4 Ways To Get Money For Your Junk When You Move

By Julia Dunn on August 3, 2015

This article is brought to you by CORT, a subsidiary of Berkshire-Hathaway and the world’s largest furniture rental and relocation services company. To learn more about how we can help college students like you, click here.

When you’re getting ready to move, one of the most overwhelming challenges can be getting rid of all of the junk you’ve accumulated while living there.

You don’t want to take all of it with you to the new place, but you also don’t know how to get rid of it all in time, or where to get rid of it so you can make some extra cash quickly and painlessly.

Drowning in clutter and stumped on how to get it out of your life while making money at the same time? Try these four ideas to say goodbye to your junk and hello to some cash.

Image Via: www.pixabay.com

1. Hold a “reverse birthday party”

Collect items you’ve outgrown either physically or emotionally, and make tags for each item including a description of why you loved the item and why someone else will love it too. Invite your friends over to your “reverse birthday party” and let them shop around.

This is a great way to get rid of your old junk in a fun way that leaves you with less clutter around the house and with a totally opposite feeling for a birthday party which usually consists of guests giving the host more items than they might need or want.

Not only will a reverse birthday party be a unique way for you to snag some cash for your stuff, but it will create a unique memory you can capture in photos (after all, you’re probably going to be selling some clothes that guests may want to try on–fashion show, anyone?).

2. Use an app

Since the takeover of smartphones, more and more people are glued to their mobile devices, relying on that 5-inch screen for almost everything in their lives–including buying and selling items. You can use your phone to get money for your junk through a variety of apps designed for people looking to sell items.

Some apps are specifically for selling clothes, such as Vinted, while others are designed for selling general items of no particular type, such as Close5, which emphasizes buying and selling junk with people locally, such as neighbors. Each of these apps is easy to use, as you basically just need to snap a few photos of the item you’re selling, write a description of the item (be honest, and let potential buyers know if there is anything wrong with the item’s functioning or if it is damaged in any way).

Once you’ve got your photos and description looking polished, you can post it on the app and people can let you know through the app if they are interested in buying what you’re selling.

3. Hold a yard sale/garage sale

This is a traditional, almost foolproof way to get rid of your stuff over the course of one or two days. Advertise in the local newspaper, social media websites, and through signs you hang up around your community that you will be having a yard sale soon. To make your signs more enticing, mention a few interesting items you’re selling that will draw people in and make them want to swing by your yard on a Saturday afternoon.

Are you selling a vintage baseball card? Are you selling a clunky pogo stick that you thought you would use in your projected future as an entertainer, but those dreams failed miserably when you fell off on the first attempt at riding it? Mention those odd and unique items you’ve got lying around that might be exactly what someone’s looking for (yes, there actually might be someone out there dying to take Nicki Minaj-themed bed sheets off your hands).

You never know what you might sell through a yard sale because you never know who might show up. However, bear in mind that the success of your yard sale is entirely dependent on how well you advertise your sale.

4. Craigslist or eBay

If all else fails, use Craigslist or eBay. These are both popular websites for buying and selling clutter, and they basically work similarly to smartphone apps. You post pictures and descriptions of the items you’re looking to get rid of onto the website, and interested buyers can see your item if they search for a general category into which your item falls. You’re bound to get a few interested buyers if you use these websites, as they’re both highly trafficked.

Here’s the ultimate takeaway: the more effort you put into selling your stuff, the greater reward you will earn. For any of these selling ideas, you’ve got to spend some time making sure your items are in good selling condition, and that they’re described well on websites and apps. Soon enough, your obnoxious clutter will be walking out the door, and you’ll have a much more manageable load of stuff to take with you to your new place–and some extra cash to replace it.

Best of luck!

Image Via: ww.pixabay.com

Looking for a more convenient way to furnish your off-campus apartment? Rent stylish furniture from CORT and save time and money. For more information on furniture rental packages, click here.

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