How To Earn Extra Money-Sell Your Stuff

If you’re wondering how to earn extra money, you can sell your stuff. You can make extra money both online and offline. That’s how a lot of people make their first dollar online, me included. I started selling my used, unwanted items on the eBay Market Place in 2008 after I was downsized.

You can always resort to having a garage sale, but if you have the time you will make more money selling your items through other channels and selling platforms.

Start by looking around your house and make a list of everything you haven’t used in the last 6-12 months.

Those items can be shoes, clothes, appliances, tools, electronics, books, gaming systems, DVDs, dishes, bedding, towels, nick-knacks, etc.

Once you have developed your list, inspect each item to determine its condition; poor, good or excellent.

If an item is dusty or dirty, clean the item thoroughly.

Write a detailed description for each item including:

The name of the item
Item condition
Age of the item
If applicable; color, size, material, etc.
Item make and model
Item serial or model number
Item Price (Price the item fairly, but be willing to negotiate).

A good resource for determining how to price your items is eBay. Check eBay for similar items to see what people are willing to pay. If similar items are not listed, consider the price you paid and what you are willing to accept.

Take good photos. This cannot be stressed enough. Make sure the lighting is good. Take several photos of each item; close-up, front, back, top and bottom. If an item has defect(s), make sure to include those in the photos and in the item description. I have found that as long as people are made aware of a defect, they might still be interested in purchasing it. Some defects can be repaired.

How To Earn Extra Money-Sell Your Stuff

Where To Sell Your Items

Once you have cleaned each item and written a good description, you need to decide where you are going to sell your items. Smaller items can be sold both online and offline, but any large items should be sold locally or within a reasonable driving distance for a buyer to pick up.

Places I have sold items:

I’m listing these because I have had a lot of success with them, but there are many more. New sites and apps are popping up on a regular basis, so you can do a Google search for the most current websites and apps for selling new and used items.

Local classified ad sites
Local Facebook sale groups or Facebook buy-sell-trade groups
eBay Market Place (fees required)
Letgo selling app (you can also do a Google search for selling apps)
Etsy -handmade crafts, digital downloads (fees required)

Important Note: If you are selling online, make sure you follow the selling guidelines for those sites or groups. If you decide to sell your items on eBay, this article will help you avoid some of most common reasons people get suspended.

What To Do When You Run Out of Items

At some point, you are more than likely going to run out of items to sell. So what do you do then? You can stop or you can look for more items to sell. When I was selling on eBay, my Mom and some friends asked me to sell their stuff for them. We either split the profit or they just wanted to to get rid of the item(s) and gave them me to sell.

How To Earn Extra Money-Sell Your Stuff

Other options:

For a few years, I helped other eBay sellers with their accounts or helped sell their items using my account.
Go to garage sales, thrift stores or flea markets to find good items at cheap prices and resell them for a profit.
Get garage sale leftovers at very low cost or free and resell each item for a profit.
Start buying items buy the bulk or at whole prices and resell them individually for a profit.
Hit the sales or buy clearance items at local stores and resell the items for a profit.
Make stuff to sell (sell your crafts, homemade foods like cakes, pies, honey, etc., art, music just to name a few)
Sell firewood locally. (some people do pretty well with this)

How To Earn Extra Money-Sell Your Stuff

What’s Next?

Once I realized that making money outside of the traditional ‘job’ was possible, I started looking for other ways to make money. It’s been a long, but fun and educating journey. Now I am blogging about ways to make money online and offline through legitimate channels. I started out small, just selling online and now I am providing other people to with suggestions and ideas.

I also warn people about scams on my website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channel.

The possibilities are plentiful, so don’t stop. In today’s economy, multiple sources of income should be your focus. Be willing to try things out and don’t be afraid of failure. If you don’t like something, you can always stop and try something else. I’ve been doing that since 2008 and will continue for years to come. Blogging, Affiliate marketing, CPA Affiliate Marketing, YouTube videos, and eBooks are some of my favorites ways to make money.

Please check out the articles below for much more information about ways to make money. It might give you some ideas.