Staying Fit
Almost certainly, you have items in your home you’d like to move along. Maybe you want to make sure they get to someone who can make use of them, or maybe you’d like to make a bit of money in the process.
Los Angeles resident Kelly Hayes-Raitt, 56, did. She cleared out her stuffed garage, filled mostly with some 30 boxes full of papers. Alongside, she unearthed office furniture, supplies, a dilapidated card table and even a backpack on wheels someone had left at her house. What she also discovered? “Other people wanted my crap — and were willing to pay for it!” she says. “I made nearly $1,000 selling my stuff on Craigslist — $15, $20 at a time; I couldn’t believe how it added up!”
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And even if you don't make money from a sale, nearly everyone could benefit from tax deductions available for donating. But it’s easy to get stuck, not knowing the best way to move along unused items. Here are some ideas.
Sell locally, even via app
As Hayes-Raitt discovered, Craigslist still works — and saves you the packing, shipping and fees associated with selling something on, say, eBay (save that for your collectibles). But the Craigslist model of locally posting photos with a description of your item for sale has been picked up by other sites, too: Facebook Marketplace (use the app or click on Marketplace from your Facebook account), OfferUp (app), Close5 (app), 5miles (app or website). You can also search Facebook and join local “tag sale” groups for your location or area. Experts advise dealing in cash to avoid scams. These sites don’t charge fees.
Meladee Rudolph, 59, recently relocated from Southern California to Dallas with her husband of 40 years. For three months prior to the move, they used Close5 and OfferUp to sell household items: “For people of our generation — boomers — it was pretty easy to get used to using the sites,” she says. “People have come and moved the items out — we didn’t have to.”
Yard sale
Want to go old-school and hold a real yard sale? Some online advertising is key. Start with your local newspaper and ask about their online ads, and also check out the free online promotion available on Craigslist. And definitely take advantage of the free advertising available on sites like gsalr.com, garagesaletracker.com and yardsales.net, which exist to help users find yard sales in their area.
