Declutter Your Life

Sell

Many of your castoffs could find great second homes and net you some cash in the process.

EBay. Go to eBay.com and register for an account. Then click “Sell” and select “Sell an item”; the site walks you through options for categorizing, pricing and shipping. (For more help in pricing your item, check completed listings to see actual sales prices.) Focus on small items that are easy to price and pack, such as designer clothes, baseball cards and jewelry. It costs nothing to list up to 50 auction items each month and add “Buy It Now” pricing; you’ll pay 9% of the total sale amount (up to $250) for each item. You can download the eBay mobile app (available for Apple and Android devices) and use your phone or tablet’s camera to scan the bar code and import details on items, such as DVDs, that are still in their original boxes.

Craigslist. Larger items, such as furniture and appliances, are perfect for Craigslist because buyers come to you to haul them away. The listings are free for a week in big cities (45 days in smaller cities). Insist on payment in cash to avoid bounced checks.

Specialty sites. For books, log on to Bookscouter.com and enter the ISBN number (located over the bar code) of the books you’d like to sell. You’ll receive price quotes from online booksellers who want them.

Sell designer clothing and accessories at The Snob and Snobswap. For vintage clothing, try Etsy and Fashiondig.

Sell your smart phones and other tech products on sites such as Gazelle.com, NextWorth.com, USell.com and BuyMyTronics.com. Just log on, get an offer and mail in your item. You will receive a check or a deposit to your PayPal account.

Consignment shops. Shopowners will sell your clothing or household furnishings for you. They’ll price your items based on their experience, and will reduce the price over time. They typically take one-third to one-half of the final sale price. You may need an appointment for the shops to review your stuff, or the owners may ask you to send photos by e-mail.

Yard sale. For stuff that’s not worth the trouble of listing, try a one-day-only yard sale. For extra appeal, get your whole block to participate. Not into pricing everything? That’s okay. Aaron LaPedis, author of The Garage Sale Millionaire, recommends that you put a price tag on anything you want to sell for more than $25 (so people don’t waste your time with low-ball offers), but let people make an offer for anything else. “There’s a 50-50 chance they’ll offer you more than you were looking for,” says LaPedis. Attract more visitors by listing your sale at Tag Sell It. And when the day is done, donate what’s left to Goodwill.

Estate liquidators. Call a “clean-out” company if you have a lot of stuff that you need to get rid of quickly -- say, because you’re downsizing, divorcing or disposing of an estate. Some liquidators will conduct a “tag sale” in your home or off-site; they generally take 25% to 40% of the proceeds. Others buy your stuff outright, haul it away and sell it.