8 Ways to Sell Your Junk for Cash

Do you have stuff lying around the house that is of no use anymore? I do and they really add more clutter to your life, doesn’t it? Recently, I found out that there are as many as 8 ways to sell your junk for cash – yup, cold hard cash – both online and offline. If it sounds interesting, check out the following places before you throw the old stuff away.  

---

1# Local Consignment Stores 

When trying to offload some of your old junks, one of the go-to places is your local consignment store. These thrift-type stores will allow you to sell your junk or merchandise from inside of their store. Some take in all kinds of items while others are only specific to certain types of products. 

How do Local Consignment Stores Work

Each store has its own terms and conditions. Some will buy work or merchandise outright for a fixed fee, some will let you rent a shelf, and some will charge a commission on each item you sell. 

A quick Google search for ‘second-hand shops in X place’ or ‘consignment stores near me’ should lead you to the closest locations. Find out what the selling process is like and make sure the payout is worthwhile before you agree to sell there.

The Pros

• You have control over what you supply and stock.
• There is very little risk involved.
• You do not need to set up any online accounts. 
• The store is probably just around the neighborhood, so it should be easy to access. 

The Cons

• The cash flow is uncertain.
• Retailers can charge high commissions according to their own terms.
• If you are working on a rental basis, space rental may cost more than you sell.

2# eBay

It is fairly easy to sell your old junk on eBay nowadays. Your second-hand goods are going to be someone else’s bargain on this platform. The ease of selling does come with caution though. eBay is where people shop when they want to make a deal or pick up a bargain. 

Unless the item is acquired for free or at a very low-cost, making big bucks from eBay can be quite challenging. It’s not impossible though because some people actually flip products for a profit in this marketplace. 

How eBay Works

After creating an account, you can list the item online by providing a relevant description, photos, and offer prices. The auction for the items will run for 7 days. Payments will be charged at the end of the month after the listing has ended. 

This means that listing fees are paid by the buyer, and are worked out dependant on the overall cost of your sale. The cost of sale includes how much postage was paid in this instance. If you sell an item for $51 and the postage is $50, you will stand to actually lose money.

So be careful with eBay and work out your rates before you list a new item. 

The Pros

• If you don’t sell anything, you don’t need to pay any fees.
• You are allowed to list for free.
• Offers a wide market for all sorts of products – you can sell anything from earrings to big equipment. 

The Cons

• Fees come off when products are long sold.
• Fees include postage.

3# Offerup

Offerup is an eBay alternative that works a hell lot faster than eBay ever did. Using the mobile app, you can list an item in less than a minute or while you are on the go. You can also monitor response times to find out how to improve the already streamlined sales process to shave even more time off. 

How Offerup Works

Offerup is based out of Chicago and aims to be a better version of Craigslist. They do this by taking security information to verify the identities of their users. When you upload an item you can take a picture of it, and then match its description to other products. All of this is aimed at making your experience faster and more secure in a digitally progressive world.

The Pros

• It is faster than other platforms.
• It is very secure.
• They have a multitude of categories to sell from.

The Cons

• Most of the sellers and buyers are based in the US. 
• Identity verification is annoying, no matter how good the intention.
• It has fewer users than on eBay. 

4# Bookscouter 

Bookscouter is an established intermediary platform between sellers and book companies such as Amazon and Powells. It acts as a search engine that compares prices among participating vendors for buyback, reselling as well as rental services. 

How Bookscouter Works

To sell used books, you would need to key in the ISBN number, book title or the author’s name. When the database finds a match, it will compare the prices among vendors and recommend the best place to sell your books. The selected company usually provides a free shipping label and you can choose to accept payment either through a check, PayPal or Amazon gift card. 

The Pros

• It’s a great place for college students to sell their good conditioned textbooks. 
• The free shipping method lets you move old books effortlessly.
• There are many vendors to choose from, but you should pick the higher rating ones. 

The Cons

• The marketplace is only accessible for people living in the US. 
• Popular and evergreen books sell better than outdated ones or fiction. 

5# ThredUp 

Want to make more space for your wardrobe? Thredup is the marketplace to sell gently used clothing (or even new with tags) for women and children. They also accept other items like shoes, bags, maternity as well as jewelry. The first step is to select good quality clothing from your wardrobe – think if it’s something you would give to a friend. Next, order the cleanout kit from the website and fill it up with the items. 

Then just send it off at the mail carrier and wait for the parcel to arrive at the sorting center. The Thredup team will do all the work from inspecting, photograph, listing and shipping the items to the customers. 

The Pros 

• Upcycling gently used clothes can save a ton of trash that goes to our landfill.
• If you don’t feel like making money, you can pick a charity of your choice and the company will donate $5 per bag on your behalf. 

The Cons 

• In most cases, only an average of 40% of the items is accepted. You can choose to donate the remaining 60% to charity or have it returned to you for a fee. 
• There’s a long waiting time for your money (between 60 to 90 days) before any of the items actually sell. 
• The marketplace tends to favor and offer a better pay rate for premium and designer labels. 

6# Swappa 

Swappa is a similar online marketplace that allows you to sell your old junk to someone else. While it can bring you a little cash for your worn goods, Swappa is confined to the technical. They offer a digital marketplace that sells digital technology that has been slightly used, but that is still relevant. 

How Swappa Works

Swappa works a little differently from other online selling platforms. Instead of charging a listing fee or a monthly price for use, Swappa adds the cost of each listing onto the buyer’s side. The buyer pays the small listing fee and you make your money. The only downside is that it is purely devoted to technology.

Another thing we love about Swappa is their affiliate program. You can make decent cash from featuring their products in your own online store. You can also become an eBay affiliate and make money using the same tactic but through the other site.

The Pros

• Good affiliate link fees and sellers don’t pay to list.
• Pricing data is provided to help you price correctly
• No monthly billing.

The Cons

• Only used for technology.
• Has to be used technology, not just cheap.

7# Facebook Marketplace 

Facebook is great for getting in touch with friends and families, but do you that it also has a marketplace for people from the same locality to buy and sell stuff online? You can easily find this feature on the left-hand panel (desktop version) of one’s Facebook home page.

You can list anything here, from pots and pans to even properties. Before doing so, it’s important to research what product is trending in your area, the suitable price range and product keywords. As Facebook doesn’t facilitate payments through the social portal, sales arrangement will be made between you and the buyer so remember to also factor in how far you are willing to travel for delivery if need be. 

The Pros

• It’s free to list items.
• You can screen the buyer’s Facebook profile before deciding to deal with them. 
• You can promote products in certain local groups to target a more specific audience. 

The Cons

• The risks involved in selling one-to-one is higher in terms of payment and delivery process.  
• No show is commonly expected even after closing a deal. 
•  The marketplace is crowded with sellers all the time and this will push your listing downwards and out of sight. 

8# Cars.com

If you need to sell a junk car – that’s a car that’s too wrecked to bother fixing anymore – then don’t just hand it to the scrap yard. There are people who will buy your old wrecks, break them up and sell on the parts. This was once done at a car breaker’s yard. This is a dying tradition. 

Nowadays we have Cars.com.

How Cars Works

If your vehicle is damaged, inoperable, or can’t be used due to missing paperwork, then you can contact this website. Someone will come and collect it for you, take it away, and pay you in real cash.

To be able to use this service you need to go through Peddle, their partner site, to get a free evaluation of how much your old car will be worth. Once done, you will be given the chance to accept or decline the offer. If you accept, your vehicle will be taken away and effectively scrapped.

Cars pays you money to take the costs of disposal off your hands. It’s a great service that can earn a little if you really have an old car. 

The Pros

• It pays out to rid you of a problematic vehicle.
• It can make you a few dollars when you thought you had lost all hope in a car.
• They conveniently come to pick up your junk car. 

The Cons

• Well, how often do you write off a car? Not very often, I am guessing. 
• It only works with vehicles, not old metal steels or such. 

---

Selling Junk and Beyond 

Bet you didn’t know that there are many ways to recycle and upcycle your junk for some extra cash, uh? Obviously, these are not long term money strategy unless you are hoarding unwanted items all the time. 

For a more reliable source of income, I highly recommend looking outside and think about selling other people’s products instead. We are talking about good quality first-hand goods here that fetch higher price values. 

Many brands will pay you a small commission for referring new customers to buy their products or services through affiliate programs. Do this continuously and you’ll be running a successful affiliate business in no time. 

Want to learn more? Join my recommended training platform to see how you can get started for free.