair price. You can see the actual amount of cash that other people were willing to pay. (Search for something on Ebay and then click the check box on the side to show “Completed Listings.” It shows recent, final sale amounts for that item.)
I’ve had good results from using Craigslist, especially since the things we’ve sold recently have maintained their value. (Brenda wasn’t sold though, she was given away for free.)