The following is a guest post from Sarah at Organized With Kids! with tips for successfully selling your clutter online. Sarah is a super nice fellow Canadian that I “met” online through Instagram. After seeing how successful she was selling unwanted items from her home I asked her to share how she does it with us. Welcome Sarah!
Do you have a pile of items taking up precious space in your home that you no longer use? Do these items still have the potential to be used by someone else? Are you feeling overwhelmed and not sure where to start in the selling process?
I’m here to encourage you to take back your physical space. I’ve got time saving tips and tricks to help you with selling your clutter and ultimately reclaim peace and order in your home!
1.TAKE QUALITY PICTURES
Gather ALL of the items you no longer use that are in good condition and bring them into one room on the main floor in your home. Give the items a wipe or wash down if needed. Choose a clean and bright space in your home to take pictures. Try your best to take a picture that is focused and pleasing to the eye. Taking pretty pictures sells items. People can envision the object in their own home and are more likely to snap it up!
2. MOVE THE ITEMS OUT OF YOUR HOME
Once all pictures have been taken, move the items out of your home and into your garage if possible. I suggest sitting them in cardboard boxes or plastic totes. The inconvenience of not being able to park in your garage will be a motivating factor in selling those items!
3. LIST THE ITEMS ONLINE
Facebook Marketplace, a local “buy and sell” site in your neighborhood and Kijiji are all good options for listing items you wish to sell. You can join Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji immediately but will usually need to request to join your neighborhood buy and sell site. Remember to turn ON your notifications for Facebook (in settings) when you sell items so that you can reply to interested buyers who message you as efficiently as possible. I also suggest “cross posting” items on a variety of buy and sell sites so that they are seen by a greater audience and therefore have a higher probability of selling.
Here is an example of an appealing sale post:
“Size 8 kids Crocs in excellent condition from a smoke free home. A light weight boot that is easy for your little one to put on and take off independently. $5. Pick up in Summerside. Cross Posted.”
4. PRICE WELL
Your initial post will get the most attention. Make sure you price your items competitively right away. I usually post items for 50% or less of what I bought it for. You will often make more selling online than you would at a garage sale but items will not move if they are priced too high! After the items have been online for several days I will usually reduce the price by a few dollars to ensure they sell.
5. STAY ORGANIZED
When a buyer contacts you about purchasing an item, take the item out of the garage and write the buyers name and price you’re selling it for on a sticky note and place the item by your front door. Then add the item and buyers name to the time of pick up in your phone calendar with an alert set 5 minutes before they are expected to arrive.
6. STAY MOTIVATED
In order to stay motivated during the selling process, think about how you will make use of the money you make selling items. Perhaps the money you earn will pay for your child to attend summer camp this year or a class you’ve been meaning to take. Setting goals will help you keep your game face on when you get tired of answering calls and selling items.
7. SET A TIME LIMIT THEN DONATE THE REST
Decide on the amount of time you will spend selling items. My suggested time frame is one week. Commit to donating items that you do not sell by the end of the week. There are many great organizations and charities that accept new or gently used items. Here are a few of my favourites:
Weehelp Foundation www.weehelp.ca
Basically Babies Ltd. www.basicallybabies.org
Suit Yourself www.suityourselfclothes.org
8. ENJOY THE END RESULT
When you take the time to sell or donate unused items in your home you will not only feel like a weight has been lifted but you will have reclaimed space in your home, increased cash flow and given forgotten items the chance to be useful again! Choose to take a stand against overwhelm and embrace simplicity and joy! Have fun selling your clutter!
Sarah Renner is a teacher & blogger who has a passion for educating, guiding & encouraging others to embrace simplicity & create happy homes that are a safe haven from a chaotic world. Most importantly, Sarah is a wife and mom to two – Ava and Claire. When she isn’t working on her latest organization project, you can find Sarah playing at the lake with her family, “glamping” in the great outdoors, or enjoying a hike in their local ravine. Find Sarah on her blog at Organized with Kids!
meryl says
Very interesting. I am not on Facebook and have never heard of Kijiji and am not sure what a local buy and sell is – other than a flea market which around here are generally expensive and for vendors selling new items. Or is it a store that sells on consignment – they seem to only take designer items.
I DO HAVE ONE IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE – one should NEVER have anyone that one does not personally know come to one’s house to buy something – or go to the other person’s house. It is too dangerous. One should meet the other person in a neutral place – the parking lot of the local police department is highly recommended by the police. Some even have areas set up in their lot just for this. One should even walk in and mention to the desk officer that one is doing this.
There have been too many incidents nationwide (USA) of people being robbed or injured by a person faking a purchase (or even a sale) to do so at anyone’s home. Would you let in a total stranger into your home otherwise? Would you go to a stranger’s home otherwise? One’s personal security is far more important than the money that one would receive for an item or the time saved by someone coming to you.
Lisa H. says
This week I decluttered several bookcases and was able to sell many books (shipping paid by the book buying company). What the online stores didn’t want (or were valued at less than $1) I took to a local used store that accepts books for store credit. What they didn’t want I donated to Goodwill and to a few tiny libraries.
Laura Wittmann says
That’s awesome Lisa!!!