If you or someone you know is suffering from MS please click here then here to read how you can help. (& no, I am not being paid to ask you to vote)
Want to read an awesome book review? Arcane Matters has written something great here.
Have any thoughts about a better summer shoe? Please let me know. I am in repair mode for my feet at the moment. Nearly 9 months of exclusively wearing flip flips (thank you edema) have left my heels in all kinds of distress. I have been been scrubbing them every morning and hydrating them every night. But I need a new summer shoe alternative.
This is also where I tell you that, alas, my feet did grow a size. And while that would be just your average, ordinary bummer for most gals but when your feet started at size 12 and are now a ridiculous 13 the game is altogether different.
Also- anyone have any experience with those ebay shops? You know the kind where you give someone your stuff and they do all the ebay work FOR you?
And finally, because I am just all kinds of random today, a poll on the best way to sell stuff. We have boxes and boxes of books and do dads, furniture we don’t really need, GM’s clothes that she hasn’t worn in decades, antiques…It seems daunting to get organized and sell, but it is the era of downsizing over here.
Loading ...
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
My ebay vote is contingent upon whether or not you already have a set-up with them. If not, it (and the fees) aren’t really worth it, sadly. I do have a friend who sells through amazon marketplace, and likes it much better than ebay (where she used to sell). But she has SO much stuff, she’ll likely be selling until she drops.
I’m wondering, would it help more to donate the stuff and get the tax receipt, or would it be more worth it to have the cash?
I’ve been downsizing and trying to come up with some extra cash here lately too.
Craigslist or yardsale for the furniture. Craigslist can be a bit of a pain because you’ll have to deal with multiple questions and people wanting to see the stuff in person and then making arrangements to pick it up. Yardsale means that they look, pay and take it away that day. I’ve been ebaying lots of clothes lately and I’ve been getting better prices for the items than I would have at a yardsale.
Please tell me that those fantastic plaid docs still fit!?
I would have a yard sale first. Put up signs, put adds for the it on craigslist and anywhere else. The first weekend of the month will usually be the best time to do it. Then whatever is left try one of your methods. Doing a yardsale first will help cut down on the listing of stuff, taking it to shops or whatever.
I do Craig’s list for big stuff. Sometimes it sells, sometimes I give it to Barb instead (force Barb to take it, whatever…) I keep meaning to put little stuff up on eBay but I never do.
I use Half.com for books, movies, music. Ebay for clothes (they never sell @ my yard sales) and yard sale for the big stuff. I’d put the antiques on craigslist, especially if they’re worth a lot.
have you checked out freecycle in your community? the website is freecycle.org and i think that all you need is a yahoo email address to get started. while the concept of freecycle is giving stuff away for free, some groups also have an offshoot where they sell things (mine does, in union county, nj if you want to check that group out for an idea). so for example, just today i got the following email & thought this was a fairly unique idea:
[funj-chat-swap] Vintage clothing sale sunday july 26
By the pound! Big sale of vintage clothing, mostly young persons’ from ’60′s & ’70′s, Designer adult clothing from ’70′s, ’80′s & ’90′s, some in large sizes.
Clothing will be arranged in heaps on the front lawn. You dig! Fitting room and mirror available. Hundreds of items! Selling for $1.79 per pound.
640 St. Marks Ave. near Chestnut. Rain or shine.
i am a yard sale gal myself
http://www.kijiji.com We have purchased several items off the Canadian site. You can post specifically in your city or in multiple areas if you want.
We just moved and got rid of many, many, most of, in fact, our things. We sold literally thousands of dollars worth of stuff (mostly furniture) on Craigslist. We freecycled and donated a lot more. My husband eBay’d smaller technological things. Clothes are not worth selling, I’ve found. Before you donate/Freecycle any books, check how much they are wroth used on Amazon. I’ve made more than a thousand bucks doing that.
Oh man. I am sorry to hear about your foot woes! I moved up from an 11W to an 11 1/2 WW. I feel your pain. There is a big shoe shop at one of the big malls near us, but they don’t sell anything in such a small size. Hah! They would probably have stuff in your size, though. Not that it helps you, but if you do end up in the DC area you can go there.
Hello. Long time lurker, first time commentor. the best way to get your feet back into shape is to moisturize them twice a day with something thick such as Cornhuskers or Aquafor and then wear socks and shoes all the time. They will get back to soft and uncracked in a week but you have to slowly transition back to shoeless or barefoot or they will crack again. Something about the moist environment and the friction of the shoe clears up all the cracking, dryness and tough skin.
As far as the selling of items… we did this for my Mom’s household and things after she passed. We had great success by having an Estate sale… we just advertised in the local paper and put flyers up. Basically it was just a glorified Yard Sale… meaning that most of the things we had for sale were at yard sale prices except for the antique furniture (don’t worry we keep all that we wanted and the heirlooms and so did the rest of the family, she just had a lot since she had a Bed and Breakfast and antique store) we did the Estate Sale several times… at least 6 or 7. It was really successful. As far as the clothes, they really don’t sell well and it is a lot of work. My suggestion would be to just donate them to a charity and get the tax receipt. Hope this helps! Tiffany
I sold the contents of my father’s house after he died. There was a mix of furniture, appliances, lamps, antiques, kitchen items, you name it. First, I advertised in the local paper for an estate sale. Then I hauled all the stuff that I wasn’t going to keep into the garage and the adjoining game room. That way, I kept buyers contained where I could see them. It was a nice day so I put some enticing items out in the driveway where people driving by could see them. There was a set of nice wicker chairs, an antique carousel horse, old trunks and a tiger maple breakfront with a few pieces of Carnival glass on top.
People came in droves (this was in a resort town in Maine so locals and vacationers showed up.) I sold nearly everything and what I didn’t sell at the estate sale I sold to an auctioneer. I was very pleased with the results. I made a nice amount of money and the house was cleaned out and ready to rent to a tenant.
I’d definitely recommend having an estate sale. It’s really a lot of fun and it’s a way to get rid of things fast.
I’ve never tried any of the e-bay shops thing as I’m too greedy. I don’t want to give someone my money for doing a bit of work. Then I don’t have a little baby to take up my time either. I have often listed some of my smaller things on e-bay. bigger stuff like furniture etc I usually use craigslist.
Re: flip flops: In the summer I LIVE in flip flops but you can’t get those cheapie ones. i did that for years and it almost ruined my feet! Have you tried croc flip flops? They go up to 12, but the run big. I know, this is very helpful!
i dont’ sell books, i put them on paperbackswap.com and then get free books back.. its awesome! check it out :0)
Re shoes: I’m a size 10 on my left foot and a 10-1/2 on my right, so I feel your pain. Zappos.com has been my savior — free shipping and returns, and I can always get big sizes. I really like Clarks sandals — they are so comfortable!
Re getting rid of random stuff: Craigslist is my favorite, but freecycle is great for the stuff you can’t imagine going to the trouble of selling — I once had a woman *so* excited to come get a shopping bag full of cassette tapes with bands from the 1970s!