Reuse or Abuse: Do Something With Your Stuff

Donating and re-selling your old stuff doesn’t just help you de-clutter, this practice also helps the environment because it’s essentially a form of recycling!

Recycling your old stuff helps you go green because it cuts out on the amount of discarded clothing and textiles that end up in landfills every year.

FACT: Between 1996 and 2001, US consumers bought 73 percent more garments. The average consumer bought 48 new pieces of clothing in 2001. Rates of consumer discard, meanwhile, rose by 10 percent a year throughout the 1990s, according to Goodwill.

Here are some ways to not only help the environment but also make a little cash from your junk.

ELECTRONICS

The Best Marketplace – Find Recycling or Take-Back programs near you by visiting: MyGreenElectronics.org and Earth911.com

Selling Points:

• If your electronics are fairly new and are FULLY functional, you can list them on E-Bay and/or Craigslist.
• Visit www.gazelle.com, a a website that allows you to get paid for recycling your old electronic items. Its very simple. describe your item and they’re quote you an offer.

FURNITURE

The Best Marketplace – craigslist.org, connecting local sellers and buyers in over 700 towns and regions nationwide. The cool thing about Craigslist is that posting ads on their site is absolutely FREE. Furniture collectors and bargain shoppers scan the listings so you’re more likely to find buyers for any piece of furniture.

Selling Points:

• First its smart to compare your item to similar ones on the site before setting a price, which should be 10-20% higher than what you are willing to pay for it. This way you have room to negotiate
• Make sure to highlight the brand and the price you’re asking and include some details about the piece you’re selling.
• Make sure to take some nice photographs
• I suggest dealing with cash ONLY

HANDBAGS & SHOES

The Best Marketplace – Consignment shops! I usually go to a shop that has an established reputation and steady traffic (you can use Nartsts.org to find shops in your area). Make sure that your shoes or handbags are in good condition (no major scratches, worn spots or tears).

Selling Points:

• When you drop off your items, make sure to request a detailed receipt listing your items and their prices. There were instances when a store lost track of my stuff and I didn’t have a receipt, and I was very unhappy!
• Make sure to check on your pieces in about a month, because most consignment shops give things about 8 weeks to sell. If they don’t move they will be donated to Goodwill.

CLOTHES

The Best Marketplace – E-Bay.com, which adds about 10.3 million listings daily in this category. You can also download an E-Bay Fashion app, allowing you to monitor your listing on your phone. After the initial listing process E-Bay is VERY easy to use and the shipping can be covered by the buyer. The only drag is actually going to the post office to ship it!

Selling Points:

• Make sure to list your items for 7 days, to give them maximum exposure
• In your “Title” use short descriptions: Brand, color, style and size
• Include photos. Take shots from different angles and make sure to include the item’s label
• I like to give the buyer bulleted list about my item. Include things like: Condition, if it comes with tags, material, where it was made and always include the original price that you paid for it.  I use bold font and make sure to thank your buyer for checking out your items

JEWELRY

The Best Marketplace – Pawn Shops and Jewelry Shops. Call around to your local jewelry store to see it they buy jewelry and what they’re looking for. You can find local pawn shops online – http://www.pawnshoplistings.com/

Selling Points:

• Make sure to take sometime to figure out which jewelry you want to sell. Gold, platinum and silver sell best. Leave designer pieces to consignment shops and E-Bay
• Do some research and see what similar jewelry is selling for at a fixed price. Look at closed auctions to see what the same jewelry has sold for recently.
• You can also try a company like goldkit.com to sell the rest of your gold jewelry. They send you an insured envelope to send your gold in and they send you a check.

IF YOU DON’T HAVE TIME – DONATE IT

When donating your stuff, make sure its in “good used condition or better” that’s required by the Internal Revenue Service

THE SALVATION ARMY Accept clothes, furniture, household good and more. The items are them sold to the general public, and 82% of the proceeds help fund more than 150 adult-rehabilitation centers across the US.

GOODWILL.org Accept clothes, furniture, household good and more. More than 155,000 people obtained employment in 2009 through their participation in Goodwill programs. These people went on to earn $2.5 billion in salaries and wages, and contributed to their communities as productive, tax-paying citizens.

DRESS FOR SUCCESS Collects women’s professional clothing and distributes it to women in need, helping them compete in the job market and become economically independent

HOMELESS SHELTERS You can donate clothing and personal care items to benefit those in need

THE VIETNAM VETERANS ASSOCIATION They will come to your house and pick up clothing and household goods, which are then sold to privately owned thrift stores. 68% of the proceeds go to Vietnam veterans and their families.

Now go on, look though your junk and get rid of it!