Fulfilling your New Year’s Resolution to Declutter

If one of your new year’s resolutions is to de-clutter your home, selling unwanted items on eBay is a great way to clear out the house and earn some extra money, too. Of course, some of things are simply clutter – not every unwanted item will sell on eBay. The big secret that top eBay sellers learn quickly is that being selective about the condition, value, and description of the items you sell on eBay is the difference between barely covering your costs and turning a big profit.

As you’re doing your household clear-out, divide items you’re considering selling into several groups:

Furniture and large appliances.
Clothing and accessories.
Electronics.
Household items.
Automotive parts.
Event & sports tickets.
Fine and costume jewelry.
Entertainment items such as music, musical instruments, books, movies.
Collectibles and antiques.

clutter One of the biggest questions newcomers to eBay consignment stores ask is how to tell whether their items are collectible or not. The word “collectible” didn’t exist 30 years ago. Today, there are collectors for an amazing array of items. China, glass, dolls, toys, sports and entertainment memorabilia, garden accessories, art, product advertising items – they’re all “collectible”. So how do you tell if the stuff that’s filling your garage, spare room, and closet is likely to be someone else’s treasure?

First, look at the item itself. Condition is king on eBay. Because potential buyers can’t see and touch items before they buy, most are very leery of even the most minor condition issues. That doesn’t mean that a Picasso with a crease in the corner isn’t valuable – but that same crease might erase the value of a print by an unknown artist.

Second, do your homework. It’s all about the research when it comes to figuring out whether or not your trash is likely to be someone’s treasure. Start by searching for similar items on eBay. Don’t forget to use eBay’s handy “completed listings” search option. That will show you how well similar items have sold, and what kind of prices they got.

Then, contact your nearest Easysale location — or check out our “What sells” guide here. We’re happy to help you decide whether your items are worth offering on eBay or not. If not, you can consign them to a local auction house, sell them through websites like craigslist, or donate them to charity and take the tax deduction.

Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorywithserifs/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0