Written by Alice Robertson

How to Thrive in the Second-Hand Economy

If you haven’t heard about the second-hand economy, it’s time to explore it. By selling items you have around the house, you can actually make a tidy profit. It takes planning and some perseverance, but with the right know-how, you can earn a secondary income in no time.

(To keep up with The Reasonable Realtor updates go here.)

Know What Sells

Being successful in the second-hand economy, as with any business, requires a bit of research. For instance, nostalgia-heavy items, like old technology, books, or video games and consoles, are proving to be incredibly popular. Collectibles usually do well and are hot-ticket items, as are pieces of clothing by big brands. Just make sure you clean items thoroughly before you list them and that you take shipping into consideration. Sometimes, you can put the onus for shipping on the buyer, but be reasonable, as high costs will deter most shoppers.

Know Where to Sell

You also need to know where to sell your goods to be as successful as possible. Online markets are growing in popularity with all generations, but those 75 and over are less likely to use them. If you are aiming at a target demographic, you should plan accordingly. Of course, you aren’t only limited to one website if you decide your possessions will be more popular with specific age groups. While eBay is the largest, there are free alternatives picking up momentum, such as Facebook Marketplace, and websites for those who specialize in crafting or upcycling, like Etsy.

Go Through Your Home

Once you’ve made the decision to sell your possessions, you may find that letting go of things is difficult. It’s natural to fret, yet these hesitations can be overcome with some patience. Don’t harbor guilt if someone gave you an item, particularly if you don’t use it, as they wouldn’t want you to hold onto something for that reason. If a belonging does not serve a tangible purpose in our lives, it’s time we part with it, both for the sake of our home but also for our own mental well-being. After all, living in a cluttered home can quickly become claustrophobic.

 

 

Plan a Sale

If you host a garage or yard sale, you shouldn’t try and pull it off last minute. Such an approach won’t leave you with enough time to plan properly, and plenty can go wrong. You need to advertise, secure your home to prevent theft or damage, and decide how to set up your wares to show them off to their best advantage. You want things to be easily seen, so label prices clearly, use tables when you can, and be sure to hang your clothes so they can be viewed properly, rather than as an unattractive folded mess in a box.

Excess Removal

Should you find your decluttering project is taking over your home and there is more than you can sell, you may have to consider excess removal. There are two ways you can go about this, either by hiring a junk removal service or renting a dumpster. Not everything we try to salvage is going to be in decent condition and may end up needing to simply be thrown out. A dumpster allows you to fill up the container with acceptable goods to be hauled away, while junk removers are effective for short projects, as they will do the labor for you.

There is no reason not to lighten your load and earn money at the same time. A clean, organized house is a happy one, especially if you’re able to turn the process into something profitable. Make no mistake: Today is the day to begin looking at the second-hand economy.

(To keep up with The Reasonable Realtor updates go here).

Image courtesy of Pixabay

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And THIS is a highly irregular addendum to this article that I just had to tell you about!

Looking at the oak desk in the primary picture of this article, reminds me of the Antique Mall we owned in the ’80s in the Hillsboro Village area of Nashville, TN.  We rarely had such a wonderful piece of wood, but when we did get one we discovered a product called Howard’s.  We used it almost exclusively.  We became a dealer for it and we sold a ton to Nashville.  Everybody loved it.  I had to tell you about it and how great it is.  You will love it too.

It will make light work of your furniture project, and the finished product will look exceptional!  There are several colors, but for this desk, I would use the Golden Oak.  Thank you for letting me tell you about this.

Try it soon, and let me know what you think about it!  Have a great afternoon!  -Don

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