Making Money Selling Second Hand Stuff

We’re in the process of decluttering, losing our possessions, ready to hit the world for a few years. But here’s a thought, minimalism is great, I’m loving owning less, but should we all be so hung up on making money selling second hand stuff?

Selling our stuff was part of our scheme to raise money for long term travel,we had the garage sale, raised about $2000 and I’m slowly selling the stuff that the garage sale pickers didn’t buy, via the internet.

My garage has been stuffed to the gills with second hand stuff for the last month and the car has been languishing in the sun and rain on the driveway.

I’ve Had Enough of Selling Stuff!

Yesterday I cracked, couldn’t take it any more. I started boxing things up to take to a charity shop. Luckily, I ran into a friend, she is a single Mum with four young children and can always do with a few bits and pieces, so I dragged her into my shop garage to take her pick. we managed to find enough to fill the back of her truck. Clothes for her and the children, books to read or pass on, a few toys and my best shoes.

I loved those shoes, glorious wooden heeled leather platforms of a sort not often found in Far North Queensland, but the reality is, they don’t fit me any more. Five years of daily flip flop wearing in tropical Port Douglas has spread my feet to the size of barges and I really can’t wear them. They were in brilliant condition, worn only a few times as they were always “best” ( and fairly impractical). I’ve been trying to sell them for weeks. No joy. But this is my point.

Should we Really Expect to be Making Money Selling Second Hand Stuff?

Would you want my second hand shoes? Or clothes the kids have grown out of? I was so desperate to make a few dollars selling off our old stuff that I had mountains of pre loved garments hanging around in the garage.

A few years ago, pre Ebay, we threw out our old stuff or donated it to a charity shop, these days we all want to turn our junk into money. Is it worth the stress?

I’ve been worrying about how to sell this stuff for months, lying awake at night, working out plans, squirreling it all away in boxes and suitcases ready for  The Big Garage Sale.

I think I could have saved myself a lot of stress by just giving it away to start with.

As I said, my friend took a truck load, a second truck load was quickly dispatched to the charity shop.

We can use our garage again!

Giving Stuff Away Feels Good

I”m not saying we should have given away our bed, dive gear, or kayaks, those were valuable, in demand and still almost new. That’s the sort of stuff we made the $2000 on. But really, the clothes? I was living in a dream world.

So it’s gone to a lady I love and her adorable children. Maybe she’ll use them, maybe she won’t. But at least I waved goodbye to my shoes with a smile on my face and a hope that she’ll be out on the town extremely well shod and funky.

The stuff that went to the charity shop was really no good to anyone. Sure, there were a few very expensive items in there, my Karen Millen wedding trousers that I rode an elephant in were hard to see go, but they were too small and stained by tropical storage . Goodbye, you’re gone, I don’t have to worry about you ( or fitting into you) any more!

So, no, I don’t think it’s worth it, a few dollars for weeks, if not months, of stressing over this. I really wonder why we all hold on to so much stuff, the things aren’t the memories, the memories are in our heads. If you’re really struggling with getting rid of stuff, take a photo, like I did with my best trekking pack ever. Things only drag us down, give us extra housework and make us worry over their well being.

It’s all very Buddhist. I wish I’d taken a photo of those shoes.

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