Lara Gilbert Tired of looking into the spare room and being faced with a mountain of boxes? Or the garden shed where things slowly pile up until you can no longer shut the door?
We all do it, however much we don’t like to admit it. We hoard. There is always something that we can’t quite bring ourselves to part with, be it a much loved Teddy Bear or that first LP purchase. The problem with that first LP purchase is that it will be on vinyl and unless you are a real first-class hoarder then the piece of equipment used to play said LP will be long gone.
So, what do we do with it? We can keep it of course and watch the pile steadily grow. We can take it to the local tip, or we can try to get a little bit of cash for it. Before you see the words ‘car boot sale’ flash in front of your eyes, carry on reading. There is no longer any need to pack all those boxes into a car, unpack them onto a table in a rainy field and then repack them having sold nothing. There is no need to drag them into your local market or second-hand stall only to walk away with not enough to purchase a coffee from the shop next door. The internet has once again provided a way forward.
This way, selling your stuff is easy – so easy that after you have done it once you will wonder why you haven’t done it before. We aren’t talking auctions here. There is no need to take photographs and upload them, no need to pack items up in jiffy bags and boxes and take them to the post office. You can now sell your unwanted items without even leaving the comfort of your own living room.
All you need is the barcode of the item that you want to sell, a computer and an internet connection. There are internet companies that will value your item and buy it off you. Once you have accepted their offer they will either send an envelope for you to return it to them or despatch a courier to collect it. All you need to do is enter the barcode of the item into the website. If you have a webcam the process is even easier. All you have to do is scan the code with your webcam and let the system do the rest.
Originally, these companies could only take electronic goods such as CDs, DVDs and computer games, but they are now branching out into clothes as well. So don’t look at the boxes any longer, open them and see what treasure you have hidden. Of course, you aren’t going to be able to part with it all. Unwanted gifts are still hard to get rid of, but you can certainly reduce the clutter.
This insight into selling unwanted items was written by Jaye Staddon, a freelance writer and confirmed hoarder who never realised that selling your stuff is easy when you know how.
