Can I Really Sell My Old Junk for Cash?

A couple weeks ago, while cleaning out my garage, storage shed, and attic, I got to thinking: was any of this junk worth anything? Rather than throw everything on the curb for pickup day, I figured I would first see how much I could sell it for.

To start, I took a few pictures of the "bigger items" and posted them on Craigslist. This included a vacuum cleaner, several sports coats, and a set of golf clubs from the 80s. Sure enough, three different buyers came forward and agreed to pay my asking price. Within two days I had received $25 for the vacuum, $55 for the sports coats, and $20 for the golf clubs. Although this does not seem like a lot of money, it was $100 in my pocket for next to no work. After all, I was an inch away from throwing this "junk" out.

With all the stuff I had remaining, it was time to take part in the community garage sale. A few times a summer my community organizes a garage sale, so that everybody can get rid of the stuff that has been piling up over the winter. Unlike many of my neighbors, I decided to set up only two tables complete with price tags for everything. My goal was simple: I didn't want to negotiate the price of every item. I was just looking to make a few bucks, while cleaning my house.

Fortunately, 90 percent of my items sold. To make things even better, I priced everything low enough that most buyers didn't find a need to haggle.

In my case, I was able to sell most of my old junk. Before you throw anything away, ask yourself the following question: is there somebody out there that would pay money for this?

Chris Bibey is a freelance writer and internet marketing consultant based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has two books in print, and is working on a third. Chris manages a popular freelance writing blog, while also writing for sites such as Banks.com and MoneyCrashers.