Where to Sell Your Clutter

May 12, 2020

If you’ve decluttered your house during a stay-at-home spring-cleaning this year, no doubt you have perfectly good clutter to get rid of that still has value. Here are some apps and online options that will help you sell your stuff for a little quick cash, along with how-to tips for advertising and marketing.

Amazon Resells Everything

Amazon resells just about anything, from beauty products and clothing, to luggage, electronics and video games, and charges different fees on items you sell, depending on what kind of selling plan you have. Selling in some specialized categories requires Amazon approval (for things like alcohol, fine art, weapons, pesticides, etc.), and an upgraded selling plan.

But you can choose the standard Individual selling plan and pay Amazon 99 cents per item sold, plus a referral fee, which amounts to a percentage of the item’s total sale price. This fee includes shipping costs but not taxes, and ranges from 8 percent to 20 percent. If you’re selling media items, including books, movies and video games, you’ll pay a $1.80 closing fee, as well.

The upgraded Professional selling plan for special items requires a $39.99 monthly subscription. You won’t pay a per-item fee – the upgraded subscription doesn’t make sense unless you’re selling more than 40 items per month.

eBay Sells Your Clutter

On eBay you can auction and sell a wide range of goods, as well. EBay has a simpler fee structure than Amazon and asks for 10 percent of the final sales price, which includes shipping, but not taxes. If you post more than 50 items in a month, eBay will charge you 30 cents per listing, over the first 50.

If you want to set a reserve price so that your item is auctioned off for the minimum amount, eBay will charge a fee of $5 or 7.5 percent (up to a maximum of $250) of the reserve price, whichever is greater. And you’ll have to pay the fee whether or not your item sells.

Other Portals That Sell Your Stuff

Bonanza is similar to Amazon and eBay in that it sells (resells) a range of products. It charges fees based on the sale price of your item plus any shipping cost over $10. For example if you sell an item for $20 and pay $13 to ship it, your fee would be based on the combined total of $23. Bonanza charges 3.5 percent, or in this example 80 cents, and there’s a minimum fee of 50 cents per item. For items sold over $500, you’d pay 3.5 percent on the first $500 and then 1.5 percent on the amount over $500.

Some online buy/sell resellers specialize in specific products, like Gameflip for video games and movies, Gazelle for your old iPhone or Samsung and Poshmark for clothes and fashion.

Craigslist, Facebook and Next Door

Salvation Army and Goodwill are not currently selling items or accepting donations. However, other platforms including the local Next Door portal for Southshore, Facebook Marketplace, and Craigslist are still allowing consumers to buy and sell. ThredUp has actually seen an uptick in sellers, perhaps because people are cleaning out their closets right now as they stay at home.

These local outlets don’t require fees, but they only connect you with buyers and then it’s up to you to meet up and make the exchange and it’s still wise to make the exchange is as distanced as possible. In the event you’re buying as well as selling, you’ll find more cautionary buying advice on Grow Acorns. And if meeting up with strangers makes you uneasy, stick with the online plus shipping versions.

Apps for That

Millennial Money offers 26 of the best-selling apps available to help you sell your stuff in 2020. From Decluttr and Letgo to Cashify and Recycler. Decluttr offers an instant valuation of your stuff and specializes in tech and media items. Letgo claims to be the biggest and fastest-growing app for buying and selling locally with millions of listings. This is another in-person exchange vehicle where you can advertise your items and then it’s up to you to complete the sale.

And for how-to tips on everything from how to write an item description using key words to attract buyers, to taking photos of your stuff – check out Penny Hoarder’s advice. You’ll also find additional websites and tips about advertising with each.

Home Sales in Southshore

One of the great things about the master-planned community of Southshore is its proximity to the water wonderland of the Aurora Reservoir and the activities available to visitors, from beach volleyball and stand-up paddle boards, to kayaks and fishing excursions. Make an appointment to tour the model homes to find out what’s for sale here from Taylor Morrison, Richmond American Homes and Toll Brothers and see first-hand the lure Life at the Lake. The homes include ranch and two-story designs, priced between the $400s and the $700s!