Get Your Spring Cleaning Done & Make Money Doing It!

We're right in the thick of Spring Cleaning time.  Many of you may have already gotten your done this year.  Before you give all the unwanted clutter away yo Goodwill, here's some tips on how to make some extra cash from all those unwanted items.

To Get Rid of Anything & Everything

Craigslist

 

Craigslist is the place to sell, literally, anything.  From your car to a used pregnancy test, you can place an ad for basically anything.  Craigslist is the Wild West of the online marketplace, so you must use caution when meeting with potential customers.  It's also a good idea to never accept a check as payment for anything you sell on Craigslist.  Ask for cash, every time, no exceptions.  When placing your ad, be sure to add lots of pictures and write a detailed description to attract more buyers.  The best thing about Craigslist is there are no shipping costs because you are only advertising to local buyers.  Also, Craigslist, doesn't charge you any fees whatsoever.  It's all totally free!

Garage Sales

Garage sales can be the most convienient way of getting rid of unwanted stuff.  My family has a garage sale each year to declutter.  You don't have to leave your house, the customers come to you!  The downside to having your own garage sale is that it can be a lot of work and if you have a very busy schedule you may not have time for it.  Tagging all of your items and setting up everything can be time-consuming.  Plus, you have to get up early on the weekend and, basically, spend your whole day tending to the sale.  Not to mention, the matters of trying not to get hit by a car while putting up your signs, having enough change on hand, etc.  If you don't mind all those drawbacks and you like haggling with people then having a garage sale can be a lot of fun and you can make a lot of money.

Ebay

I used to be an avid Ebay seller, but I had to stop after my daughter was born, due to her health problems.  I know from experience, that Ebay can be a wonderful place to find customers for your stuff from all over the country and the world.  And you can sell almost anything, even cars and boats!  Most Ebay transactions are done via Paypal, so you will need a Paypal account in order to sell on Ebay.  Ebay charges its sellers an insertion fee for each item listed and a final value fee for each item you sell.  The final value fee is based on the total amount of the sale, usually 10% for most items.  There can be additional listing fees if you decide to add upgrades to your listing, such as an extension on the length of the auction or listing your item in two categories instead of one.  Your first 50 listings each month are free, though, so you won't have to pay any insertion fees unless you plan on listing more than 50 items per month.  If you do plan on selling more than 50 items per month, you may want to look into starting your own Ebay store to save money on fees.  When you post an item on Ebay, be sure to be as descriptive as possible.  I can't stress this point enough.  Add as many well-lit photos of your item from as many different angles as possible.  By doing these two things, you can avoid a lot of problems later.  If a customer receives your item and it doesn't match up to what was described in your listing, they can make you have to pay for shipping to return the item and/or hurt your Ebay seller ratings.  You need to think about your shipping costs when making your listing, as well.  You have the option to have your customer pay for shipping.  Be sure you calculate the exact amount that it will cost to ship your item before you post the shipping amount, or you can use Ebay's calculated shipping option and they will calculate the shipping for you.  Some people choose to offer free shipping to attract more bids.  You can choose this option, but be aware that this means that you committed to pay the full cost of shipping for your item, which can vary depending on how far the package has to travel.  When putting together your listing, you can also decide whether you would like to let buyers bid on your items (to possibly drive up the price) or you can list your item using the Buy It Now feature.  You decide a fair price you would like to receive on your item and post it for that amount.  You can also add a Best Offer option to allow buyers to make offers based on what they want to pay for your item.  I could go on and on about Ebay.  I'm planning on posting a more in-depth article about buying and selling on Ebay, as well as my experiences doing it, in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, you can check out their website or Google some Ebay forums for lots more information.

Clothing

So, ladies, wondering what to do with all those clothes you don't wear anymore?  Well, I do have a few suggestions (aside from the ones I just mentioned).

Threadflip.com

If you would prefer not to leave your house to unload your cast-off clothing, you can visit Threadflip.  Threadflip is a lot like Ebay, but they only sell Women's clothing.  It's free to post a listing.  If you want to sell your item on your own by making your own lisitng, Threadflip takes a 20% commission from each sale.  Threadflip also has a full service option.  This option allows you to send your clothing directly to Threadflip and they will sell them for you.  When you send in your clothes, they will inspect them for quality and send you the cash from the items they accept that sell on their site.  Threadflip collects a 40% commission fee from your items when you use the full service option.  Sellers are provided with three options for shipping costs.  You can purchase a prepaid shipping label from Threadflip for a $7 flat fee.  When your item sells, you just print out the shipping label from the site.  The cost of the shipping label is deducted from your commission.  Your item will be advertised with free shipping, therefore attracting more buyers.  The next option is offline shipping.  This option allows you, the seller, to handle shipping costs, completely on your own.  There are some rules, though.  You must use USPS and enbter a tracking number in order to receive your earnings.  Your item is also advertised with free shipping using this option.  The last option (and least effective for attracting buyers) is to have the buyer pay for their own shipping.  Much like the first option, a shipping label is purchased from Threadflip for $7, but, with this option, the seller doesn't cover the cost of the label.  Instead, the $7 is added to the price of the item.  The catch is your item is not listed as having free shipping.  Not sure why anyone would use this option.
You can sell any new or gently used, designer and vintage, Women's clothing and accessories on Threadflip.  Items you can sell on this site include anything from clothing, jewelry, bags and sunglasses.  Fake or knock-off designer items cannot be sold on Threadflip.  When posting a listing for your clothing on Threadflip, be upfront about the condition of your item.  Make sure to include information about any pulls, stains or any other minor issues with the item you're selling.  When taking pictures of your clothing to include in your listing, it's best to put your clothing on a hanger rather than lying it on the floor, bed, etc.  It's just easier for the buyer to see what they're getting that way.  Photograph the clothing in a well-lit area, against a light-colored backdrop, free of clutter.  Get photos from various angles and include close-ups of any imperfections.  Always, always include measurements in your listing description, as well.  I have never personally used this site, but it looks pretty easy.  If any of you try it out, let me know how it goes in the comments.

If you prefer to venture out into the world to sell your clothing, you can check out a resale clothing store.  These stores allow you to bring in your gently used clothing.  They sort through them while you shop around the store.  When they're done inspecting you're clothing, they will let you choose if you would like cash for the items they accepted or store credit.  Then, they'll give you the option to donate the clothing they didn't want or to take it back home with you.  I have used my local resale clothing stores many times for extra cash.  It's very easy, except I get impatient waiting for my clothes to get checked because these stores are usually so crowded,  Here's some of my favorite clothing resale stores in Springfield, MO:

Trading Trends

Not many people have heard of this, relatively new store in central Springfield.  I want more people to know about it so I'm putting it at the top of my list.  Although, Trading Trends is a small store, it has a lot of inventory at really, really cheap prices.  Most of the prices are comparable to thrift store prices.  You can also expect friendly service from a small business owner who really cares about her customers.  Trading Trends accepts all brands of gently used Women's, Children's and Men's clothes and shoes.  They also accept toys!  You can take clothes here to trade that other resale stores have rejected because of the brand or style, since Trading Trends accepts all brands (not just name brands).  Unfortunately, you won't get paid cash for your clothes, but you will get lots of store credit, and believe me store credit goes a long way at this store.  I traded in several bags of clothes there about a year ago, which earned me a little over $70 in store credit.  We've made 5 trips there since then and we still have store credits left, and that's after picking up a few things each stop.  Trading Trends is located at 520 W. University Street in Springfield.  It's right off of Sunshine, by the McDonald's and across from Bass Pro.
 Check out the Trading Trends Facebook page for more info.

Plato's Closet

Plato's Closet is a popular clothing resale chain that caters to young adults.  They only buy gently used clothing and accessories that are made by top name brands (stores you would find in the mall) and that fir in with the recent fashion trends.  Also, because of the amount of clothing that people sell at this store, they may only be accepting clothes for the particular season you're in at that time (If you're selling in winter, they may only be accepting winter clothing at that time).  They pay you in either cash or store credit.  I've had some good and bad experiences with this store.  I like to buy clothes here, more than I like to sell. Plato's Closet is located at 1258 E. Battlefield in Springfield.

Clothes Mentor

Clothes Mentor is located right next to Plato's Closet.  These stores are similar, except that Clothes Mentor only buys or trades Women's clothing, plus sizes, petites and maternity clothing.  They buy clothing from sizes 0-26.  They also buy designer perfumes.  They pay cash for your clothing or give you store credit.  They look to buy items that have been current to stores in the last 1-2 years.  Clothes Mentor buys brands like Coach, Liz Claiborne, Gucci, Express, Old Navy, Ralph Lauren and more.  For a complete list of brands that they accept, visit their website.

Electronics

 There are lots of sites that will buy your used electronics.  Just as long as your electronics are somewhat up-to-date, most sites will buy them in virtually any condition, even if they don't work anymore or have huge cracks in the screen.  These sites work by having you enter a short description of the item you would like to sell.  Your description will determine your initial estimated quote for how much the site will pay you for your item.  You can sell multiple items at a time.  Then, send your item to the site for them to test and inspect the item.  After they have approved your item, they'll send you your money.  Sometimes the amount you receive may be more or less than the estimated quote, depending on their assessment.  You usually receive your money pretty fast, within a week or two.  Some great sites to use to sell your electronics are buymytronics.com, Usell.com and gazelle.com.

DVDs, Games & Books

 There are two awesome sites to sell DVDs, video games and books online.  Amazon and Half.com are, by far, the best in the business.

Amazon

When you list and item on Amazon, you are reaching out to a plethora of buyers.  Almost everyone uses Amazon.  Amazon charges its sellers 99 cents per item sold, plus a percentage of the total sale price of your item.  There are no listing fees and you do not have to have a Paypal account to use Amazon.  Amazon pays you by check or direct deposit to your bank account.  You don't have to create a listing, either.  Amazon has pre-made listings on their huge database, you just add your item's condition and asking price for the item.  Amazon also calculates the shipping costs for you and charges the buyer for them, making things much easier in that department.  For more details, go to Amazon.com and look into their seller's policies.

Half.com

Half.com is a website subsidiary of Ebay's site.  At Half.com, you can list without any listing fees.  They do take a commission fee off of the selling price of your item.  Their commissions can be as low as 5% or as high as 15%, depending on the price of the item.  Sellers are paid by direct deposit twice a month.  Sellers receive a set shipping reimbursement for each listing.  No need to create a listing on Half.com either.  They have a similar listing setup to Amazon.  The seller only needs to enter the item's condition and asking price.

I have sold DVDs, books, and video games on both of these sites and I didn't make much of a profit.  If you are going to sell these types of items on either of these sites, be sure that you list items that are worth at least $5 or you probably won't make much, if any money.  These sites are great for selling used textbooks.  I've made some decent profits selling those.

There are plenty of great places to sell your used DVDs, books and video games in Springfield.  Make sure your DVDs and games are in great condition before you take them in, free of smudges and scratches.

Vintage Stock

Vintage Stock has 2 locations in Springfield; on the south side at 2856 S. Glenstone, across from the Battlefield Mall, and on the north side at 2631 N. Kansas Expressway.  They buy or trade DVDs, video games from all consoles, video game consoles and more.

Entertainmart

Entertainmart is a huge store located at 3040 S. Glenstone in Springfield.  They have a massive amount of space and inventory to fill it with.  You can sell or trade used video games from recent gaming consoles, recent video game consoles, used tablets, laptops and CD's.

Next Level Games

At Next Level Games, they specialize in older gaming consoles, such as Nintendo and Sega.  They buy or trade video games from all consoles, all types of gaming consoles and DVDs.  Also a bonus, they are locally owned and operated.  My son, especially, loves this store because they employees there are always so friendly to him (My son is a chatty guy).  They also have lots of special events at their store.  Next Level games is located at 1914 S. Glenstone in Springfield.  Look them up on Facebook, too! They have some cool giveaways on there!

Hooked On Books

Hooked On Books is the best place in the area to sell or trade your unwanted books.  They have two locations.  Visit them in Springfield at 2756 S. Campbell, or in Ozark at 1503 W. State Highway J.  They buy and trade books from all genres.  I've been going to the store in Springfield since I was a kid and it's still one of my favorite stores.


Well, hope you got some helpful tips about what to do with your clutter from this article. Bye now! Until next time be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter.