Make $$ During Spring Cleaning

Did you know you can “clean up” ($$!) while you clean up. Here are a few ways to make money during your spring-cleaning decluttering:

In-Person Sales

A good old-fashioned yard sale is still a great way to get rid of unwanted clutter while pocketing some cash.

  • Post your sale date(s) online on city community calendars, local community Facebook pages, the Nextdoor app, or the Yard Sale Treasure Map app.

  • List any large items or sought-after brands that your sale has like workout equipment, comic books, baby items, bikes or furniture. Make sure to mention recognizable brand name items like Pottery Barn, Graco, Marvel, Nintendo, etc.

  • Talk to your neighbors to see if you can organize a subdivision sale on a set weekend to bring in more buyers. 

  • Arrange for a donations truck to arrive at the end of your sale or the day after. Load up all the unsold items and you’ll receive a receipt for a charitable donation. You can schedule a date and time with the Pickup Please site.

Online Sales

If a yard sale isn’t your vibe, there are lots of ways to sell unwanted items online.

  • Have lots of DVDs, CDs, and other electronics to sell? Download the Decluttr app and scan barcodes to see what they will pay for each item. Box it all up and use the shipping label they send to mail the items. Once Decluttr receives and verifies the items, the money will be sent via Paypal or check.

  • The DitchIt and OfferUp apps both allow buyers to make an offer on items you post. You can accept, counteroffer or ask questions. Both apps allow users to set geographic areas in which to search.

  • Well-known sites like eBay and Facebook Marketplace are great options. An eBay account requires some set up but allows you to ship items directly to the buyer, while Facebook Marketplace is usually an in-person sale.
 
IMPORTANT: If you meet someone to do a sale in-person, arrange to meet in a public space, not at your home. Many city police stations have an “E-commerce exchange zone” in front of the station to discourage theft and keep you safe.
 
Find a safe trade spot near you at Safe Trade Spots or call your city police department to see if there is an exchange zone in your city. 
 
  • If a buyer won’t agree to meet at an exchange station, then they are likely up to no good and you should discontinue the transaction.
  • If someone offers to pay you more than the item is worth and then you send them back the overage, it’s a scam! Do not reply and do not give them any personal information.