Simply Being Mum’s Spring Sale continues.
£82 was generated from a car-boot sale and just over £52 from my first lot of eBay listings. Taking my total to a rounded down £134.
Some way to go to my self-imposed £600 target.
I have more to list on eBay, and have found that now momentum has built I am not actually dreading it this time. Still not overly enthused, but the photos have been taken and I’m building myself up to start thinking about descriptions.
My findings from starting to declutter and sell my stuff once more, is no different to what I discover each time I do it.
Car-boot Sales – I find the ones I attend are frequented by hobby shoppers and collectors, hence price needs to be low. Buyers are tempted by the potential bargain they will get and what treasures they may discover. It’s a game, recreational sport. But the nature of the game is changing. Prices are getting more competitive, and technology is playing it’s part. Buyers used to take a flyer, now they google make, model and resale value on their smart phones before purchasing, or check that they can’t get the item cheaper elsewhere.
I enjoyed my morning selling my wares and bartering. For a long time I’ve wondered whether I’m a trader at heart, a peddler? I once won a fancy dress competition dressed as a peddler. If I can track down the photo I’ll post it on Facebook.
eBay – You win some you lose some. I can’t list with any expectation of final value in mind. Of the items I listed this time, 3 stood out as a fine example of how it works.
Toddler Wetsuit – The higgest bidder paid £9.03, generating a profit of £1.04 on the original retail price paid. Great result (but I did buy well initially).
Breaking Dawn Part 1 DVD – sorry RPatz, you had to go 🙁 that was the deal upon purchasing the DVD (I don’t keep them anymore). Sold for £8, paid £10 originally. Happy with that, a night’s entertainment for £2.
Early Learning Centre Trike – Just £7.16 paid for this by the highest bidder. 10% of the original value. In hindsight, I wish I’d given it away to a friend. But you take your chances on eBay, and I tend to list from 99p. Like I said, you win some, you lose some.
Having the £600 target in mind is most certainly keeping me focused. I’m currently eyeing up my CD collection, which is something I haven’t seriously considered selling previously, but know it needs doing. What can I say? I’m a music hoarder.
I don’t own many hard copy books anymore, but even the old faithfuls are on the hit list as it’s going to take some serious decluttering to reach my target.
Talking of books, this leads me onto a giveaway. It’s hard to generate much cash from books when you sell them second-hand. So I have decided to offer 2 of my collection as a giveaway.
The Power of Less by Zen Habits author Leo Babauta and The Joy of Less by Miss Minimalist author Francine Jay. (not affiliate links, for me anyway – not sure if they are for the authors?)
I’ll post anywhere in the world. The giveaway will close 10am GMT Friday 18th May (Just before my No Waste Tastes Great post goes live – and I’ll announce the winner then).
Just drop a comment on what you know you should sell but struggle to, even though you know they/it should really go. I’m mentioned my CD collection above. I’ve yet to count how many I have, but know it needs dramatically reducing! Technology now means I can hoard on a teeny tiny MP3 player instead 😉
**I’ll actually draw a runner-up (but not disclose who they are), so if the winner doesn’t want both books, I’ll post the other out to second-place**
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By the way, if you like giveaway’s, why not check out Sarah’s giveaway over at Everyday Life On A Shoestring as the prize could come in handy for when I eventually get round to e-mailing out my freebie soup recipe book!
Mine is easy, the the video tapes. They sit there taking up space but I no longer have a player to watch them on. Could I sell them .. well no, I guess they are not worth anything. Can I give them away? … Also a no, the local charity shop is not allowed to take them (not sure why). The only option is to strip out the tape and recycle the plastic ….. assuming the plastic can be reused. The moral is … never put something at the back of the cupboard thinking it will be usefull one day… if seldom is.
Graham – I feel your dilemma! It’s a little similar to the CD’s. I feel they have a value, but it’s negligible for many of them. I can however still donate these. Videos are rather redundant. I suspect the charity shops don’t take them, because they don’t sell. Retail space is valuable, and to take up an area displaying them isn’t profitable. They then have the issues of sorting through and recycling themselves, which eats into profit by using up volunteer time (which again is valuable). Some charity shops do still take, it may be worth contacting one of the national chains and seeing whether they’ll collect if in the area – they may – not sure as it’s been a while since I was involved in charity retail. It may be time to bite the bullet and dispose of even if you can’t re-home or recycle as that won’t change going forward and they’ll be sitting on your shelves in years to come! Thanks for commenting in the draw you go!
But I hate throwing things away 🙂 I just need a bigger house. You are right about the value of shelf space but I never really thought about that. Same applies at home .. small fridge / larder = less stock.
I hate throwing away things too! When I go to my dentist in a neighbouring town, the Sue Ryder shop still seems to be selling videos so that may be an outlet! Otherwise, it’s BOOKS that I struggle to part with…my kids made it 1500+ when they decided to counted the books in the house on a rainy Easter holiday morning…oh dear…And thanks for the shout out Jo, for my own giveaway, especially when you’re the clear winner at the moment!
Mine is easy, the the video tapes. They sit there taking up space but I no longer have a player to watch them on. Could I sell them .. well no, I guess they are not worth anything. Can I give them away? … Also a no, the local charity shop is not allowed to take them (not sure why). The only option is to strip out the tape and recycle the plastic ….. assuming the plastic can be reused. The moral is … never put something at the back of the cupboard thinking it will be usefull one day… if seldom is.
Graham – I feel your dilemma! It’s a little similar to the CD’s. I feel they have a value, but it’s negligible for many of them. I can however still donate these. Videos are rather redundant. I suspect the charity shops don’t take them, because they don’t sell. Retail space is valuable, and to take up an area displaying them isn’t profitable. They then have the issues of sorting through and recycling themselves, which eats into profit by using up volunteer time (which again is valuable). Some charity shops do still take, it may be worth contacting one of the national chains and seeing whether they’ll collect if in the area – they may – not sure as it’s been a while since I was involved in charity retail. It may be time to bite the bullet and dispose of even if you can’t re-home or recycle as that won’t change going forward and they’ll be sitting on your shelves in years to come! Thanks for commenting in the draw you go!
But I hate throwing things away 🙂 I just need a bigger house. You are right about the value of shelf space but I never really thought about that. Same applies at home .. small fridge / larder = less stock.
I hate throwing away things too! When I go to my dentist in a neighbouring town, the Sue Ryder shop still seems to be selling videos so that may be an outlet! Otherwise, it’s BOOKS that I struggle to part with…my kids made it 1500+ when they decided to counted the books in the house on a rainy Easter holiday morning…oh dear…And thanks for the shout out Jo, for my own giveaway, especially when you’re the clear winner at the moment!
Try Music Magpie for your CDs. The trade value can be pretty poor, but the ease of it is worth more than the extra pennies you might get on eBay to me at least. It took me an evening to do, and I got a cheque for around £50 for a box worth. Also Amazon take what they consider “textbooks” – I offloaded a bunch of old cookbooks that way. Again some have poor trade value but some got close to what I paid.
I already mentioned it last week, but I need to get around to selling that crystal collection. I am so not a peddler though, I’d be happy to give away almost all of my stuff just to get it out of the house. But it’s probably worth quite a bit now as all the pieces are limited edition, so I really should get a move on!
Hey Lauren, yeah I’ve seen the ads for magpie. I checked out a recent CD I purchased and was shocked to see their price come out at under 50p. Interestingly although I was surprised, it also made me remember how much second-hand items can depreciate. Something that seems so very important to you, can have a really low resale value. What I need to do (as I am a hoarder when it comes to music) is start working my way through a CD a day (it could possibly take over a year get through them however!) and move any tracks that I like to itunes. Also it’s the old 80/20 rule again. Of my whole collection – probably only 20% gets played. Selling them on eBay can be a pain. I’ll weigh up my options!
I’d say definitely look at selling the crystals as it seems such a specific collection. Selling can be time-consuming. last year I donated a lot of stuff that had great resale valua, but I just wanted rid. I was in the mood for a cull, and the easiest method was to re-home at the local charity shop. This year I’m determined to get some equity back for my unwanted items! Please let us know how it goes?
I used to be a music hoarder (and I married one too) so our house was full of CDs. I found having a small capacity mp3 player helped cull my music down to what I truly loved, and what I just had. But I think the 80/20 rule still applies even with the smaller collection!
I buy the few CDs I want second hand now, there’s a really good seller on the Amazon Marketplace that I always use. Most of them I get for a penny plus shipping, and they’re always pristine. The one unit I allow us for CDs is approaching full again now though, so will be time for another purge shortly.
Lauren you don’t know this but… you were the runner up and Stacey has kindly offered to share her win! Please can you drop me a mail? Thanks!
Try Music Magpie for your CDs. The trade value can be pretty poor, but the ease of it is worth more than the extra pennies you might get on eBay to me at least. It took me an evening to do, and I got a cheque for around £50 for a box worth. Also Amazon take what they consider “textbooks” – I offloaded a bunch of old cookbooks that way. Again some have poor trade value but some got close to what I paid.
I already mentioned it last week, but I need to get around to selling that crystal collection. I am so not a peddler though, I’d be happy to give away almost all of my stuff just to get it out of the house. But it’s probably worth quite a bit now as all the pieces are limited edition, so I really should get a move on!
Hey Lauren, yeah I’ve seen the ads for magpie. I checked out a recent CD I purchased and was shocked to see their price come out at under 50p. Interestingly although I was surprised, it also made me remember how much second-hand items can depreciate. Something that seems so very important to you, can have a really low resale value. What I need to do (as I am a hoarder when it comes to music) is start working my way through a CD a day (it could possibly take over a year get through them however!) and move any tracks that I like to itunes. Also it’s the old 80/20 rule again. Of my whole collection – probably only 20% gets played. Selling them on eBay can be a pain. I’ll weigh up my options!
I’d say definitely look at selling the crystals as it seems such a specific collection. Selling can be time-consuming. last year I donated a lot of stuff that had great resale valua, but I just wanted rid. I was in the mood for a cull, and the easiest method was to re-home at the local charity shop. This year I’m determined to get some equity back for my unwanted items! Please let us know how it goes?
I used to be a music hoarder (and I married one too) so our house was full of CDs. I found having a small capacity mp3 player helped cull my music down to what I truly loved, and what I just had. But I think the 80/20 rule still applies even with the smaller collection!
I buy the few CDs I want second hand now, there’s a really good seller on the Amazon Marketplace that I always use. Most of them I get for a penny plus shipping, and they’re always pristine. The one unit I allow us for CDs is approaching full again now though, so will be time for another purge shortly.
Lauren you don’t know this but… you were the runner up and Stacey has kindly offered to share her win! Please can you drop me a mail? Thanks!
I have a lot of cookbooks, and I know I should sell some…but because I love experimenting in the kitchen so much, I hesitate to sell any of them, even if I’ve had them awhile and still haven’t used them. Silly I know but I would hate to sell, for example, my cookbook on French cuisine and then get really into French cooking the next month…
Hi Clara – I can relate, I too have quite a few cookbooks and not all have yet been used but the plan is they will!
In the past for me sometimes it’s been the aspirational aspect of owning things that I really want to try/do… to part with them can feel as though the goal or dream will never be achieved, so they get held onto. I dropped out of German A level at 17, and still have a recurring dream about it. A couple of years ago I considered going to Germany and felt it was an ideal opportunity to take another look at learning the language. I purchased a CD course and books, and never used them. They are about to be sold, if I change my mind I’ll re-buy them. But I can’t see it happening, there’s so many other things I need to do first! Time to move on!
I have a lot of cookbooks, and I know I should sell some…but because I love experimenting in the kitchen so much, I hesitate to sell any of them, even if I’ve had them awhile and still haven’t used them. Silly I know but I would hate to sell, for example, my cookbook on French cuisine and then get really into French cooking the next month…
Hi Clara – I can relate, I too have quite a few cookbooks and not all have yet been used but the plan is they will!
In the past for me sometimes it’s been the aspirational aspect of owning things that I really want to try/do… to part with them can feel as though the goal or dream will never be achieved, so they get held onto. I dropped out of German A level at 17, and still have a recurring dream about it. A couple of years ago I considered going to Germany and felt it was an ideal opportunity to take another look at learning the language. I purchased a CD course and books, and never used them. They are about to be sold, if I change my mind I’ll re-buy them. But I can’t see it happening, there’s so many other things I need to do first! Time to move on!
ooh theres a couple of things I should get rid of the first is our dvd collection, it really needs to go but then im worried someone will say I really want to watch …. and ive previously sold it. Secondly the nintendo wii i bought the boys for christmas a couple of years ago, they also have an xbox so the wii is never played. But I feel sad selling there christmas presents.
wish i wasnt such a sapp.
Hey Tara! Yeah I know that one ‘but what if we want to watch it’. I’m ruthless now… If I ever I think that I always counteract it with ‘but I can buy it again!’ – I take my chances… very rarely have I re-purchased something. There is in fact only 2 things ever I’ve done that with… The Magic Of Thinking Big by David J Schwartz and Simplify Your Life by Naomi Saunders – the first one I gave to a young work colleague and told him ‘I wish I’d read this at your age’. The second was a library book, that I took back, purchased and then lent out (permanently) and am now about to repurchase!
ooh theres a couple of things I should get rid of the first is our dvd collection, it really needs to go but then im worried someone will say I really want to watch …. and ive previously sold it. Secondly the nintendo wii i bought the boys for christmas a couple of years ago, they also have an xbox so the wii is never played. But I feel sad selling there christmas presents.
wish i wasnt such a sapp.
Hey Tara! Yeah I know that one ‘but what if we want to watch it’. I’m ruthless now… If I ever I think that I always counteract it with ‘but I can buy it again!’ – I take my chances… very rarely have I re-purchased something. There is in fact only 2 things ever I’ve done that with… The Magic Of Thinking Big by David J Schwartz and Simplify Your Life by Naomi Saunders – the first one I gave to a young work colleague and told him ‘I wish I’d read this at your age’. The second was a library book, that I took back, purchased and then lent out (permanently) and am now about to repurchase!
I bit the bullet and just listed my first items ever for sale on Ebay. What a pain in the patootie to photograph, edit photos, research value and descriptions, write description, etc. It has taken me HOURS and now you can laugh at me……I’m selling Disney trading pins that we purchased many years ago. All of them are starting at 99 cents. Boy I hope they sell and make my time worthwhile!
Over the weekend I sorted through a box that was filled with old travel flyers, train schedules, etc. The type of research info that was hard to come by sometimes pre-internet days. I found my Eurail passes from 1983 and 1985! Why the heck was I saving all that stuff? It definitely feels good to be clearing stuff out, but there must be another 30-40 boxes in the basement. It is just overwhelming sometimes.
Good luck with the trading pins, you most certainly deserve to get something back after all that effort.
I cab so relate to the overwhelming box feeling, I too am a paper collector. Mainly however out of sentiment. I’ve whittled mine down considerably, but it’s such a massive task and so daunting. What I now try and do is a little bit and then put the rest back, I can’t do it in one go. I feel your pain 😉
I bit the bullet and just listed my first items ever for sale on Ebay. What a pain in the patootie to photograph, edit photos, research value and descriptions, write description, etc. It has taken me HOURS and now you can laugh at me……I’m selling Disney trading pins that we purchased many years ago. All of them are starting at 99 cents. Boy I hope they sell and make my time worthwhile!
Over the weekend I sorted through a box that was filled with old travel flyers, train schedules, etc. The type of research info that was hard to come by sometimes pre-internet days. I found my Eurail passes from 1983 and 1985! Why the heck was I saving all that stuff? It definitely feels good to be clearing stuff out, but there must be another 30-40 boxes in the basement. It is just overwhelming sometimes.
Good luck with the trading pins, you most certainly deserve to get something back after all that effort.
I cab so relate to the overwhelming box feeling, I too am a paper collector. Mainly however out of sentiment. I’ve whittled mine down considerably, but it’s such a massive task and so daunting. What I now try and do is a little bit and then put the rest back, I can’t do it in one go. I feel your pain 😉
I also have way too many cd’s and dvd’s which need clearing out and selling. I’ve also got a few kitchen gadgets that are gathering dust and I just need to summon the energy to clear them all out. Kitchenware generally seems to be a weakness of mine….
Yeah Amanda, Kitchenware! I have lots, but I do use it so it doesn’t gather any dust – therefore in my mind I can keep!
I also have way too many cd’s and dvd’s which need clearing out and selling. I’ve also got a few kitchen gadgets that are gathering dust and I just need to summon the energy to clear them all out. Kitchenware generally seems to be a weakness of mine….
Yeah Amanda, Kitchenware! I have lots, but I do use it so it doesn’t gather any dust – therefore in my mind I can keep!
I have a ton of baby stuff that I know I should post (in NZ it’s on trademe.co.nz) but it’s such a big job. I’ve already taken photos of my purple doc marten boots (that I got for my birthday in 1997 and have only worn a handful of times…still can’t seem to part with them! May have to try and figure out what they are trying to tell me…), my guitar (had since about 1989, but the action is far too high for my fingers and it’s already been lowered once!) and a puzzle board, but I’m having trouble getting the motivation to actually sell them! As music teachers and avid music fans we don’t actually have any problem selling our CD’s! There is a brilliant store in Auckland called Real Groovy Records. They are a huge shop selling new stuff as well as second hand items. You trade in your old CD’s for store credit, so our collection continues to change, but the size of it is actually getting smaller 🙂 I have extra added motivation now as hubby and I have been discussing moving overseas in the next few years (don’t want to waste that Brittish passport!) – much easier without a garage full of crap!
Motivation to sell…it’s a tough one understanding why we can’t do it. For me it’s been about reluctance to move on. Trying to hold on to who I was – particularly with my sentimental hoard. But now I’ve realised it, it’s so much easier. I’ve been watching a show called ‘Hoarder Next Door’ and although my collecting has never reached those huge proportions I can empathise and in some way understand how it happened to them. Very often it’s a relucatnce to move on and accept new situations.
I totally get the reducing your stuff method. I love doing that, for eaxmple it helps me to think when I sell on eBay that my 10 items could then be replaced by a much needed 1 item. As a visual person, it gives me great satisfaction to be able to see in my mind a physical reduction, not just cash generated.
ps – the Doc martens need to go! and they will get bought!
I have a ton of baby stuff that I know I should post (in NZ it’s on trademe.co.nz) but it’s such a big job. I’ve already taken photos of my purple doc marten boots (that I got for my birthday in 1997 and have only worn a handful of times…still can’t seem to part with them! May have to try and figure out what they are trying to tell me…), my guitar (had since about 1989, but the action is far too high for my fingers and it’s already been lowered once!) and a puzzle board, but I’m having trouble getting the motivation to actually sell them! As music teachers and avid music fans we don’t actually have any problem selling our CD’s! There is a brilliant store in Auckland called Real Groovy Records. They are a huge shop selling new stuff as well as second hand items. You trade in your old CD’s for store credit, so our collection continues to change, but the size of it is actually getting smaller 🙂 I have extra added motivation now as hubby and I have been discussing moving overseas in the next few years (don’t want to waste that Brittish passport!) – much easier without a garage full of crap!
Motivation to sell…it’s a tough one understanding why we can’t do it. For me it’s been about reluctance to move on. Trying to hold on to who I was – particularly with my sentimental hoard. But now I’ve realised it, it’s so much easier. I’ve been watching a show called ‘Hoarder Next Door’ and although my collecting has never reached those huge proportions I can empathise and in some way understand how it happened to them. Very often it’s a relucatnce to move on and accept new situations.
I totally get the reducing your stuff method. I love doing that, for eaxmple it helps me to think when I sell on eBay that my 10 items could then be replaced by a much needed 1 item. As a visual person, it gives me great satisfaction to be able to see in my mind a physical reduction, not just cash generated.
ps – the Doc martens need to go! and they will get bought!
and yes, I know British only has one ‘t’…pressed the key a bit too enthusiastically!!
and yes, I know British only has one ‘t’…pressed the key a bit too enthusiastically!!
I should sell my baby’s cot as they are in a bed now but just can’t part with it as its too special! After reading your article I find myself walking into a room looking at what I can sell on eBay!
Get ruthless Stacey – task yourself to find a certain amount of stuff in a limited time. I love making it a game!
Hey Stacey – you won! Please drop me a mail with your address – many thanks Jo
Hi I have emailed you can’t believe I won! Please choose a book to send tithe runner up x
Stacey – could you resend your email please! Accidentally deleted it! Sorry! Jo
I should sell my baby’s cot as they are in a bed now but just can’t part with it as its too special! After reading your article I find myself walking into a room looking at what I can sell on eBay!
Get ruthless Stacey – task yourself to find a certain amount of stuff in a limited time. I love making it a game!
Hey Stacey – you won! Please drop me a mail with your address – many thanks Jo
Hi I have emailed you can’t believe I won! Please choose a book to send tithe runner up x
Stacey – could you resend your email please! Accidentally deleted it! Sorry! Jo
This is probably too late to get noticed, but I’ve had much better luck selling things on Amazon than eBay. What you can sell is much more limited, but it’s SOOOOOO much easier. No pictures or descriptions necessary (other than a few words describing the condition of the item.) Plus, the price research is already done for you, so it’s easy to set your price appropriately.
Thanks Cat I probably need to investigate my options for CD’s and books… Amazon does sound much easier!
This is probably too late to get noticed, but I’ve had much better luck selling things on Amazon than eBay. What you can sell is much more limited, but it’s SOOOOOO much easier. No pictures or descriptions necessary (other than a few words describing the condition of the item.) Plus, the price research is already done for you, so it’s easy to set your price appropriately.
Thanks Cat I probably need to investigate my options for CD’s and books… Amazon does sound much easier!