It's spring cleaning time in households nationwide which means it is also time for yard sales, garage sales and batches of gently used clothing, furniture and home goods headed for resale stores and websites.
Three in five Americans say their resolution is to organize or refresh their living space and reselling discarded items is one way to make room for new stuff while also making extra cash.
The resale market continues to grow each year with 50 percent of the resale market devoted to clothing/apparel, 14 percent to books, 11 percent to media, 10 percent to electronics and 16 percent to other items, according to the annual resale survey from ThreadUp, the largest online consignment and thrift store .
If your goal is simply to clean out your space, a yard sale may be the way to go. If you're interested in maximizing your returns, it pays to be selective with what you are selling. Certain items are almost guaranteed to sell for top dollar online.
On eBay for instance, the following 12 items for the home will command pretty good returns :
If you're not well versed on how to navigate eBay selling, here are a few tips:
- List Yourself: You can list the item yourself using eBay's simplified selling flow at eBay.com/sell to list & sell, ship your item and get paid.
- Create an effective title: Titles impact how your item will show up in search results, so remember to include important keywords like the brand name, size, or other descriptors that a buyer might look for.
- Write detailed listings: Accurate descriptions help your buyers shop with confidence. Be sure to describe the condition of your item, including the brand, style and model number, and be up front about any flaws or if the item is pre-owned.
- Take great photos: Clear, detailed images (several of them) with a plain background can help you sell more.
- Choose the best listing format: Choose the fixed price-listing format when you know the market value for your item. Use the auction-style listing format for special or unique items, or when you don't know the value of the item. eBay provides pricing recommendations on the vast majority of items listed as well as shipping options that attract the most buyers based on similar successful sales.
Fashion junkies who find their spring cleaning yields more clothing than housewares may find success selling through an augmented marketplace. While eBay is peer-to-peer (you do it yourself), sites like ThreadUp take over the logistics, photography and customer service aspects of selling online.
Apparel resale is an $18 billion market and the number of items send to ThreadUp doubled from 2015 to 2016 going from 7 million to 14 million. The best-selling items on the site include:
- shoes, particularly from Steve Madden
- denim by 7 for All Mankind
- activewear, the fastest growing segment, specifically from Lululemon, the most wanted brand
Anyone aiming to acquire instead of discard items, may want to visit one of following three community yard sales taking place this weekend on Saturday, April 15:
- Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. Over 25 families will take part in the sale which features clothing for adults and babies, furniture, housewares, shoes, blown glass, small appliances, movie props and more. Grab a map of participating locations at 2546 Batavia St, East Point.
- Winnona Park Community Yard Sale, 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. More than 20 households are participating in this annual community yard sale in Winnona Park (southeast corner of the City of Decatur). Pick up a map marking the participating homes as well as a list of general items to be found at each location.
- Studioplex Lofts community yard sale, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. More than 13 lofts will participate in this event featuring cool and creative items. It takes place in the center courtyard. If it rains, it will be in the artist hallway. Park on Auburn Ave, Airline St, and Irwin Street or in the Parking Deck off Airline street which costs $4 for the first two hours.
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