Let’s talk about your stuff. Come on, don’t deny it. Your area is chock full of items you no longer use. How about those DVDs and CDs that cause your shelves to creak? Or all those comic books that are taking up space in your garage? And those baby toys — well, there’s no need to keep them now that your children are in middle school. They’re just taking up space in your place when they could be making you money or at least being traded for something needed.
We’re a wasteful nation. We dispose of items we no longer need on a regular basis, and it all gets dumped in ever-growing landfills. Instead, we should be taking our new and slightly worn items and giving them to other folks to enjoy. Swap meets and flea markets were common places to do this in B.I. — Before Internet. Now, much of this trading and selling can be done from the comfort of an office desk or, if said desk is full of clutter, the dining room table.
Many of these sites charge little or nothing to get rid of your stuff. And even if funds are needed for shipping, the end result could be extra money in your budget to pay off other items. At a minimum it could mean you swap a unwanted item out for one that’s needed. Here are a few online locations where you can make these exchanges.
The old man on the block when it comes to online auction sites. Selling on eBay isn’t as easy as it once was, because many people can sell the same product you are for a lower starting price. These days the auction site does well with handmade products as well as collectibles not found in other areas. Best thing to do is take a look at what is selling on the site before deciding to go this route.
Another old-timer in the online selling game. No bells and whistles for this site. It’s straight text and pictures that display what you’re offering. The advantage Craigslist has over eBay is you can sell by state, region or city. Some items you place on the site will make you money in under 24 hours while others will stay there for weeks. The other downside to Craigslist is the people who say they want to buy your item but have other intentions. Be wary as you begin to utilize this site.
Swap.com allows you to either buy, sell or swap your items. Here’s how it works — you pack up the items you want to sell/swap and send it to the company with the free packing slip they provide. They set up the products, you pick the price and someone can either purchase the product or decide to swap it for something else you may find of interest. You may want to try one of each option to see which works best.
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