Peter Walsh's tips for de-cluttering your home to make the biggest profit
De-clutter your home...de-clutter your life!
Before you start - remember that your home is a reflection of yourself. Ask yourself what kind of life you want to live and then look at the things you own. Do your possessions, the items you've filled your home with, enhance that life or stand in the way of the life you want? If items don't contribute to your life and well being, consider getting rid of them. Also, look around your home and identify the items that you have not used for 12 months or more. Ask yourself if you really still need to hold onto these things.
It's not just about "spring" cleaning anymore
Household de-cluttering is not just tied to the spring season anymore as there are a variety of options available when taking inventory of extra goods. Consider organizing your household items according to categories - accessories, clothing, household electronics, sporting goods, seasonal items, books -and determine if there is likely to be greater demand for these items at particular times of the year (e.g. golf clubs, known to sell well on eBay year round due to its global audience, may sell better in spring and summer months in your local area). Consider dedicating a bin or shelf in your garage or basement to store seasonal items in your home. Regularly visit this area to determine what you can get rid of when.
Benefits of the eBay Trading Assistant
eBay Trading Assistants are experienced eBay sellers who handle all aspects of selling on eBay for other people. Trading Assistants offer a simple, cost effective and immediate alternative to selling items yourself. Over 16,000 eBay Trading Assistants offer drop off locations or pick up services in the United States alone. For a share of the sales price as their fee, Trading Assistants can take your inventory of goods and manage the entire process, including photography, description and payment collection. Household items that sell particularly well through eBay Trading Assistants include personal electronics, sports equipment, musical instruments, designer clothing and accessories and collectibles/memorabilia. These items have proven to consistently sell for higher prices on eBay, as it's a worldwide marketplace that offers greater demand and exposure for goods.
Why and when garage sales work best
The age-old tradition of holding garage or yard sales is still practical for ridding your home of lower-priced items including books, CDs, gently used clothing and toys. The secret to a successful yard sale is to plan well, have an interesting mix of items and - perhaps most important - have reasonable expectations for the prices you are likely to get for your items. Remember that people are looking for bargains and don't expect to spend a lot of money to find them, so a yard sale may not be the best place to sell grandma's crystal. If you have large ticket items consider setting a reserve...if that price is not met, try selling them at a consignment store or through an online auction site.
Whatever doesn't sell, consider donating to charity immediately
Whether you sell your items through a yard sale or an eBay Trading Assistant, pre-arrange with a local charity to pick up any unsold items or immediately take them to a local charity yourself....do not let them back into the house!
Enjoy the proceeds
Decide before you sell your unused household items how you'd like to use the proceeds. Consider a family dinner or outing, replacing a much needed appliance, getting a massage or even donating the money to your favorite charity.
Two case studies; one family holds a garage sale; the other uses an eBay Trading Assistant.
The Malias (garage sale family) Marjie, Sean, Colin (age 7), Ryan (age 4), Patrick (age 2)
Prep time: Nearly three weeks, including 10 hours on the Saturday of the garage sale
What they expected to earn: $400
Total money earned after expenses: $395
Marketing costs (signs, pricing stickers, ads and babysitter): $159
Item that sold for the highest price: Baby jogging stroller ($60)
Item that sold for the lowest price: Plastic child's toy ($ .99)
What didn't sell: High chair, baby carrier, telephone, toaster, bar stools, computer monitor and printer, hand blender and wheelchair ramp
In their own words:
"Having a garage sale on a Saturday is a big inconvenience. I'm a runner and do long runs on Saturdays. I have three little kids who have soccer and have various activities so it's hard to fit it all in. I had no idea how long it would take to put the garage sale together - it's been over three weeks and at least ten hours today. It's an enormous amount of work organizing and getting everything together."
- Marjie Malia
Insider tips:
Collect items into one place. Gather all those items you haven't used for as long as you can remember into one central location.
Set a date. Make sure your sale date doesn't coincide with another important local event.
Whatever doesn't sell - straight to charity. Do not let unsold items back into the house!
Enjoy the proceeds. Decide before the sale how you'd like to use the proceeds.
Have fun and enjoy the day. Remember - a yard sale is not only a good way to get rid of your unused household items, it's also a way to meet new people! Smile a lot. Laugh. Don't take it all too seriously. After all - it's only clutter!
The Karons (eBay Trading Assistant family) Barb, Randy, Claire (age 13),Ben (age 10)
Prep time: 3 hours
What they expected to earn: $600
Total money earned after fees: $2,176
Fees paid to Trading Assistant: $790
Item that sold for the highest price: Randy's trumpet ($720)
Item that sold for the lowest price: 10" LPs, ($4.99)
What didn't sell: Boys clothes, children's Trek mountain bike and unopened board games
In their own words:
"I've had garage sales in the past and I spent really a considerable amount of time organizing, advertising, getting things set up and this time it was so easy. This time around, all I did was turn everything over to the eBay Trading Assistant. They came, picked everything up and took care of it from there. It's been wonderful...very simple!"
- Barb Karon
Insider tips:
Determine if your items are a fit for an eBay Trading Assistant. If you have spent considerable money on the items you are selling, consider using an eBay Trading Assistant to help you get the best price you can online, rather than getting pennies on the dollar through a yard sale.
Set reasonable expectations. eBay Trading Assistants can give you great insights into what will and will not sell. Items that sell particularly well are personal electronics, designer clothing, musical instruments, sports equipment and collectibles.
Too busy to deal with clutter? Call us! If you're busy but you want to clear clutter and get the best possible price for your items but don't have the time or inclination to manage the online selling, then Steptoe Online Auctions Inc. is definitely the way for you to go.
