I think one of the most discouraging aspects of any major de-clutter mission is the fact that the process itself creates such a mess. Can I get a witness?
As you know, I am in the middle of de-cluttering my garage, but have a little tyranny of the urgent syndrome going on right now because this weekend is our local JBF Sale - a big children's consignment sale. I have been shushing the voice inside my head who for months has been saying, "it is perfectly ok to tag things sooner than 2 days prior to drop off!"
The good thing, even in my procrastination, is that some of the mess originally in the garage was actually bins of clothes and toys that I need to tag to sell. The other benefit this process has is the fact that now my attic has been cleared out some. By Thursday afternoon, I should be able to take a picture of my garage and possibly even have enough space to park a car inside of it. Right now, though, the garage looks like it has been transformed into a toy store.
Since a sell pile was part of the chaos clearing process, it is a natural fit for now to be the time that I am actually prepping things to sell. I will be honest and say that selling things is a double edged sword for me. I love the thought of making a little cashola for my used things, but the process of tagging for a sale like this one is treacherous - hence why I have put it off so long.
I also have had some bad experiences recently with a local Facebook consignment group. The thrill of the sell can become the agony of waiting for the people who seem so gung-ho about buying my stuff to actually make it to my door! Then I read stories like this and seriously reconsider selling my stuff to strangers who may need to come to my house. Remember I have seen lots of Lifetime Movies. Someone is killed in just about all of them!
Selling things requires perseverance! It requires the mindset that the time and effort spent prepping and waiting is worth it in the end.
I know you're dying to know where my favorite places to sell my used stuff is!
1) Local Consignment shops - This hasn't always been the case because I lived for 3.5 years in a large city that had one consignment store that was jam packed with stuff. They also had funky buying hours so I didn't sell much there. And I think I made quite the donation when we left there because I never picked up a check that they owed me! Here in Central TX there are multiple options - We have an Other Mothers and a Smarty Pants. I prefer Smarty Pants, but only because I have had the most experience there.
2) Semi Annual Consignment Sales - In the south, these types of sales are everywhere. Where I live, most are affiliated with Just Between Friends, but other places I have lived have independently run sales. I love these because you haul all your junk in with prices you set and go pick it all back up a few days later. A week or so later a check arrives in the mail! It is a little bit of work to get your items tagged and ready, though. You have to be committed! You also have to read the fine print! Every sale has its own nuances and requirements for tagging items. I just read that the one I am consigning with this weekend does not allow plastic hangers like the ones that you get when you buy a hanging item from a store. I had to go buy a bunch of plastic tube hangers tonight to rehang some of my clothes! Really?!
3) Local Consignment websites - We have a Facebook page for peeps in my county to list and sale household items called Constant Consignment. It is a good resource to find things and list things, but I am finding it is the most unreliable bunch of buyers! People respond quickly and act like they want to buy your stuff, but it could be weeks before they actually want to pick it up! I have had 2 sales go that way. I actually still have one of the items that I attempted to sell a few weeks ago and the gal never showed up. I will probably just re list it eventually. Craigslist is another good place to list items for sale, but buyers and sellers there can be just as wishy-washy!
Through this garage purging process, I have become more aware of items that just aren't worth the effort to sell. I keep filling up my Goodwill box! I will probably try to drop another load off tomorrow!
Here's to hoping my time and effort pay off in a few weeks.
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