Essential Tips for Selling Household Items Online and Organizing a Yard Sale

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This is a guest post from Cherie at Couchbasedbiz.

Whether it’s time for spring cleaning or you’re just tired of your home being filled with clutter, you can bring order to your living space and make money while doing it. Unwanted items can quickly add up, and by decluttering, you can end up with a nice, clean home and money in your pocket. Selling household items online and holding a yard sale are two of the most common methods, and this article will help you get started.

Disposing of the Unsellables 

First of all, it’s important to accept that you probably won’t be able to sell everything you’re trying to get rid of. Chances are that you have stuff lying around your home, garage, and yard that are in poor condition, meaning you will just need to throw them away. If you have a bunch of items, you may want to consider renting a dumpster, since this allows you to fill the dumpster at your own pace over the course of a week before it’s hauled away. If you have fewer items, or larger appliances that you can’t lift and carry, hiring a junk removal service to do the work for you could be your best option. 

Selling Online

The online second-hand economy is thriving and will continue to grow in years to come. In order to be successful, however, it will help to keep a few things in mind.

• Try selling items locally to reduce shipping costs. Better yet, safely arrange for buyers to pick them up from your home.
• Clean the items to make them look as new as possible.
• Take quality pictures of the items.
• Prioritize popular items to broaden your potential buyer base.
• Price your items fairly.
• Don’t lie about the item’s condition. If you’re dishonest, your time in the second-hand economy may be short-lived. 

Keep in mind that if you intend to make a business out of selling items online, then you may need to take steps to register this venture with the state. Not only will this help keep your business legal, but registering as a limited liability company (LLC), for example, can provide you with certain advantages — especially come tax time. You can file this paperwork yourself, use a lawyer to handle things, or hire a business formation service to get things in order. You can visit Zenbusiness’s homepage to learn more about the LLC formation process. 

Throwing a Yard Sale

Yard sales are another way to make money from used household items. For a yard sale to be successful, however, you need to plan. Set a date for the sale at least a few weeks prior to allow ample time for preparation. Then, check to see if your city requires a permit, and obtain one if necessary. Inventory is critical when holding a yard sale, so gather all your items in one place and make a list. Once you have a full list, write down a price by each item. Afterward, you can start putting price labels on everything. Make it easy for buyers by pricing each item with a bright, easy-to-see tag or sticker (instead of making one sign for each category). 

After that comes the advertising; take out a classified ad in your local newspaper, start a Craigslist ad, and put it up on Facebook. Finally, you will set up for the sale. Holding the sale in your garage will allow you a few days to set up, but if you’re using your yard, you will want to have everything organized so you can start setting up by dawn on the day of.

The second-hand economy can be profitable if you approach it the right way. You won’t be able to sell everything, so look into dumpster rentals and junk removal services if you have stuff that’s in poor condition. If you plan to sell things online, be sure to follow the tips provided to ensure your success. And remember that planning is the key to a good yard sale. Most importantly, allow yourself grace as you navigate the waters of the second-hand economy!

Cherie writes at Couchbasedbiz.com, giving you useful tips and guides to set up your home business.