best way to sell items from a small estate???

[mom-from-missouri]

To make a long story short.....my exhusband died. Our 3 minor children got what little bit there was. Since they are minors, I am doing most of the work involved. It did not probate, as there was really nothing to probate--instead the judge gave a refusal of letters.....

We pulled out clothing to make each of the kids a memory quilt out of, and each a stuffed bear. I would like to sell the rest of the clothing, but no luck.,,,stores around here don't consign mens clothing (only womens and childrens), stuff on ebay isn't selling, and using our local swap shop isn't either. I live no where close to town, and it is too cold for a garage sale--to rent a place in town would be $200, and I don't want to haul it there and back and pay that.

So, any ideas on selling a lot of high dollar, high quality clothing, shoes (that he paid $600a pair for and never wore), high end $1000 suits????? Also, a few kitchen items as well.

I have already donated a lot, but would like to make some money on this if I can to pay the probate expenses and add to the kids college funds (the man never paid any child support)

[Nightfly]

This probably isn't much help, but you could try:

1) Craigslist (sell the clothes as a complete collection, or piecemeal - not sure what would be more effective)
2) Amazon.com (for new, never worn items - better for some items of a personal nature, like clothing, than eBay)
3) Bonanza.com (an eBay alternative, seems to be focused on clothing, and it's free)

While you mentioned eBay - I'm willing to bet that the web will still be your best outlet, if selling these clothing items is possible. Good luck, maybe other forum members have additional ideas.

[snafu]

Sadly as you have discovered there is nearly no market for used men's clothes no matter the original retail cost or condition. If Kijijji + name of your community is popular in your community, it's local e-bay; needs a photo and well written description. Do you have Buy and Sell? You may need to wait until yard sale season. If giving to charity be sure to get a tax deduction receipt.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by snafu

Sadly as you have discovered there is nearly no market for used men's clothes no matter the original retail cost or condition.

That's true, unfortunately. Unlike women (in general), men buy far fewer clothes and keep them much longer. I have dress shirts in my closet that I still wear to work regularly that I've owned for 20 years and some of them were bought at thrift shops. I have a bunch of shirts that I inherited when my father-in-law died in 1993 because he wore the same size as me. Men's clothing doesn't go in and out of fashion the way women's clothing does. I can wear a pair of pants for 10 years if they last that long. Just a couple of years ago, I replaced the tuxedo that I bought used in 1991 when I was an intern. That's why virtually all consignments stores sell only women's and children's clothing. Thrift shops sell men's stuff but they are mainly charity places so you'd be donating, not selling.

Good luck.