When your starting out and imagining your best life, you may wonder what the hell you are going to do to make money from home to travel, quit your job, buy a house or start a business.
After all the bills are paid, and especially if you are focusing getting out of debt, you can’t figure out where any extra money is going to come in and if you have to wait to be out of debt, then it’s going to be a few years before you get started on your plan. Who wants to wait to get started with their plans?
Seed Money vs. Debt Repayment
I know that there are many financial sites that suggest you sell your stuff to pay down debt, and that is an excellent idea. However, an alternative to this plan, and to perhaps get you to make money so that you are paying down your debt even faster, is to sell your extraneous items to get seed money to start you on your new life. This way you are not just using it to pay down bills but you are using it to make more money to pay down debt. Therefore, becoming financially free even faster.
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How It Works
One YouTuber I watched did exactly this to make money to purchase other items to start his eBay business. He sold anything that was extraneous in his life like clothing, shoes, furniture, electronics and college text books.
He used various methods to get the most cash and then he bought scavenged auto parts that he knew he could flip for more money. For example, he lives in the Southwest where winters are mild. He removed parts that would rust out more easily in Northern states where salt corrodes metal. And, he could buy them for $20 and sell them for $200 (minus shipping and eBay fees).
Eventually, he used that money to purchase lighter items with more of a profit margin and has since diversified to a multitude of other items. And now, he makes $10,000-$20,000 per month working part time on his business. I watched a video where he arrived at his warehouse/office in the late morning, spent an hour responding to emails, packed up some items, had lunch delivered and played video games while eating and drinking a beer and then did a few more things before calling it a day.
Wouldn’t a day like this be great? It can happen for you too and sooner than you think.
How To Make Money From Your Stuff
As for your situation, my thoughts are that selling your stuff where you will make the most money and shipping won’t be as costly is to go local at first, especially with heavy items like furniture.
Here are my suggestions:
Clothing And Sporting Equipment
In my city, we have great consignment stores. They are however usually not a place where you can bring everything in one shot. For example, we have consignments stores where clothing will not be accepted and sporting goods would be ignored. These would be better sold at a store that specializes in re-selling used sporting equipment.
The consignment stores for clothing usually specialize in women’s apparel. So, the problem is that for men’s clothing, there aren’t a lot of stores for consignment. I have seen a few popping up here and there but they are not as easy to find. Selling on Facebook and Craigslist in lots might work better. Brand name men’s items can be sold on eBay.
The Rules
Every store has its rules and most will only want current styles that cleaned and pressed. Some will make you hang them. So be prepared and make sure the items that you bring are something that someone would want. Don’t bring in a pile of clothes and hope for the best. Anything damaged, wrinkled, smelly or stained will be rejected and you will be wasting your time.
Ebay
Clothing is a good thing to sell on eBay since most things are light and can be shipped in an envelope. No kidding, I saw an entire full length fur coat get neatly and expertly folded into a small USPS box. So the shipping was super low. Selling brand name items on eBay might get you a better price. As a caution though, if your item is over a $100 or so, you will want to make sure you leave the package open and film yourself showing the original item (tags especially) and packing and sealing the box in front of the USPS Postmaster, where it is accepted and in the hands of the Federal Government. There are scams out there where the buyer will claim that they received a counterfeit item and dispute the seller. In many of these cases the seller receives a counterfeit item back and the buyer keeps the original authentic item. The buyers usually win but if you have the video of the original, authentic item going into the box and taken in by a federal employee you will have a better case.
Luxury Goods
A great way to make money if you are selling high-end labels, be sure to look for a company that specializes in these brands. Many cities will have a luxury consignment shops that have physical locations. If you don’t have access to one, Poshmark.com is a good site to sell anything from Old Navy to Chanel. So if you have a mix of clothing, this might be a one stop site for your needs.
However, if you only have high end labels, you might want to sell on The RealReal.com. It will have to absolutely be authentic though so be sure that your items are 100% real. This site will expose your items to buyers worldwide and if you live in the New York City area, you will have access to a bricks and mortar store located at 80 Wooster St. SoHo.
Sporting Goods
There are many sporting good re-sellers that have a pretty decent turnover. Just follow the same rules and don’t try to bring them any super damaged or smelly items. Play It Again Sports is a national consignment for gently used sporting equipment. Gently used sport clothing can also be sold on Poshmark.
Household Items And Furniture
Lamps, bedspreads, non-valuable antiques, kitchen electrics, dishes, pans, knick knacks, toys, craft supplies wall art, etc. If you don’t have consignment stores around you, you can sell on Craigslist or Local Facebook selling pages. Look up your area +buy, sell and trade, online garage/yard sales (these also can work for clothing in lots). In order to lessen your risk of being robbed or swindled, you can make arrangements to meet at the local police station to make your exchange.
For these kinds of items, I will somewhat suggest using eBay, although I don’t know if it is the best way to make money by selling your household goods. The reason being that there is a lot of time involved in setting up your listings. Not to mention the fees. Though I understand if you live in a more remote area where there aren’t a lot of consignment shops or people interested in items on Facebook or Craigslist, there aren’t a lot of other options.
Furniture
is better sold on Craigslist and Facebook since you can specify that it needs to be picked up. However, it is necessary to be cautious about strange people coming to your home. Have a friend or neighbor there with you when meeting potential buyers.
Books
Most books have some value. I say most because there are some that just don’t have any value and you are better off donating them. But do yourself a favor and look them up online to see what people are selling them for. Are there a lot of listings for that particular book with really low prices? Then it’s probably not that valuable. Older books and out of print books may be difficult to find but a price on but may be valuable to someone looking for items from their childhood. You just never know.
Textbooks
The best site to use for textbooks is Bookscouter.com. Their site searches almost 40 other sites to get you the best price. The shipping is free and you get paid when they receive them.
Another good site to use for books and textbooks is Decluttr (I will mention them again later). They will give you a price and then will give you the money when they receive your items. Why I mention them is because they show up in the movies and small electronics category as well.
Google: Sell textbooks and you will get many sites that can help you with this.
More On Textbooks
If you want to sell your textbooks, do it as soon as possible after the class is over. Now, there may be a few books that you will want to keep for reference, here I can tell you that you will probably never open them again. In fact, I have been through around 100 textbooks throughout my college career and though I got rid of most of them immediately, the ones I kept collected dust until I finally let them go. I would have been better off getting some money for them. By the time I let them go, not only did they not have value but no one (even libraries) wanted them. Let them go as soon as you can.
Movies, Small Electronics (even broken ones)
For DVDs, CDs, smart phones, tablets and game consoles, again, I would use Decluttr. After they give you a price, you can ship them for free. Seriously, you can send them a bunch of your stuff and won’t have to deal with listing, packing and shipping every individual piece.
Old (and broken) electronics. Strangely enough, there is a market for both of these.
For the broken electronics, there are people who are looking for usable parts and even to just take them apart for learning purposes. These are, at this time, best sold on eBay.
For older electronics, you can sell them on Trademore and Gazelle.
If you have a random assortment of things to sell, an all encompassing site for everything from clothing to electronics you can use letgo.
This is not about minimalism
This is about moving out what no longer serves you, sending it on to someone who can use your items and freeing up space for receiving (mind, body, spirit and place). It is about getting rid of what you don’t need in order to build the life you want. The crap in your head that is holding you back has to go, but consider this a action as a primer for cleaning out your whole life so that everything you want to manifest has a place.
Are you ready to declutter and make money? What are your favorite places to sell unwanted items? Tell us in the comments below.
Make Money From Home Frequently Asked Questions
How can I truly make money from home?
One of the fastest ways to make money from home fast is doing remote work. Look for remote job opportunities in your field. Many companies offer remote work options, especially in areas such as customer service, data entry, or virtual assistance.
How to make $100 a day?
To make $100 a day, consider freelance work on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, offering services such as writing, graphic design, or virtual assistance. Alternatively, explore gig economy jobs like food delivery, ride-sharing, or completing tasks on platforms like TaskRabbit. Another option is to start an online business, such as selling handmade crafts on Etsy or offering consulting services. Consistency, determination, and exploring various income streams can contribute to achieving the goal of making $100 daily.
How to make $1000 a week from home?
To make $1000 a week, consider a combination of high-paying freelance work on platforms like Upwork, providing specialized services in areas such as consulting or programming. Additionally, explore opportunities in the gig economy, such as high-demand delivery services or skilled labor tasks on platforms like TaskRabbit. Running a successful online business, such as e-commerce or digital products, can also contribute to achieving the target income. Diversifying income streams and maintaining consistent effort are key factors in reaching the goal of making $1000 weekly.
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