Declutter and earn: how to turn unused items into cash

The new year is a great time to have a clear out as you tidy up after the Christmas season. January is also a month when many of us feel the financial pinch, so why not try to make some money through decluttering?

Unwanted gifts

The obvious place to start is with unwanted Christmas gifts – although you may need to exercise some tact and care when choosing what to get rid of! Keep as much of the original packaging as possible and if the item is completely unused/unworn, you may be able to return it, even if you don’t have the receipt. You might not be able to get a cash refund, but most major retailers will offer credit notes or vouchers.

Anything that can’t be returned, you could try to sell on sites like eBay and Vinted. Again, you’re likely to get the best price for items that are still in the original packaging and with tags attached.

Decluttering existing possessions

When it comes to the rest of your things, if you can’t immediately decide what to get rid of, take each item and ask yourself three questions:

1. Have I used / worn this in the last year?
2. Does it make me feel good when I look at / wear it?
3. If I’m not using it now, will it really be useful to me in the future?

 If the answer to any of these is ‘no’, then you may as well sell it. And if you have multiple versions of very similar things, you probably don’t need to keep them all.

It can be tricky choosing what to sell and what to keep hold of, so why not ask a friend to help you work through your things and then return the favour?

 
Sell locally

You may end up with quite a big pile of things that you no longer need, or items that you don’t think are worth very much. In that case, rather than spending the time and effort listing them online, it may be easier to sell them directly to friends and in the local community:

• If you have a front garden or driveway, consider having a ‘garage sale’ that you could publicise on social media.
• Check to see if there’s a regular car boot sale in the area – bearing in mind that you will have to pay a small entry fee.
• Look up local community groups on Facebook that allow you to advertise things for sale – and you can ask people to collect from you to save postage and hassle.

Sell everything together

For things like ornaments, jewellery and collectibles, you can use a service such as Vintage Cash Cow that lets you post your items to them free of charge and makes you a offer for the whole lot within days. You could also go to your local auction house, but you will pay a listing fee and commission on sales, and it can take a while to get paid.

Not only will decluttering and selling some of your things put a bit of cash in your pocket, but also your home should be more organised after a clear out. And that should make it a calmer and more relaxing space for you to enjoy!