One Man’s Trash: 4 Ways to Turn Debris Into Dollars
Monday, July 24, 2017, 6:00 AM | Leave Comment
Have you ever heard the saying, “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure”?
Perhaps, however, you have never found this to be true. Maybe you have let your junk and unwanted items accumulate in your basement or storage garage.
Even if you have tried to sell your debris, you may have hosted an unsuccessful yard sale or found only limited success with Craigslist.
Here are four modern options for turning your trash into cash.
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Check out a Consignment Shop
Consignment shops can be much better than thrift stores that give you nothing but a charitable donation receipt, and they can even be better than your city-wide yard sale. Why?
The consignment shop gives you money after they sell your item for you. They do all of the legwork while you make the cash.
Plus, consignment shops know how much your household items and clothing are worth and can make the most money possible for you.
You can also check into online consignment shops, particularly those for mid to high-end clothing and shoes, such as Thredup and Poshmark.
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Cash in on That Old Car
It can be nearly impossible to get rid of your beat-up car especially if it does not run.
Short of finding a car shop that will give you a few bucks for your car’s parts, you may want to look into selling your car for the metal.
A junkyard like U Pull & Pay or a similar service may help you transport your car to their facility and will pay you based on the value and condition of your car. They will then take off all of the parts that can still be used and will crush the rest for the metal.
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Sell Online
If you are willing to do some of the work yourself, you may be able to unload some of the smaller things or more unique items in your house on your own.
Try using eBay for small miscellaneous pieces and Amazon’s fulfillment program for books and DVDs.
Be sure to look up how much your pieces are worth before listing them, and find out exactly how much it will cost to ship the item to avoid spending more on shipping than the item is worth.
Estimate shipping prices on the USPS Website, and keep in mind that eBay charges you a percentage of every sale you make.
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Find a Buyback Program
Buyback programs are particularly useful for certain books and DVDs as well as for electronics.
Check with Amazon for these items and with BookScouter for books only.
Amazon, Gazelle and Nextworth all pay cash for used electronics, such as smartphones.
Even broken devices may bring in some cash for their parts alone.
Just because you may not want the useless things lying around your house right now does not mean that there is not someone out there who would love them.
With online selling flourishing on social media sites, seller listing sites and even high-end used fashion sites, you can find a way to make money off just about anything in your house or garage.
Then, squirrel your newly earned cash into a high-return savings account, or spend it on an investment-returning purchase or a memory-making trip.
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Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from West Jordan, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah and enjoys writing and spending time with her dog, Max.
