Where to sell your junk for cash |
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EBay: Sometimes described as the world's largest garage sale, you can find a buyer for just about anything on eBay. A case in point: Four toilets once owned by Jerry Garcia sold for a little more than $5,000 in 2005.
At the same time, "You shouldn't treat eBay like a rummage sale," says Brad Schepp, co-author of "eBay PowerSeller Secrets: Insider Tips from eBay's Most Successful Sellers." "Selling takes work."
If you want to get a good price for your stuff, put in a little time doing some research and limit yourself to items you can sell and ship fairly easily, he says.
Skip antiques and collectibles until you've learned more about the items and have a little more eBay experience.
It can be a great venue for upscale or specialty clothing like furs or designer dresses or children's clothing from recognized labels, says G.G. Carbone, author of "How to Make a Fortune with Other People's Junk."
If you want top dollar, it also pays to be time-sensitive, she says. Spring is the wrong time of year for fur, but "it's a perfect time to put prom dresses on eBay," Carbone says.
EBay stores: These are often billed as an option that offers the convenience of a consignment store with the marketing advantages of eBay. You take your items to the store and the purveyor sells the items on eBay, ships them to the buyers, accepts and vets payments and gives you your cut of the purchase price. (You can monitor the selling process from your home computer.)
"I think they're great," says Schepp. "They're going to do a little triage on what someone walks in with."
But the concept might be better for general items, rather than specialty collectibles, says Schepp. At a store, workers "are going to know how to take pictures and write a good listing," he says. "But they might not know the jargon for a particular area and may not know how to best frame what you have."
Like consignment stores, they operate independently and rules and rates can vary. So shop around to get the best deal.
The goods that sell best on eBay and at eBay stores: specialty clothing and musical instruments and commodity items such as books, CDs, DVDs, cell phones and modems.
Garage sales: If it works, you make some money and clear some space. If it doesn't, you can put in a lot of work for very little return.
As with real estate, success sometimes comes down to location, location, location, says Carbone. If you have lots of cars going by your house on the weekend, you've got a great garage sale spot. One friend holds a successful yard sale at her beach house every Fourth of July weekend, Carbone says. That's one time she knows there will be tons of traffic going by.
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