How To Sell Everything You Own: An A-Z Guide
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1SHARES
In our many cross-country moves
(13 homes in 5 states in 15 years) my wife and I have typically sold our things
to avoid the cost of a moving truck. That’s one reason to get rid of stuff.
Maybe you’re planning a
traveling lifestyle and need to go light, or you need to free up some space in
the house. Perhaps you plan to rid yourself of worldly possessions so you can
join a monastery. Or you just need to raise some cash.
Whatever the reason, if you’re planning to get rid of some or all
of your things, you might as well get top dollar for them.
The problem is, selling a
camping tent isn’t the same as selling your old cell phone. And where do you go
to sell old comics, or silver coins, or tools?
Check out the A-to-Z list below
(every letter is covered!). Whether you’re selling just one item or many,
you’ll find some great tips on where to get the most for everything in your
home, starting with…
Aluminum Cans
In states with “bottle bills,” you can return aluminum beer and
soda cans for the deposit, usually 5 cents each (we got 10 cents each when we
lived in Michigan). In other states you can sell them as scrap metal, but the
current value of aluminum makes them worth only one or two
cents apiece.
Appliances
Craigslist is
the place to sell appliances. If that old stove or fridge is broken, you can
put it in the free section. Someone will take it away for the scrap metal,
saving you a disposal fee. Or bring it to a scrap metal buyer yourself to get a
few bucks. RECraigslist.com says the scrap value is $8 to $28
for most kitchen appliances.
Aquariums
You can sell aquariums and
related equipment on AquaBid.com.
Or, to avoid shipping hassles, just sell the stuff through Craigslist,
Backpacking Equipment
I’ve sold gold-prospecting
equipment on Craigslist, and I’m sure you can sell backpacking
gear that way. But to get top dollar you’ll do better going where
the best buyers are. For
example, Backpacking.net has aforum for selling gear.
Batteries
Small batteries don’t typically have any residual value, but if you have a car
or boat batteries around, you might be able to sell them. Google “battery buyers”
to find a recycler near you. There are online buyers as well, like Rockaway Recycling.
Bicycles
The easiest way to sell a
bicycle is to put it out front with a sign on it. I got $35 that way for an old
bike that I bought for $30. With a little more work (a photo and description),
you can get a higher price on Craigslist.
If it’s a truly valuable bicycle, see if a local bike shop will either buy it
from you or sell it on consignment.
Books
Bookscouter has
a great search tool to find the best place to sell your books online. Just
enter the ISBN number and see your options. Textbooks get the most money, but
you can sell other books as well. For faster cash (and no shipping hassles) try
a local used book store.
Most pay only in the form of
store credit, but I once got $15 cash from a local store for a small stack of
books.
Boxes
BoxSmart.net and BoxCycle.com buy cardboard boxes. They usually
buy only large quantities, so this is an option for after a move (once you’ve unpacked all
those boxes).
Calendars
If they’re vintage (old and
interesting), you can sell calendars to antique dealers and other local vintage
item retailers, like Old Seattle Paperworks, for example. You can also sell collectible calendars on eBay.
Cameras
BuybackWorld buys
used cameras. Craigslist is
another option, and for the fastest cash try a local pawn shop.
Cell Phones
Swappa.com has
no fees to list and sell your cell phone (buyers pay the fees). Gazelle buys phones directly from you.
Local iPhone repair stores sometimes pay cash for phones — even broken ones,
since they can fix them for resale.
Clothes
Google “clothing consignment
store” and the name of your locality to find a place that will sell your
clothes for you. For instant cash try Plato’s Closet or Buffalo Exchange. Either will pay cash for popular
name-brand clothes. A rummage sale is the best place to sell the rest.
Coin Collections
A local coin shop will buy your
coin collection for cash, but first use an online coin price guide to see what each coin is worth. CoinTrackers.com says you can expect to get at
least 60 percent of retail value. Selling on eBay is more work, but should get you
the best price.
Comic Books
GetCashForComics.com buys single issues or whole
collections. SellComicBooks.us also buys comics directly from
you. NewKadia.com does
appraisals and connects you with buyers.
Computers
If your computer is still
functional, try selling it through Craigslist. Otherwise, you can learn how to how to scrap a computer to sell the metals and components.
Diabetes Test Strips
If you have leftover diabetes
test strips, don’t throw them away. You can get cash for the test strips and
lancets from RescueTestStrips.com.
DVD Movies
Pawn shops are the place to
sell your DVDs fast for cash, but don’t expect them to buy anything other than
popular movies. Put the rest in your next rummage sale.
Electronics
The Amazon
Trade-In program
is a great place to sell used electronics, although you’ll be paid in Amazon
credit, not cash (which isn’t a problem if you shop online regularly). Best Buy also
has a trade-in-for-credit program. Pawn shops, Craigslist, and rummage sales are some of your
other options.
Exercise Equipment
Johnson Fitness and
similar stores that sell used exercise equipment also buy
it. Craigslist is your best bet otherwise, and
your next rummage sale is always an option.
Fishing Gear
What do you do with all that
old fishing tackle in the garage? Try SellFishingTackle.us. But they generally buy collections,
not individual pieces. A pawn shop or your next rummage sale is your best bets
for the rest.
Furniture
Craigslist is
one of my favorite places to sell furniture. I also like furniture consignment
stores, because you can get that stuff out of the house right now, even if it
will take a while to sell. Of course, you’ll give up 50% or so as a consignment
fee, but often we’ve done better that way anyhow, because the furniture store
gets a higher price.
Gift Cards
If you have store, restaurant,
and other retailer gift cards you won’t be able to use, they can be sold for
50% to 90% of the remaining value. See our post on where to sell gift cards for more on how to cash in. We
suggest Raise or Cardpool.
Handguns
If you don’t have a local pawn
shop or gun shop where you can sell your handguns, there are places to sell
online. For example, CashMyGuns.com will
give you a quote, send you the packaging materials, and then send you a check
once they get your guns. They say it’s “safe, legal, and hassle-free.”
Ink Cartridges
Old ink cartridges get you $4 each at Staples when you buy new ink.
Sites like SellToner.com buy
used ink cartridges and toner, but only in larger quantities.
Jewelry
The fastest way to get cash for
jewelry is to sell it to a local jewelry shop. If it’s made of silver or gold,
try a coin shop or precious metals buyer. Use an online metals value calculator to determine what you should be
paid, which is usually at least 75% of spot value for silver and closer to 90%
for gold.
Junk
Try selling possibly-useful
junk at a rummage sale. If the items are metal, sell to a scrap dealer. You can
check the current scrap values of various metals online. I recently made $15
selling broken lawn furniture and other metal items to a metals buyer.
Kayaks
Play It Again Sports buys used kayaks and canoes, and
they’ll give you cash on the spot. But with a bit more work, you’ll probably
get more selling it yourself on Craigslist.
Knives
If you have hunting knives or
antique knives and they are valuable, there are places that sell them for
you on consignment, so you can ship them off and wait for a check. CuttingEdge.com takes knives worth more than $100,
and Arizona Custom Knives wants only knives worth at least
$200. You keep 75% of the sales price.
Lawn Furniture
Craigslist,
furniture consignment stores, and a rummage sale are the best options (in that
order) for selling used lawn furniture. It it’s junk, but made of metal, sell
it to a scrap metal dealer.
Luggage
Craigslist is
again a good way to go, although my wife and I have also sold used luggage to a
second-hand store, and rummage sales are always an option.
Magazines
There are online tutorials on how to sell magazines. It’s typically only old ones that have
value, and they can sometimes be sold locally to places like Old Seattle Paperworks. Sometimes it’s just the vintage ads
that have value, so you can make more by cutting them out and selling them on eBay.
Music CDs
If (a big if) you have popular titles, you might get as much as
a dollar each for your CDs, at a pawn shop. My wife and I once got 50 cents
each for just 4 of 20 CDs we wanted to sell. The rest
went in our rummage sale.
Newspapers
Newspapers generally have value
only if they’re old. You can sell them by birth-date on eBay (people
buy them as gifts for friends’ birthday celebrations). Or you can clip out old
ads to sell; check out the vintage ads for sale on eBay to see what you might get.
Old Stuff
Anything that’s old could have some cash value at
an antique store. You can sometimes determine this with a quick check on eBay, but look for items with actual bids or
sales to get an idea of the real value (sellers can ask anything, after all,
but it doesn’t mean they get it).
Plastic Bottles
Recycling centers in many
cities buy plastic bottles (and soda bottles are returnable for the deposit in states with “bottle bills”). At the moment you’ll get only about a
half-cent each, so you’ll need a lot of them to make it worth your time.
Postcards (Old)
You might be able to sell old
postcards at an antique store, and we’ve seen them for sale at used book stores
too. Online, you can sell them at CardCow.com.
Quilts
The Antique Man says
he buys vintage quilts. Otherwise you can read over what others have said about how to sell a quilt on eBay.
Radios
NewerAntiques.com has radios on their list of items
they buy (it generally has to be old). Of course, a pawn shop is a possibility,
and when all else fails, put it in your rummage sale.
Sports Equipment
Play It Again Sports buys everything from used baseball
bats to snowboards. If you have one of their stores near you, that’s probably
the fastest way to get cash for sports equipment. But you may get a better
price selling on Craigslist.
Toilet Paper Rolls
Yes, you can sell you used
toilet paper rolls — the cardboard part leftover. Toilet paper rolls on eBay sell for about $20 for 100 rolls
if you include shipping. People use them for craft projects.
Tools
Local buyers, like American Tool Buyers in Philadelphia, for example, will
come to you and make an offer if you have enough tools. Just Google “sell used tools” with the
name of your locality. Pawn shops are your second-best bet, and then there is Craigslist and that rummage sale.
Toys
Once Upon a Child stores buy used toys. If there
isn’t one near you, try selling the toys on Craigslist or at rummage sales. ToyMart.com buys vintage
and collectible toys.
Trees
Believe it or not, you can sell
the trees around your home, if you have enough. A friend had a few acres around
his house “select cut” and made several thousand dollars. If you can’t find a
local lumber company that will come to you, check out SellYourTrees.com.
Urine
The letter “u” was a tough one
for this list, but there was that case of the guy who sold his urine for $20 per ounce on Craigslist. Buyers need the urine to pass drug
tests, so to do this you have to be drug-free and willing to participate in
their deception.
Video Games
A local pawn shop is the
fastest way to cash in, but you may get more selling your video games online,
using a website like Glyde.com. You can also sell directly online to
places like VIP Gamestore or Princeton Record Exchange.
Watches
If you have a valuable watch to sell, try buyers like WatchBox or Moyer Fine Jewelers. To get maximum value you should also
get price quotes from several local buyers, like jewelry and pawn shops.
Wedding Dresses
PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com lets you list your dress for sale
for $25, and charges only $5 to list bridesmaid dresses. Your other option is a
local clothing consignment store.
Wine Corks
Sell them on eBay for up to 25 cents each. The price
depends on the type, shipping costs, and the size of the batch. Buyers use them
for craft projects.
X-Rays
If you have x-rays from medical
or dental procedures you’ve had done, don’t throw them out. They have valuable
silver in them! BW Recycling buys
x-ray films in all 50 states, as does Cash For Silver USA. You may need more than one x-ray for
them to be interested.
Yard Tools and Equipment
Larger items, like riding lawn
mowers, are best sold via Craigslist.
Smaller tools (clippers, rakes, edgers) can be sold at a local pawn shop, or in
your next rummage sale.
Zebras (Stuffed Animals)
Yes, I needed at least one
thing starting with “z” that might be found around the home, and
can be sold for cash. Where do
you sell used stuffed animals? Well, my wife and I used to sell them at flea
markets (they were one of our best sellers), but vintage stuffed animals are probably best
sold on eBay.
Selling Everything Else
If you don’t see it on the list
above, or even if you do, you might want to try one of the following ways to
sell your stuff.
Have a Rummage Sale – This is usually the last stop before
just throwing things out or donating them to a thrift store. Tip: To generate
more traffic, advertise a few large or valuable items on Craigslist and note that they can be seen at
the rummage sale.
Sell to Pawn Shops and
Second-Hand Stores – When my wife and I
moved from Colorado to Florida, we sold large batches of stuff to the owner of
a second-hand store. He even came to the house to get it all. Pawn shops are more
selective, but they’ll buy many odds and ends.
Try Craigslist – This is one of my favorite places to
sell anything
worth at least $20 (it’s not
worth fielding the phone calls for lower-priced items).
Sell at a Flea Market – Many flea markets have inexpensive
daily rates, and you’ll have more potential buyers looking at your stuff than
you’ll ever get at a rummage sale.
Sell to an Estate Buyer – These companies commonly buy a whole
house full of stuff at a time. Google “estate buyers” and your city to find
one. To get them to come and give you a quote you may have to first move and
then offer
them everything left in the home.
If you have a few of your own tips on how to
sell everything you own, please share them with us below … and keep on
frugaling!
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Jillur Rahman
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