Reproduced from an original posting by me at stlfamilylife.org
As far as winters go in the midwest, it has been a very wet one. Most of the time we see cold temperatures with a strange mix of sleet and ice. We are usually lucky to see any real snow more than once or twice. But this year we were hit with more snow than I've seen in years. So when Punxsutawney Phil declared an early spring, after an array of snow days I thought would never end, it seemed to me he had a sick sense of humor. Not to say it isn't a welcomed prediction; it seems almost like it is too good to be true.
Supposing that the predicted spring comes sooner rather than later, my thoughts are turning to spring cleaning. It’s not the cleaning that I like per se, it is the organization part that energizes me. I actually enjoy cleaning out closets, drawers and the basement of items that we don’t want or need anymore. And I love it even more when the Salvation Army, Vietnam Vets, or another donation truck carries it all away. But what happens when you have large items that they don’t pick up, or alternately, you have something of value that could earn you money? Below are some great options no matter what your situation.
ebay
Originally named AuctionWeb, ebay was created in 1995 and was renamed after the creator’s consulting firm Echo Bay. It was an instant hit and is still a great way to buy or sell just about anything. In the late 1990s to early 2000′s, my husband and I were regular buyers and sellers on the site. Our surprise sell was a large battery powered Iron Giant figurine. We knew it was a rare find, but were especially pleased to watch a bidding war that resulted in it netting us over $110. They have improved the site over the years and it is easy to navigate whether a buyer or seller. The advantage to selling on ebay is that you have the option to set a reserve price of the minimal you will accept for a sold item, as well as a ‘buy it now’ price. The downside is that most auctions last 5 to 7 days, and in the end, may not even sell at all. It can also get pricey when you have multiple pictures and various listing fees.
Craigslist
Craig Newmark founded the service in 1995 as an email distribution list of friends, featuring local events in the San Francisco area, before expanding as a web-based business in 1999. In many respects, Craigslist is a simplified ebay, although it has classified ads, personal ads and even discussion forums. When we wanted to sell our son’s loft bed, Craigslist was the perfect choice. We wanted to list it locally and knew it needed to be picked up since shipping it was not an option. Generally speaking, we’ve had no trouble selling the items we put on there, but have had limited success in finding specific items we’re hoping to buy at a discounted price. Ebay has much better selection in that respect.
Freecycle
Although founded in 2003, Freecycle is a relatively unknown web-based service. Freecycle is the perfect place to offer large donatable items to fellow St. Louisans for free. Over the Christmas holiday, we were able to find permanent homes for a large sleeper sofa, 100 paver bricks, old cookbooks, my in-laws NordicTrack and a rug anti-slip backer. The sofa had been an eye sore in our basement for several years. I had exhausted all efforts to find a new home for it and was delighted to hear about Freecycle. We found a new home for every item we listed that week within 24 hours. Of course, the catch is that you are giving them away free to whomever is willing to come get them first. You cannot come back and ask for money. We also found that on several occasions we had no-shows and had to contact alternate takers. Could some of those items have earned us money? Most certainly. But, honestly, we were glad to be rid of them and the delight of having them gone outweighed the desire to make a few extra dollars or to lose out on the tax break that you would earn if donated to a charity. Another downside is that as a seller it’s not a particularly easy site to navigate, whether creating your initial account, or posting pictures to go with your ad. As a buyer, it’s simple and easy to use. It was my favorite new find of 2010.
So, as you clean out those closets and storage units this spring, think about the different options you have to rid your house of unwanted clothes, books, household items or tools. After all, what you consider junk may just be another man’s treasure.
As far as winters go in the midwest, it has been a very wet one. Most of the time we see cold temperatures with a strange mix of sleet and ice. We are usually lucky to see any real snow more than once or twice. But this year we were hit with more snow than I've seen in years. So when Punxsutawney Phil declared an early spring, after an array of snow days I thought would never end, it seemed to me he had a sick sense of humor. Not to say it isn't a welcomed prediction; it seems almost like it is too good to be true.
Supposing that the predicted spring comes sooner rather than later, my thoughts are turning to spring cleaning. It’s not the cleaning that I like per se, it is the organization part that energizes me. I actually enjoy cleaning out closets, drawers and the basement of items that we don’t want or need anymore. And I love it even more when the Salvation Army, Vietnam Vets, or another donation truck carries it all away. But what happens when you have large items that they don’t pick up, or alternately, you have something of value that could earn you money? Below are some great options no matter what your situation.
ebay
Originally named AuctionWeb, ebay was created in 1995 and was renamed after the creator’s consulting firm Echo Bay. It was an instant hit and is still a great way to buy or sell just about anything. In the late 1990s to early 2000′s, my husband and I were regular buyers and sellers on the site. Our surprise sell was a large battery powered Iron Giant figurine. We knew it was a rare find, but were especially pleased to watch a bidding war that resulted in it netting us over $110. They have improved the site over the years and it is easy to navigate whether a buyer or seller. The advantage to selling on ebay is that you have the option to set a reserve price of the minimal you will accept for a sold item, as well as a ‘buy it now’ price. The downside is that most auctions last 5 to 7 days, and in the end, may not even sell at all. It can also get pricey when you have multiple pictures and various listing fees.
Craigslist
Craig Newmark founded the service in 1995 as an email distribution list of friends, featuring local events in the San Francisco area, before expanding as a web-based business in 1999. In many respects, Craigslist is a simplified ebay, although it has classified ads, personal ads and even discussion forums. When we wanted to sell our son’s loft bed, Craigslist was the perfect choice. We wanted to list it locally and knew it needed to be picked up since shipping it was not an option. Generally speaking, we’ve had no trouble selling the items we put on there, but have had limited success in finding specific items we’re hoping to buy at a discounted price. Ebay has much better selection in that respect.
Freecycle
Although founded in 2003, Freecycle is a relatively unknown web-based service. Freecycle is the perfect place to offer large donatable items to fellow St. Louisans for free. Over the Christmas holiday, we were able to find permanent homes for a large sleeper sofa, 100 paver bricks, old cookbooks, my in-laws NordicTrack and a rug anti-slip backer. The sofa had been an eye sore in our basement for several years. I had exhausted all efforts to find a new home for it and was delighted to hear about Freecycle. We found a new home for every item we listed that week within 24 hours. Of course, the catch is that you are giving them away free to whomever is willing to come get them first. You cannot come back and ask for money. We also found that on several occasions we had no-shows and had to contact alternate takers. Could some of those items have earned us money? Most certainly. But, honestly, we were glad to be rid of them and the delight of having them gone outweighed the desire to make a few extra dollars or to lose out on the tax break that you would earn if donated to a charity. Another downside is that as a seller it’s not a particularly easy site to navigate, whether creating your initial account, or posting pictures to go with your ad. As a buyer, it’s simple and easy to use. It was my favorite new find of 2010.
So, as you clean out those closets and storage units this spring, think about the different options you have to rid your house of unwanted clothes, books, household items or tools. After all, what you consider junk may just be another man’s treasure.
No comments:
Post a Comment