• Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Kalyn Brooke

Simple Solutions to Manage Everyday Life

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Resources
  • Shop
  • Contact

Clutter Overload Part 2: Where to Donate and Sell Your Items

August 28 // 14 Comments // 3 Minute Read

Jump To Recipe · Print Recipe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

 

After talking about how organization can save you money, I decided a 2 part series on how I purge and organize was in order. Please feel welcome to include any comments at the bottom of this post about your own routine!

clutterpinpart2

Now that we’ve ruthlessly purged through our stash, we still have a few more steps to complete before we finally get rid of all that clutter. I’m talking about donating and selling our items.

It can be difficult to look at that at that pile and know what to sell and where, but I’m hoping the tips I give you here will help you get the best possible bang for your buck.

Amazon.com

Amazon is such a great online retailer warehouse, and I love that they allow small businesses and people like you and me to list our junk and make money off of it!

Though you are reimbursed a certain portion of the shipping cost (about $3.99), you have to decide whether your item is worth shipping. The heavier and bulkier it is, the more you’ll pay out of pocket.

Amazon also takes out an 8%-20% commission fee out of each product you sell. If it’s a small book worth $2.99, you might have to cut your losses and just donate the book to a local library.

amazonsell3CS

What to sell on Amazon:

  • Textbooks in a current edition (or 1 edition prior)
  • Books worth $3.99+
  • DVDs worth $3.99+
  • Small electronics (Cameras, iPods, calculators, etc.)

Craigslist

Craigslist is a website organized by cities and towns, so you can buy local rather than ship.

I also like that sellers can, and should, list multiple pictures of the item(s) your buying. That means I can easily pass by a lot of junk without wasting time driving to and from someone’s house.

You do have to be careful with Craigslist though. There are a lot of creepers running around out there. One tip I use is to always schedule drop offs or pick ups when my husband is home. It just makes me feel so much safer!

What to sell on Craiglist:

  • Furniture 
  • Vehicles and auto parts
  • My friend, Andrea, bought and sold her house on Craiglist.
  • Lots (of craft supplies, cake decorating supplies, collectibles, etc)
  • Home decor
  • Appliances

Garage Sales

Any item that is too small to list on Amazon, too unique to be included in a lot on Craigslist, or just plain doesn’t sell on either of those sites, goes into a garage sale pile.

salesignCS

Each item is labeled as priced to sell (because I really want to get ride of them!), before being neatly packed away in a box with GARAGE SALE written on the top and all over the sides. Then I stash those boxes inside a storage closet, along with other bulkier items that won’t fit inside a box.

By the time Spring/Summer rolls around, I have 4 or 5 boxes full of items for a garage sale, already priced and ready to go. All I need is to put up a few tables, post an ad on Craiglist, and make a little money!

What to sell in a garage sale:

  • Amazon/Craigslist leftovers
  • Accessories and shoes
  • Baby clothes
  • Dresses and Coats

I have a personal rule after each garage sale: Whatever is left does not come back into the house. That means, it either needs to be thrown away, or boxed up for Goodwill.

Donations

Besides garage sale leftovers, I also keep an ongoing pile of clothes throughout the year to donate all at once. Those, I fold and put immediately into bags for my next trip. (For some reason, I just don’t like selling my own clothes at a garage sale.)

donationbagsCS

As you are packing the items away, make sure you keep a list of everything you’re donating for tax purposes. You can go back through the list later and add in price values. Oh, and make sure to get a signed receipt from the place you’re donating.

I encourage you to try out each of these methods, and find out what works best for you. Craigslist might be the place that clicks, or maybe you’d rather host a garage sale than list everything online.

Do what’s easiest, and what essentially eliminates all that clutter you purged. You’ll be much happier after it’s all gone, no matter how it’s done!

What is your favorite place to sell or give away items you no longer need/want?

 

—

Come back Friday for a bonus organization printable, made just for you!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
« Previous PostClutter Overload Part 1: Knowing When & How to Purge
Next Post »Spice Inventory Printable


Comments

  1. Elizabeth @ DogFurandDandelions says

    April 24 at 10:51 am

    I actually sell on ebay rather than amazon, because I can get more money for my stuff. I’ve also listed books and movies on half.com – similar to ebay, but without listing fees. And my favorite place is our local “universityyardsale” for friends/students/alumni of our local university. Like craigslist, but a little more secure.

    Reply
    • KalynBrooke says

      April 24 at 12:10 pm

      I might have to try ebay again – I never had much luck selling items on it before, but that was a few years ago. Actually used to sell textbooks on half.com now that I think of it.

      Reply
  2. Nancy says

    April 24 at 11:42 am

    Great tips! I always wind up with a lot of craft stuff that I want to get rid of; fabric, yarn, etc. Does anyone know of a good place to donate these items? Thanks!

    Reply
    • KalynBrooke says

      April 24 at 11:58 am

      One great place to check with is local churches. A lot of them have crafting/sewing groups that make items for the community. I know donations are always appreciated!

      Reply
    • Ellie says

      December 21 at 10:55 pm

      Nursing homes take fabric and yarn for crafts and OT. Elementary schools often do the same for art projects.

      Reply
    • Marie says

      February 26 at 2:52 pm

      Local crafting guild or even a library that has a craft class?

      Reply
    • Lisa says

      July 6 at 9:42 am

      For any fabric, you can donate them to your local quilt guilds (every city and town has them, go to your local fabric store and ask them for the number to one or two depending on the amount of fabric you have). When you donate to the guilds, you will get a donation letter for all the fabric at the current prices for the fabric. My mom just passed away and that’s what we did with her fabric and we even listed a couple of her sewing machines with them. The guilds use that fabric to make service quilts to the elderly, new babys, women’s shelters, etc.

      Reply
  3. Jess says

    May 13 at 12:50 pm

    Do you know what the cost difference is between ebay and amazon for selling? I always use ebay, just because it’s more familiar to me. The only things I really sell are big ticket items {electronics and eventually lots kids clothes}.

    I’ve started to shy away from consignment shops, because I’m really feeling that they’re taking advantage of people. Things that I know were in excellent condition and good selling items {baby bouncers, carriers etc} never sold and I never even saw them on display. I can’t help but feel that they’re taking the good stuff and selling it themselves on the side on ebay or something.

    Reply
    • KalynBrooke says

      May 13 at 2:10 pm

      I always shied away from ebay, because I didn’t want to rely on an auction-type setting just in case I didn’t get the $$ I wanted from an item. But now there are so many more Buy It Now options, and that makes it a lot nicer.

      Most of what I sell are books, and Amazon often takes a big % out of that. I played around with ebay a little bit, and they were only going to take $.80 as a fee for listing a $5.00 book. But then you’re responsible for shipping, I presume? For a $7.99 that I recently listed on Amazon, they took $3.54 out in fees, which is a lot, but they give you at least $3.99 in shipping credit, so it pretty much washes. Like you, I use Amazon because I’m more familiar with it, but you have me wanting to try ebay again, and do a more thoroughly detailed post on it!

      Reply
      • Marie says

        February 26 at 2:58 pm

        Just include the cost of postage in your listing. Some will just charge the same or similar shipping fees as Amazon, etc. would for similar items, to make things easier.

        Reply
  4. Noah BoardwalkSavers says

    July 23 at 5:40 pm

    Great recommendations! While Amazon is a great cyber market to sell your books, it can take weeks to get rid of them. If you want to get rid of them faster and earn money immediately, I suggest you to visit places like uSell, textbooks.com and Chegg. They provide you with free shipping and you earn the same amount of money as you would do if you sold it on Amazon. For clothing, you can try thredUP to sell everything that you no longer wear. Make sure they are in good condition, though.

    Reply
  5. Lindsey says

    April 15 at 2:06 pm

    I haven’t had much luck selling some of my more pricey items. For instance I have a lilly pulitzer vest that I just can’t seem to sell. It’s never even been worn. I hoped to at least get 100 for it but I’m starting to feel hopeless. Any ideas?

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      April 18 at 10:54 am

      I would think one of your best bets would be a consignment shop. Big ticket items can be really hard to get a great price on. My husband just sold his iPhone 6 when he switched carriers and he got decent value for it but still more than $200 less than it’s retail value. He also sold and iWatch and got about 50% of it’s retail value. Once something is out of a store it is really difficult to get the amount someone would pay for it in store. I usually find that it’s better to get it out of the house for whatever I can get than hold onto it just because I can’t get the price I want for it, especially if I’m not going to use it.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi, I’m Kalyn—a recovering perfectionist who nerds out about organizing systems, personal productivity, and helping you prioritize what matters over the pressure to do it all. I have a feeling we’re about to become the best of friends! Learn more >>

New? Start Here!

  • Take a Tour
  • Become a BFF
  • Favorite Recipes
  • The Printable Library
  • Just for Bloggers
  • Visit the Shop

kalynbrookeco

👩‍💻 | I help value-driven women lead manageable + meaningful lives.
💬 | INFJ / Enneagram 1
🚙 | RV Life @openroading
👇 | Resources + Links

Kalyn Brooke | Virtual BFF


What’s one thing you budget for that other peopl
What’s one thing you budget for that other people might not? I always find those interesting. 😃⁣ ⁣ You might have a mortgage. I budget for campgrounds. You might want a separate clothing budget, while I’m fine combining it under “Beauty and Style.” Recently, we also added a new line item for our motorcycle—something I NEVER thought would appear in our budget. ⁣ ⁣ See, we’re all different! ⁣ ⁣ Recently, I rearranged my budget categories and created this “cheat sheet.” Sometimes I forget where things go, like picking up new wall art for the living room. Does this item belong in the categories of Household Items or Home Maintenance? 🤔⁣ ⁣ Now I know! And I save time processing receipts each Friday. 🧾⁣ ⁣ What budgeting categories do you use? Share one of your random budget line items with me in the comments below! 😃

I call 2020 the Year of Abandoned Books. ⁣
⁣
I

I call 2020 the Year of Abandoned Books. ⁣ ⁣ I’m never afraid to stop reading a book if it doesn’t live up to the hype. Why invest more time in a book I’m not all that excited about when I could be exploring new authors and storylines where I can’t wait to turn the page? 🤷⁣ ⁣ But in 2020, I let more books go than I normally do. I suppose my patience dwindled when I thought the world was ending. Not that I thought the world was actually ending…but you know what I mean. 😉⁣ ⁣ As an Enneagram 1, I hate giving up on a book. I’m prone to the all-or-nothing mentality, even in my reading habits. My eyes could glaze over boring prose and I’d still repeat to myself: “You MUST finish this book!” 😫⁣ ⁣ Why? ⁣ ⁣ No one is adding a plastic star to your Book-It pin, (Remember those?) This isn’t assigned reading from your high school English class. This is YOUR reading life. ⁣ ⁣ And YOU should choose what books deserve your attention. 📚⁣ ⁣ There are too many good ones out there anyway. Like one of my favorite reads from 2020. 😍⁣ ⁣ This week’s newest blog post rounds up everything I read last year (43 books total!) including 5-star psychological thrillers, a delightful royal series, a couple self-help books, and of course, historical fiction.⁣ ⁣ Click the link in my bio to read it! ☝⁣ ⁣ What were your favorite books in 2020? Our literary styles might be a match made in heaven! ✨

My planner/journal lineup for 2021. 👆 ⁣
⁣
T

My planner/journal lineup for 2021. 👆 ⁣ ⁣ These small but mighty sidekicks will be my saving grace this year. 📚⁣ ⁣ 1️⃣ Bullet Journal (Blue) - for everyday planning and goal setting⁣ 2️⃣ Regular Journal (Yellow) - to track gratitude (5 things a day!) and to process ALL the feelings⁣ 3️⃣ Growth Journal (Sand) - a space for me to brain dump everything I learn from books, podcasts, sermons, etc ⁣ ⁣ That last one is new to me as of this year and I can't wait to flip back through all my notes come December! 📆⁣ ⁣ What planners/journals are you using for 2021?

Self-care is just as important as making your famo
Self-care is just as important as making your famous sugar cookies this holiday season. 🍪⁣ ⁣ Because let’s be real. ⁣ ⁣ That Hallmark-esque Christmas magic disappears the moment disagreeable family members annoy you. Or when you feel irritable over too many late nights and little-to-no sleep. Or when expectations over meals and traditions and social activities fall short and leave you feeling disappointed. 😬⁣ ⁣ But instead of dwelling on these stressful moments and using them as an excuse to completely disconnect from reality (as I’m often tempted to do!), view them as an opportunity for you to respond with poise. 💞⁣ ⁣ ➕ Journal your feelings. ⁣ ➕ Go for a walk. ⁣ ➕ Prioritize what’s essential. ⁣ ➕ Remember to breathe.⁣ ➕ And try not to eat your feelings…okay?⁣ ⁣ Here’s your permission slip if you need one: You don’t need to do or participate in everything! Take a time out when you need it. 🙌⁣ ⁣ That’s the best way you can protect your emotional well-being over the next few days.⁣ ⁣ Merry Christmas, friends! 🎄


I know you’re ready for this year to be over. 🙋‍♀️ The last twelve months brought so many hard things into our lives—relationships were lost, our country became more broken and divided than ever, and oh yeah, we walked through a pandemic too. 🦠 🤯 No biggie, right? Ha! 😅 And while it’s easy to look back and wish we could skip 2020 altogether (or at least insist on a do-over), I don’t want this year to be the one where the hard overcame the good. 💕 Just as hard days don’t mean ruined days, hard years don’t mean ruined years. 2020 can still be good. 💪 For me, I want to remember the fun and exciting things we did. The adventures we had. The new shows we watched, and the books we read. The new life hacks and things I discovered that made my life easier or just brought me joy. 💞 You’ll find it all in my latest blog post (link in profile). If you still need to buy a gift for a loved one (or for yourself!), you’ll find plenty of fun and affordable ideas to fill up the rest of your gifting list. 📦 Otherwise, enjoy a stroll down the good side of 2020’s memory lane and leave your favorite things in the comments so I can try them. 👋


Pro minimalism tip: Use double-duty appliances. 🤯⁣ ⁣ With limited kitchen space, I have to be super careful about what appliances we invite into the RV. We already had an Instant Pot, Ninja Blender, and a Food Processor. But I really wanted an air-fryer! ⁣ ⁣ With no place to put it, I discovered that Instant Pot made a dual instant pot/air-fryer product. So I gave my instant pot away, and my mom bought me this one for an early Christmas present. I’ve only played with it a couple of times but I’m already in love! 💕⁣ ⁣ Kale chips...sweet potato fries...broccoli. I’m basically an air-frying queen now. And I can easily switch back to the instant pot whenever I want. Yay for two appliances in one! 🥳⁣ ⁣ Q: What is your favorite appliance to use? Is it double duty? 🤔


Load More…


Follow on Instagram


ARE YOU EXHAUSTED TRYING TO DO IT ALL?

Privacy Policy
You’ll love the freedom found inside my Saturday morning newsletter
Copyright © 2021 · Privacy Policy
ALMOST THERE!
Complete this form and click the button below to gain instant access.
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
ARE YOU EXHAUSTED TRYING TO DO IT ALL?
Privacy Policy
You'll love the freedom found inside my Saturday morning newsletter
Privacy Policy
ALMOST THERE!
Complete this form and click the button below to gain instant access.
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
ALMOST THERE!
Complete this form and click the button below to gain instant access.
Privacy Policy
ALMOST THERE!
Complete this form and click the button below to gain instant access.
Privacy Policy