Sell your Stuff Online

As part of my spring cleaning and decluttering rampage, I have been exploring something new: www.decluttr.com. This site will buy your used CDs, DVDs, books, and electronics. But don't expect to get top dollar!

This isn't like Ebay where you take photos of your items and set a price per item. No, decluttr tells you how much they will give you for each item when you enter the bar code. Once you have accumulated $10 (at least) worth of stuff, you pack it into a box, tape it up, add a shipping label, and deliver the box to a UPS store. The shipping costs are paid by decluttr.

So far, I have made a small amount of money selling my stuff. But it is highly unlikely anyone would pay much for my used books and CDs at a yard sale, either. Decluttr pays an average of about 40-50 cents per CD or DVD. The rare disc might bring over a dollar. However, if you were planning to donate a large number of CDs or books, decluttr is an easy way of getting a few bucks instead.

Keep in mind that decluttr tends not to take fiction. When it comes to books, they are much pickier than with CD's. None of my CDs were rejected, while all my novels were. They accepted many, though not all, of my cookbooks, self-help, and spiritual titles. Most of my DVDs were purchased, though they did not want Dexter!

When I first used decluttr, the minimum order was $5 to create a shipment. This was easily doable. They have since raised the minimum to $10. When some books are selling for only 20 cents, this makes for a VERY heavy shipment! And it can take awhile to collect enough stuff.

Meanwhile, my daughter is trying a similar system with her clothing: www.thredup.com. You must first request a bag from them. This comes in the mail. Then you fill the bag with clothing you wish to sell. (The bag is LARGE and can hold a ton of used clothing.) They will only purchase gently used items which are no older than 5 years. Certain brands (Anne Taylor, GAP, Old Navy) are preferred. And they only pay about 50 cents per item. Again, you are not going to get rich selling your used clothing this way! Thredup charges $10 for shipping, deducting this amount from your final payment, after they have examined your bag of clothing. My daughter earned a total of $8 on her first bag. But she was happy enough with the service to order a second bag. Yes, she has a TON of clothing to get rid of...

If you are in the same boat--trying to unload a vast amount of stuff--you might want to consider using one of these online selling sites. Although you won't make a ton of money, you will clear out your closets, bookshelves, and cabinets, while earning a small amount of extra cash.