Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Easiest Ways to Get Rid of Your Junk



Clutter and junk can lead to a very stressful existence. Once you've decided enough is enough you need to find the easiest way to get rid of all of that stuff. I've used the following method to get rid of my families extra junk.

Steps to Rid Junk

  1. If the item is truly trash and of no use to others we will throw away or put in our recycle bin if applicable.
  2. If the value is less than $20 and we think it may be difficult to get rid of we consider giving it away by one of the following means:
    1. Ask family and friends if they have a need for such an item.
    2. Post on Freecycle
    3. Post on Craigslist
    4. Drop off at Goodwill or other thrift type shops
  3. If we think the item may be worth our time to sell we evaluate the items like this:
    1. If the item is small, easy to ship and possibly worth a decent amount of cash we'll use Ebay
      1. If the item has a great demand we may just post on Craigslist to save on any listing fees.
    2. If the item is large, we'll use Craigslist or possibly a Garage Sale to save the hassle and cost of shipping.
      1. You can post local pickup only on Ebay but a fee is something I try to avoid if at all possible
    3. If the item is a book or possibly CDs we use Amazon because they charge you nothing unless you sell your item and the listing process is super simple for books and CDs.

Pros/Cons of Disposition Methods

Amazon

Pros

Super fast and easy especially with books, CDs. You don't pay anything unless you sell the item.

Cons

There is a fee. Items you can sell are limited to media type items.

Craigslist

Pros

Craigslist is great for selling or getting rid of bulky or hard to ship items. There is a community setup in most decently sized US cities you are most likely going to live close to one. It's Free to use! I've sold things like furniture, exercise equipment, small appliances, kids toys, etc…

Cons

Takes time to list, should post pictures if you want the best response. Have to deal with e-mailing back and forth.

Ebay

Pros

Sought after items get top dollar. Easy proven method.

Cons

Cost money on the front and back end of each sale. Need to ship items.

Freecycle

Pros

Freecycle is not only a good place to get rid of stuff but you may find something you'd like to have there as well. Freecycle is free to join, easy to use and of course Free, I'm sure one is close by. It's strength comes as speed and locality. If I want something gone I can have it gone by the end of the day. Also, if there is stuff you'd rather not mess with like getting rid of an old playset or spare lumber from a project, people will come to your house and do all the heavy lifting for you. I've gotten rid of extra lumber from a privacy fence I built, an old picnic table and I had people pick up everything that was left from a garage sale. Things that I've picked up from Freecycle include: chest freezer, BMX bicycle, end tables, toys.

Cons

No shows, some people say they'll pick something up and never show up. My solution I put their e-mail address in my spam filter so they never get the chance to get my stuff and waste my time again.

Garage Sale

Pros

If done right as in prices, advertisements, etc… a garage sale can be profitable and fun.

Cons

Pay advertisement costs, time consuming, customers want stuff at a bargain and are usually savvy negotiators.

Goodwill

Pros

Quick drop off, no hassle, tax write off.

Cons

Impersonal, faux charity (they are for profit). You have to do work to take stuff to them.


Additional Thoughts

Don't hang on to your crap just because you spent good money on it. Clear your space and clear your mind. Someone might benefit from something you don't really use.