2021 Decluttering Thread

[srblanco7]

Had new carpet installed in both of the kids bedrooms last week. This prompted us to completely empty their rooms - and in doing so, we discovered a fair amount of clothing that no longer fits, which was all passed on to friends who have younger/smaller kids.

[disneysteve]

One more item listed on ebay.

I'm trying to methodically work through the stuff from my cousin's house that is sitting in our computer room waiting to be sold.

[kork13]

Not much in the way of actual decluttering, though we did fill up our recycle bin with boxes & such that were just taking up space. But we (DS4/6 included) spent the morning cleaning, organizing, and catching up on chores.

It's always a challenge keeping the house reasonably clean with both of us busy plus 3 young kids. But when it gets exceptionally messy, it really stresses me out. So getting it all back to a tolerable state is a reprieve for me.

Plus, our closet & bedroom floors are now almost entirely free of disorganized clutter! ... baby steps, sometimes...

[disneysteve]

Put 6 magazine lots on ebay. Not decluttered until they're sold but one step at a time. Listed another item too.

Listed another item on Marketplace.

Consolidated some remaining magazines into one carton and broke down and recycled the other box.

Reduced the price on several ebay listings that have been up for a while.

[disneysteve]

Sold an item on Marketplace this morning.

Well that was a bust. He messaged me this morning to say it doesn't work. He's returning it sometime today. I'll give him his money back and also offered to give him $5 for the bridge toll since it isn't his fault.

On the plus side, the woman did pick up the other item this morning so that's gone.

[disneysteve]

Sold an item on Marketplace this morning.

I sold something on ebay a few days ago but the buyer never paid and ebay cancelled the transaction. I sent a second chance offer to the second place bidder today and he bought it so that will ship out tomorrow.

Someone is supposed to come for a Marketplace item tomorrow morning. We'll see if she follows through. I hope she does as it's an item I've had listed for ages. It would be nice to see it finally go.

[disneysteve]

Holy smokes. That's a dedicated collector, or something. So what is SHE doing with them?

Oh, I did ask her this today. It is for their personal collection.

[disneysteve]

How did you know what to take versus discard?

57 years of experience

I was raised going to yard sales, flea markets, and auctions. When I was in high school, my cousin and I used to sell at a local flea market on weekends. I started my collectibles business in 1986 and have been on ebay since 1997. I know what is and isn't valuable and what good prices are to buy stuff for resale. And thanks to smartphones, it is now super simple to do a quick search to see what something is selling for, and if it is selling at all.

When I was cleaning out the house, I did numerous searches as I came across items. If something didn't look to have much resale value, it went to the thrift shop. If it had decent value but would have been hard to ship, I sold it on Marketplace while I was there, or brought it home when we were done. If it was shippable, I brought it home to list on ebay. I did do a couple of ebay sales while I was in Florida but it was limited because I didn't have all of the packing materials that I've got at home. So most stuff got packed onto the truck and came home with us to be sold later.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I've mostly been selling stuff we took home when we cleaned out my cousin's house so technically it's all part of my inheritance.

How did you know what to take versus discard?

[disneysteve]

was it all old stuff? I mean that's pretty nifty that you got paid for your discards!

I've mostly been selling stuff we took home when we cleaned out my cousin's house so technically it's all part of my inheritance.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Ended today.

That brings my 90-day ebay sales total to $873.38. And that doesn't count some Marketplace sales. There are fees that come out of that but everything I've sold has zero cost basis so it's all profit.

was it all old stuff? I mean that's pretty nifty that you got paid for your discards!

[disneysteve]

Oh, I also got a bid on another ebay item that ends Sunday.

Ended today.

That brings my 90-day ebay sales total to $873.38. And that doesn't count some Marketplace sales. There are fees that come out of that but everything I've sold has zero cost basis so it's all profit.

[disneysteve]

Sold 16 magazines on ebay today.

That brings my total magazines sold since cleaning out my cousin's house to 492. And to think if most anyone else had cleaned out the house, they likely would have tossed them all in the recycling bin.

[disneysteve]

Oh, I also got a bid on another ebay item that ends Sunday.

[disneysteve]

Turns out she doesn’t want 15 years worth. She wants 21 years plus a few extras. Total of 260 issues. I’ll start packing them tomorrow. It will be a few cartons.

Deal is done and paid for! Final tally was 265 items for $198 plus postage. I'll be shipping 3 big cartons out on Tuesday. Total shipping weight comes to over 100 pounds.