I went through a phase a few years back when I sold an enormous amount of extraneous household stuff on Craigslist. From furniture to outgrown toys, it all got listed. Nothing was particularly valuable, but it certainly added up. I would estimate that I made a thousand dollars or so by the time I finished. Not bad for a small investment of time. And the combination of getting rid of stuff with making money is hard not to love.
Fast forward a few years, and the clutter has reinvaded our home. (Okay, it never really went away.) My husband and I have been starting to list things on Craigslist again. A horrific local crime has taken some of the innocent joy away from online classifieds, so I’m a little more defensive about how I operate. I only arrange for buyers to come when my husband is home, and I absolutely trust my instincts if something seems hinky.
I currently have our old washing machine and a Longaberger basket listed, and I’ve been eyeing my son’s outgrown snowboarding gear. And I’ve got a whole chest filled with large pieces of polar fleece fabric that I know some crafty fanatic would be more than happy to take over on.
The one thing I’ve held onto for sentimental reason, (as opposed to simple intertia) is a great big stash of boy dress-ups. My sons spent immeasurable hours pulling out animal costumes, super hero uniforms and the bits and pieces that would transform their days from dull to adventuresome.
Sadly, they’re 11 and 14-years-old now, and their dress-up days are behind them. And the bag that holds all this stuff keeps getting scattered around our storage room. I think I’m ready sort through and launder this wonderful collection and get it listed on Craigslist for the next wee generation to enjoy.
Although I’m sure I will hold onto a few key pieces. After all, I will be grandmother some day.
And all this money from craigslist will be going towards our savings plan.
Have you discovered the joy of selling unwanted items? Please share your storeies in the comments section below.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this. I need to do this.
I don’t know if it’s our area or what, but I listed some almost brand new car tires on Craigslist last week (my first listing ever) and I don’t know what rock these people crawled out from, but boy did we have some weird responses. We had some scammers who wanted to send us money orders from London and someone even sent a porn link….For a tire ad! I was so unnerved, I took the listing off. Glad to hear you have had better luck. Be careful…it’s a jungle out there!
We are slowly getting rid of the last of the baby items, as my youngest is 18mo now and soon will be getting her big girl bed. Also saying goodbye to a set of bedrails, some canning jars I don’t like, a waffle maker I never use and some toys we have grown beyond.
but am also looking to buy bikes and helmets, a ride along for my daughter and big kid toys. the cycle never ends.
I feel like that, too, Rebecca, that the cycle never ends!!
I live in Metro Atlanta and have sold a number of items on Craigslist with good success and no weird happenings. I do have buyers meet me outside my house while my husband is home, or even at my office.
Katy, may I suggest that you might consider keeping all of the dress up articles? My brothers and I loved our dress up drawer, and so did their kids in younger years. I really wish my Mom had kept our dress up stash to pass on to the grandkids.
Eleanor,
I will probably hold onto a few of the primo dress-ups, but there’s an overflowing Hefty bag full of dress-ups that need to find new kids.
Seriously, there’s enough for an entire preschool worth of kids!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
The Non-Consumer Advocate
May I gently suggest that you pass ALL the dress-up clothes along to another child now, and then re-acquire (gently used, of course) if/when grandkids arrive? Storing items for a decade or more “for the grandkids” is sure to add to the clutter now. By all means, take photos of your favorites before Craigsing them.
This also allows you the fun of looking for dress-up items WITH your grandkids and having them choose what appeals to them…
I miss the craigslist of 2 or 3 years ago…back then I never used to get scam emails and I had many wonderful sales and purchases. These days when I list something I often don’t get any interest- even when the price is rock bottom. I’ve mostly moved on to Freecycle now so I can just give things away and get cleared out. Hope you have better success!
Hi!
I haven’t had the chance to sell anything on Craigslist, but have bought most of my cloth diaper accessories and a stroller there.
I live in SE Portland and have 2 young sons, the oldest who is just beginning to enjoy dress-up. I would be very interested in some dress-up clothes for them if I knew when you would post them to Craigslist.
The first and last time I used craigslist I got spammed. I’ll just have another yard sale this year.
I sold an Art Deco lamp on Cheapcycle last year. I found it on the curb across the street from my old house about 10 years ago. It was cool as anything, but I didn’t have a good spot for it in my current house. I sold it to the same woman who bought the turquoise rotary dial phone that I’d never hooked up. Some things I’ve sold were unique, but I realized I was just sort of hoarding them, and I felt good about sharing them with someone who’d get some joy from them. The next item to go will be my wedding gown, which I bought for the event four years ago. It’s from the mid-’80s (I bought it vintage on eBay), but it’s got a straight skirt, no typical ’80s puff sleeves or flounces. I really just want someone to give it a good home, like I did with my 1984 prom dress I sold on eBay last year. I didn’t really make a profit, but the woman who bought it said she collects vintage clothing and was thrilled with her purchase. I guess that’s why I gravitate to Freecycle rather than selling some stuff.
I took a look around after our whirlwind Chanukah/Christmas extravaganza, and I have been purging ever since. I have made more than $300 in the last two months selling things on EBay and Craigslist, brought clothes to a favorite consignment shop, and I have given away bags and bags more through Freecycle. I feel like I have barely scratched the surface – I can’t even see where anything is missing.
All this purging is even enough to make me think twice when I’m browsing a thrift store just realizing that all these things were once items someone wanted and paid good money for and now they are floating out there in the land of junk!
We’ve been selling things on Craigslist since the beginning of the year and have done OK, but we’re careful about who we meet up with or who gets invited to our home (outside only though). I met a delightful woman yesterday who was buying something from us (we met halfway between her home and mine). Turned out we had both lived in the same place overseas years ago, and it was fun exchanging stories and memories. It still kind of surprises me though what stuff people respond to and what they don’t.
I’m enjoying getting rid of things–I feel lighter and freer. I often ask myself now for many things, “What made me think I needed this? We could have lived without this.” But so much stuff seemed important or necessary at the time.
Funny you should write about Craigs List. This past weekend I decided to limit my crafts to crochet and quilting. This means I have a ton of beads, beading books, tools, and findings. I sorted through it all, and I am considering Craigs list, but I’m a little leary. My next thought would be a yardsale in June, but I don’t want to keep the stuff that long. I would like to get some money for it. I am getting much better at letting stuff go thanks to you, Katy!
I noticed that someone commented about selling their used wedding dress. A friend of mine recouped 50% of the original cost when she sold her gown on smartbrideboutique.com. It’s a great site if you are looking to get a bargain on a wedding dress too, without sacrificing style.