If I downsize which I will eventually, a storage unit is my plan. Wherever I go it will be a lot smaller and I have rooms full of almost new things that I won't just give away. After my husband died and when my new boyfriend moved in with me I had containers full of my husbands clothes and things. I still couldn't get rid of them at that time but John rented a storage unit for me and we put them there. Then after a few years I was able to get rid of them. I still have his robe and a few other things and it will be 12 years on June 25 that he died but still not able to toss it all.
I don't want my husband to see this thread. He is always complaining that I have converted one bedroom into my wardrobe closet. In fairness to me, I have several racks for my footwear, the shoes and slippers, and also hanger racks for my clothes. The items are arranged neatly like a boutique so what's the problem with that? Sometime in 2007, we held a garage sale not for the money but to get rid of extra items in our house that included an old tv set and some appliances that are working but not being used anymore. The neighbors were jubilant especially so that we had prepared food for the customers - free food whether they buy or not. It was a success because all the items for sale were bought before the closing time for that one-day garage sale.
Hey every one. This is what I do. I don't receive any money but I do get deductions when I file taxes. Donate items to an accredited charity. The standard line item(s) for less than $500 doesn't have to be listed but an accumulation of items donated valuing more than $500 does and requires a completed Form 8283, a list of donated items indicating value, and copies of your receipts received from the organization you donated to. I've been doing this for several years now and it is almost a second nature for me to do this each year. It has helped me to clear away items that I haven't been able to sell. You can find out more information online just looking up Form 8283.
HAHA ree food I love it, that seems to be the way to get people to show up for a lot of things Corrie Henson! Anytime free food is involved it seems people will show up just to check it out and munch. I think it is one of the universal draws. Ha, my neighbors already think I am weird though, I am not sure if yardsale and free hotdogs would go over too well lol.
Update, I have sold a bookcase, and a couple of small electronics.A few down and 25 zillion to go! I got an offer on some tennis rackets, but I think I can make more money selling them at Play it Again Sports, a store that deals in used sporting equipment. I know the store in Richmond is buying, I have to check with the one in Charlottesville, as I will be there tomorrow.
Well, I have donated some items to the Goodwill store in town, and I suspect that is where many things will go. One thing also, I found intriguing is that neighbors of mine, who are building another house on their property, and keeping their old one as sort of a "guest house" are storing things in a "smart box." which is a storage locker you can keep right on your property. That might be an idea too for me...to store things temporarily. However, I think for me organizing is really the most important thing...because there is plenty of space in here. It just needs to look neat. Also, though I am sure i will be downsizing so I am not going to take things I never use.
Congratulations on selling some items. I'm still having difficulty selling items. I have had the weirdest responses. One guy wanted me to trade my tablet for a broken doll he was selling on eBay...what the heck? Then, I sold that, but the buyer didn't pay, relisted it, sold it again, and the buyer had to be prompted several times both by me and also eBay, to pay. Forget the other items. It seems people want everything for nothing, plus to meet up, or even deliver it. Is the smart box the same as a pod? I know my mom had discussed using pods when she moved, but I don't think she ended up doing that. They deliver them (like cargo containers, although some look different depending on the size/purpose, I suppose), you pack them, then the company picks them up and transports them to the other site, or stores them at their location for a period of time. I personally wish I had the money to pay someone to pack and move me, but then again, the last time I did that, as I mentioned elsewhere, they didn't pay attention, and packed up my entire wallet full of cash. I definitely need to go through things. I'm waiting until the weather cools off and I'm feeling a bit more energetic, then I'm hoping to downsize. I really hope that involves some incoming cash, not just donating everything, but it may come down to that, if I get sick enough of looking at these things.
@Diane Lane a tablet for a broken doll, hmmm I guess he thought he was on the barter section of craigslist.I really think in selling it is important to add the caveat "Serious inquires only" I know I keep getting emails in regard to the tennis rackets..and then the people mysteriously seem to disappear into cyberspace. No matter, I can sell them for more at the store. I have an Ipod with qn alarm clock charger I would like to sell, and 35 dollars seems very reasonable as I paid a bundle for these items when they were new...but no takers, at least not so far. I am not gonna give them away..they is cheap enough! Maybe I should look online and see what a used electronic buyer would offer.
@Diane Lane oh, in regard to the smartbox, I am not really sure how it works, but I am going to look into it. You and I are in the same boat, as we don't have the cash to do the things we need. All the jobs around here are fairly loathesome...but I am hoping to get back into the mystery shopping apartment gigs I used to do. That was pretty flexible and fun, and mostly done online as well.
@K E Gordon I wouldn't mind doing some mystery shopping as long as it didn't involve paying money up front, and was done online. I wouldn't mind doing some in person, but not until I have more stable transportation. Yes, it would be great to pull in a little money and knock out some of the tasks I can't do, and fix a few things, as well, but that doesn't seem to be happening. Hopefully if I can ever get beyond these medical bills, I can get back on an even keel. The broken doll swap offer was on one of the sales apps. I haven't listed anything for sale on Craigslist in a while. Back when I did, all I got was scammers, and it seems they have migrated to the sales apps now. I got the guy using a female name who was placed by the app in Flint, MI, yet claimed he/she was in Bacliff, which is about 3-4 towns over, then later in Kemah, which is even closer, who wanted to meet me at night, after dark, to pick up the tablet. I said nope, not after dark, message me tomorrow, never heard back. Same thing with some other items, both fashion accessories & also household goods. They really expect to get things for nothing and also for people to jump through hoops for them. I will probably end up donating a lot of the stuff, but not until I try a few more times to sell it. On the sales apps, it seems the newest items take precedence, and the others are pushed to the bottom, so some people keep listing their items over and over, without deleting the older listings. That happened in the Facebook groups also, but there, there are moderators who at least try to enforce the rules.
@Diane Lane I did sell some more stuff today, at Play it Again Sports. The mark up on their items must be huge, because the tennis rackets in the store were all expensive but at least I got more than I was offered on the sales APP, Close 5. Why do I need 5 tennis rackets anyway??I figured I could part with at least 3. You will have to drive to do most apt. mystery shopping, but no cash up front is required in this case. Good Luck!
Try calling American Pickers for they are honest people and you can ask them for referrals. We too are going through sizing down our stuff. We have a painting that we are trying to sell and we've been referred to an auction. Our home is not collectors so we just have things to sell now. We live in Hawaii on Oahu and though we'd like the American Pickers to come to our home, we don't have a big ticket item for them, so we hesitate. I got in touch with some people locally that might be like the American Pickers. Like you we got no car too for we bus! Good luck and happy selling! * http://www.history.com/shows/american-pickers * http://www.history.com/shows/american-pickers/cast
I have a car. I can go anywhere. However, I am not driving all over creation to dispose of items. Some of these are big ticket items that would be more difficult to move. I am going to try to find a site online to sell the used electronics. Craigslist can always be a possiblity too. I don't have a problem using them for items.
How large are the electronics items you're talking about? If they're small, or even not huge, you could try eBay. They had a thing they were offering, where they'd suggest a starting auction price and 'guarantee' you a closing price, and if your auction didn't reach that top price, they'd give you a coupon for the difference. I don't know if that's still in effect, but in my opinion, eBay is the best place to sell electronics. I got nothing but the run around on the sales apps for my tablet, and ended up selling it on eBay. I've sold laptops, smart phones, iPods, etc., on eBay over the years, and have listed them elsewhere, as well. I've sold a few on Bonanza, but that's a hit or miss site, and there are always people looking for electronics on eBay. I even sold a broken laptop on there before, and got a decent amount for it. They even have a specific category for broken items.
@Diane Lane I wasn't impressed with the prices that electronics sellers were asking for their items on eBay, but I can look there again. Upon closer inspection the Amazon site looks like it just takes specific models of items. I asked a question in the help community about that. There are several sites that buy back electronics. Sometimes even those who want to re sell them on Craigslist will do that. However, I went round and round with a guy on there about a laptop one time, not really anxious to repeat that experience.