Are you holding onto certain items because they might be “worth something?” If so, it’s time to take the Ebay Reality Check. Just about everything imaginable has been sold on Ebay.com—which makes it a great reference with which to value your items.
Unless you are dealing with some true rarities, why pay for an expensive appraisal when you have all that Ebay info at your fingertips? Chances are, if you want to sell an item, that’s where you’ll end up; and no matter what valuation an appraiser gives it, you can only sell it for what someone is willing to pay.
Tired of dusting around that vase you inherited? Don’t know what to do with that old turntable in the basement? No longer interested in the figurines, paperweights, or sports memorabilia you once avidly collected? Take a few minutes, surf over to Ebay, and see what it’s going for!
Chances are, most of your clutter is not fetching a fortune—and in my opinion, any item unlikely to sell for more than $10 is hardly worth the time and effort to photograph it, list it, and ship it.
But that doesn’t mean you have to hold onto it… Feel free to let it go! If you ever have the need for such an item in the future, look how inexpensively you can acquire it!
And for those few treasures for which you can pocket some serious cash—why not go for it? If you don’t need it, and don’t love it, take some snaps and put it up for auction. You’ll have the photographs for memories, and some extra space in your house. And don’t you think Aunt Edna would be pleased if her old silverware helped finance a kitchen makeover?
My parents just downsized from a 2000 sq. foot home with 3 bay garage to a 2 bedroom townhouse. All the “antiques” my Mom thought she was going to fetch a fortune for ended up making her only $5000 at auction…still a lot of $$$ but in contrast to what she spent over 40 years of collecting, hauling, storing and worrying about someone breaking into the house, I think she was a little disappointed. To watch things walk away for mere dollars just about did her in. She was shocked at the low value in them. The one good thing is she now lives with just what she wants and her place looks great!!! : )
Thanks for sharing this, Heather; what an eye-opening experience! I think that all too often, the perceived “value” of our stuff keeps us tied to it–when in reality, freedom from it is priceless.
I so needed to read this. I’m trying to downsize for a move and there are a few “valuable” things I was hanging onto that I “might” be able to sell for $$ on eBay… by the time I photograph and list and answer questions and mail it off, would I really make any money?? THANK YOU!!
It’s almost easier to sell locally via sites like Craigslist or to give away items via Freecycle. No worries about packing, insuring and mailing an item!
You can only sell it for what someone is willing to pay…I say this so often. My adult sons have all of these sports memorabilia items that they collected and never took out of the boxes. They store them in rented storage units and never even see them. They think that they are valuable, BUT..it makes no sense to keep something that you have to pay rent to store! They are both sentimental and have a very hard time parting with childhood treasures. I’m a mimimalist and would work fulltime as a declutter specialist. I love helping others declutter. BUT, it’s a difficult task…not the labor, working with people who fight you to keep their “stuff”. I’ve been trying to declutter my mother’s house and what a headache. I use psychology on her and quote some of the things that are on your blog. Slowly, but surely, she is parting with 65 years of accumulation.
What a great site. what a breath of fresh, free air.
One thing that I never thought of, with my surface intellect alone but which Spirit and its intelligence of inner knowing or Knowledge has confirmed in my heart is in an amazing book entitled The Great Waves of Change, in the chapter entitled The Deep Evaluation. In GWC, (4 free chapters of online free at http://www.greatwavesofchange.org) the text and personal actions steps in the back of the book clearly shows me why shedding belongings feels so good, because in life, by nature of its interdependency, connectivity, and relationships, we are in relationship with absolutely everything. We are in relationship with our mind, in relationship with our body, with our possessions, with our community and neighbors, with our environment and how much we consume of its divine inheritance, etc. Possessions happen to be one of the most readily examined in the chapter. We’re also in relationship with our pillars of balanced living: health, relationships, work/providorship, and spiritual development.
If we’re lying to ourselves, we’re lying to other people. Where is the lie being lived, where is the source of the discomfort and pain about the state of one of our pillars and our internal condition? we could ask. That weak pillar, perhaps its our health, or our work pillar, it will hold back and keep us in place, with all the other 3 pillars, which may be pretty stable. This is what I have found to be true certainly in my own experience, mistakes, and patterns. So, in looking at our lives, it makes sense, as we change and evolve, to start with our possessions.
So, possessions, which like all things you’re in relationship with, all have a connection to you, and can therefore end up taking energy from you, if they are not useful/used or super meaningful. Lots of old, historical/nostalgic or ‘worth atleast what we paid for them’ possessions, they’re all pulling energy from you, and not just during moving. But they’re exerting a backward pull, since most of our lives and all of our surface intellect are quite past-referenced and past looking. There is a lot of freed up energy in cleaning the house, taking stuff out, but there is also a lot of freed energy in getting rid of excess and not useful possessions.
The Deep Evaluation chapter guides you to look at each possession you have, (maybe not each fork) and ask,
-is this really going to be useful for me in the future yes or no?
-is this greatly inspirational for my new life I know I am heading towards now yes or no?
If not, you have to begin and be willing to set those items aside to be given away or in some cases sold or trashed, whatever the case may be. in doing so, there will be a return of energy, focus, and for me a clearing of the surface intellect and physical space are directly related. I hope this helps.
Your mind may resist and avoid, but in your heart, in your Knowledge, you will know what is correct about your relationship with this item. How great it is to give away stuff that is neither useful nor really inspirational in my life now! It feels awesome, it is so freeing, no huge hassle to move, no avoiding the unpack, no feeling bogged down and avoidant just walking by the stacks of stuff waiting for “someday-maybe” to actually get completed, done, and out of our lives. Its gone! Free to move, free to think, free to see, free to know, free to feel and now there is a new space in my life, to accomodate and do new things, that really resonate, deeply, spiritually, not just intellectually, and stroke the intellect’s desire for overabundance and comfort and consolation.
kind regards family. love yourself and others.
This is so true. We have recently gotten rid of a bunch of stuff on Kijiji. It is nice to lighten the load and to put stuff into the hands of people who actually will use it. I have also used eBay to purchase extra pieces of my china set. It is amazing to find that pieces that once cost. $50. each can now be found for just a couple of dollars.
I buy things occasionally at thrift shops or rummage sales. I saw some cup and saucer sets at Macy’s which were $45. Then, for an event our local museum was having I went to Goodwill and bought some pretty cup and saucer sets for 99 cents. They wanted to have as many pretty sets as possible for a tea party atmosphere. Salvation Army has sets of china, whole sets for around $10 or $15.
We were given sets of good china even though in our 43 years together, we never asked for any. I gave a set as a second wedding gift to a friend who wanted nice china but had never had any. I have given other pretty dishes, salt and pepper sets, sugar and creamer sets away. I still have enough dishes if my younger son gets married, he can have some dishes from his grandmother. Who needs a houseful of china in their retirement?
My daughter left some unopened gifts here some years ago. They were high up in a closet. I finally told her I was giving them to her brother to sell. I teach succulent gardening because small dish gardens make great gifts. I buy beautiful china bowls on half price day at Goodwill.