Selling online is not hard, and it can clear the way to organize at home. I’ve written articles about how to organize by selling online. I’ve given you a list of specialty online sites to help you declutter in specific categories like clothes and furniture. Even if you don’t have much time, use this powerful organizing tool. Clients are usually surprised to find that it takes less than 10 minutes to list on CraigsList or Facebook Marketplace.
I’ve sold plenty of things over the years. I’m not making beaucoup bucks, but it is worth doing when:
- the item is worth $25 or more
- the item is new or can be grouped into a valuable set of things
- the item is in high demand or has an identifiable audience.
I don’t sell clothes online. If you have high-end stuff, you can do OK with online sales, but there’s not a very good return for listing and selling individual items. My clients get better returns donating gently used clothes, consigning, or selling them directly to online reseller companies. I’ve had better luck with toys and household items.
Stuff I’ve Sold Online
Our Generation/Target brand set of American Girl-style stuff- 2 dolls, suitcase carriers, and horses, a camper, and all these outfits – $150. I even smoothed the doll hair before selling to boost the value.
Neat Desk Scanner – $40. The buyer paid me to ship it to Philly for her pandemic home office. I re-loaded the software on my computer, tested it, and sent her the software link to make sure she would be up and running in no time.
Kids bikes – $50. These sold really well in 2020 due to the summer bike shortage. Some clients sold bikes in the $100 range.
Love and Logic parenting books and CD set – $20. A buyer from VA paid me extra to ship them. People outside of your local area who are searching for particular brands and topics see your local listings.
Kids LL Bean Camp Chairs – $30. Brand new but too small for my girls, these sold the next day!
Hangers (free) – I listed this in a Just Between Friends sale Facebook group, not on Facebook Marketplace. JBF is also a great resource to sell kids toys, clothes, and gear. It takes place seasonally, not online. If you have kids, check it out.
3-piece play kitchen – $150. This went to a family with triplets. I threw in all the play food and the Pottery Barn tea kettle with new batteries. I really loved that tea kettle.
We have an adorable duckie lamp listed right now for $25. It’s not the best picture, but I listed it super quack…I mean quick.
I started to list a set of brand new with tags bike paniers, but when I compared the price paid nearly 10 years ago to today’s value at nearly 3 times that, I installed them on my bike instead.
The Best Tip to Sell Online
Honestly, the hardest part of selling online is taking decent pictures, which you can do with your phone. Take them in good light. Minimize clutter and distractions in your photo backgrounds. Take multiple pictures showing all angles. Once you upload pictures, write a clear description, price it, and say goodbye.
What have you been thinking about selling online to get organized at home?
Can we help you get some of your clutter off to a new home?
See all of my January 2021 organizing articles in one place.
