Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Letting Go: The Ebay dream


I have bins of items that I intend to sell on eBay. Now, I actually have sold items on eBay, so this isn't an impossible dream. But, I don't do it. I can't remember the last time I had items listed for sale. Frankly, I don't like doing it. It's a hassle--you have to take pictures, write descriptions, measure things, weigh them, figure out the shipping cost, and then actually type all that information into the eBay system. Major hassle, especially with small children and cats around.

So, why don't I just give it all away? (no individual item is valuable enough to take it to one of those places that sell your stuff for you, or I would do that). I hesitate because (wait for it...)...all that stuff is worth good money! I can't just give it away! I just need to (insert gung-ho adjective). But I don't, right? So, shouldn't I just let it all go? Free myself of it?

You may ask how much stuff we're talking about here. Let me show you:
This is the main stack of bins:




Smaller stack, with those culled cookbooks on top:


These bins fill a closet. Hard to see how many there are, because they're all silver:


More bins in the closet. These are different from the ones above.


The bag has packing peanuts and other shipping supplies:

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think it is time to let it go. It's only "worth good money" if you sell it, and of course there's no guarantee it will sell. You'll feel happier and lighter giving it away, and think of the tax benefit! :)

Anonymous said...

There is a compromise between listing on Ebay and giving it all away. You may want to consider posting on Craig's List. I've been doing that a lot lately. I've sold everything from a 30-year-old TV set ($10) to a car ($600). You list it, they call you, pick it up, and pay you. Pictures are optional, since the people will be coming to see the item in person anyway, and they can make the final decision at that time. You don't have to deal with waiting for the auction to end, receiving payment, shipping, etc.

But if you don't need the money, just take all those bins to the thrift store and be done with it. You'll feel so much better afterwards!

Anonymous said...

I've had great luck with Craig's List. I picked up a little bit of money for quite a small effort.