How to Sell Items When Downsizing Your Home
It has felt like a very long winter, and now that spring is here, it is time to declutter, reorganize, and do some good old spring cleaning!
If you are overwhelmed and buried under mounds of stuff, it is probably time to consider downsizing your home. Whether moving to a smaller home or just wanting to live more minimally, downsizing can be arduous.
What do you do with all the stuff? While some items should be recycled or tossed, many of our belongings have a lot of life left in them. Read on for our top tips on how to sell items when downsizing your home.
Facebook Marketplace is great for selling almost anything, PoshMark and DePop are excellent for listing clothing, and eBay is great for vintage or collectibles. Kijiji and Craigslist are other options for selling locally.
Follow these tips for selling your items online:
- Research. While it takes a bit more time, it will be worth it. Go onto various platforms and search for items similar to the ones you are selling. You will quickly get an idea of how to price your items and which platform may be best to use.
- Quick sell or high payout? What is your goal? To sell everything quickly, or are you ok with holding out for the best offer? Deciding which is most important will influence how you price your items.
- Post amazing photos! Taking the time to snap some great pics will make all the difference in whether your item will sell quickly and for what it is worth or if your listing will go stagnant. Good lighting and a clutter-free background are key.
- Be descriptive! List important details of the item, and include size (for clothing) and measurements (for furniture, etc). There is nothing worse than clicking on a listing and scrolling to the description section for more information only to find it blank.
- Be honest! Don’t try to hide any knicks, scratches, or dings. Add photos of any damage or information about it to the description. Buyers want to know what they’re getting; this will also increase the chance of the first person who comes to see the item purchasing it. If there is undisclosed damage, most people will walk away.If selling online doesn’t appeal to you, and you have the space, consider having a Garage or Yard Sale. While these often take a lot of preparation and setup, they are a great way to sell things quickly. Follow the same pricing advice we gave above and make sure you advertise. People won’t come to a sale they don’t know about! Put up posters around your neighbourhood
3-5 days in advance and post about it on your local community Facebook group. You could even approach your neighbours about participating. The larger the sale is, the more people it will attract.
If you are in a time crunch and want to be a little more hands-off, make sure to check out Maxsold. Maxsold is an online auction platform that has helped many people sell their belongings for market value. They come to your home, take all of the photos, create the listings and guarantee to sell the items within two weeks. They will then organize to have all of the buyers pick up the items on the same day.
If most of your items are clothing, consignment may be the way to go. A quick google search will bring up consignment shops in your area. It is a great way to resell clothing that requires minimal effort. They take care of the work and then give you a portion of the sale price. Each consignment shop will have requirements for either type of clothing being accepted and drop-off instructions, so make sure to contact them beforehand.
Still need help downsizing your home? Our team is here for you. Contact us today to schedule your free phone consultation to see how we can bring harmony to your home.
