Declutter and make money from household and closet items (2024)

Want to know how to declutter and make money from that clutter? Well here is a useful guide on the best household items to sell and the best places to sell them to make extra cash.

DECLUTTER AND MAKE MONEY – IT’S A GREAT COMBINATION!

What could be better than decluttering and actually making money from your clutter? Not only will your home feel lovely and clutter-free you will also have more cash in your bank account. Win win!

But there is an art to selling your stuff. You need to be smart and sell different household items and other stuff like kids toys and clothes in different ways to make sure you make the most money and don’t waste your time.

Who knows, if you get good at it, you could turn selling your clutter into a business by graduating to finding stuff in thrift stores to flip for profit.

Yep, sometimes it is better to declutter and donate or give away rather than try and make money. Read on to find out the best household items to sell if you want to make good money and the best places to sell them.

MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR HOUSEHOLD DECLUTTER INSTEAD OF HOARDING IT

One of the biggest issues that stops many of us from decluttering is coming across something that is really good quality and still has lots of use left in it. We pick it up, look it over and then put it back ‘just in case’.

But often that item just sits gathering dust for more months when instead it could be sold to make some extra cash.

It took me a while to realise just how much money I could make from selling stuff my family and I no longer wanted or needed, both online and locally.

Ultimately, the incentive of being able to save money towards our next family holiday or just simply to help out with the cost of living spurs me on to declutter and sell what I can on a regular basis.

After several years of successfully selling our family’s unwanted stuff I have become something of an expert on the best way to do so and make good money. I’ve also learnt what is best to simply donate or give away.

So, if you are planning a big household declutter in the run up to Christmas as part of a big clear out or because you could really do with some extra cash, this is the guide you need to ensure you make the most of the time you have and maximise the money you make.

First up, to get you inspired, here’s a quick look list of 39 types of household items and stuff you own that you could look at selling.

QUICK LOOK LIST OF 39 HOUSEHOLD ITEMS THAT SELL WELL

These are the main categories of items that tend to sell easily and can sell for good money.

Now you are ready and raring to get selling, here’s a complete guide to the best places to sell stuff online where you stand a good chance of making decent cash for your efforts.

1. Mobile phones
2. Tablets
3. Laptops
4. Wearable tech – Fitbits / iWatches
5. Clothes
6. Shoes
7. Handbags
8. Wedding and bridesmaid dresses
9. Jewellery
10. Accessories
11. Watches
12. Kids clothes
13. Kids shoes
14. Television
15. Audio equipment
16. Kids toys
17. Lego – deserves a mention of its own!
18. Bicycles – popular kids bikes like Isla Bikes in particular go for a premium
19. Kids scooters
20. DVDs
21. CDs
22. Video games and gaming accessories
23. Books
24. Art – you’ve grown tired of or you know has gone up in value
25. Baby stuff – high chair, car seat, baby bath, cot, crib, pram or pushchair
26. Furniture – bed frames, sofas, sideboards, dining tables and chairs
27. Soft furnishings – curtains, rugs
28. Kitchens
29. Bathrooms
30. Conservatories
31. Household white goods – washing machines, fridges, freezers
32. Kitchen gadgets – bread maker, ice-cream maker…
33. Gardening tools and equipment like lawn mowers
34. DIY tools
35. Cameras
36. Hobby kit – from abandoned hobbies
37. Exercise equipment – exercise bikes, weights, running machines
38. Camping gear – tents, stoves
39. Pet stuff – outgrown puppy crates, training leads, puppy harnesses

THE BEST PLACES TO SELL HOUSEHOLD ITEMS ONLINE

There is a very well established online and digital second hand market but some online and digital places are better than others, depending on what it is you want to sell.

Not every digital platform or website works for everything and the last thing anyone wants is to either put a lot of time into trying to sell something only to fail or to find that you have to sell it for a fraction of what it is worth.

So my first tip for making the most money you can from selling your clutter is to consider what you want to sell and the best place to sell it.

Now let’s run through the best sites and platforms to use for different kinds of stuff.

HOW TO MAKE CASH FROM OLD MOBILE/CELLPHONES AND TECH

Hands up if you’re guilty of having a drawer in your house full of old bits of tech? That old mobile/cellphone you’re hoarding just in case.

One of the biggest incentives to clear out that tech drawer is the amount of money you can make by selling old phones, tablets and other tech stuff.

It really can be quite considerable and the most important thing to note is that the sooner you do it, the more money you make.Everytime Apple or Samsung releases a new model the value of all previous models goes down.

THE BEST SITES FOR SELLING MOBILES/CELLPHONES AND TECH

If you want to know the best place to sell mobiles and other tech I recommend that you use an online site that specialise in buying and selling tech. I would be very wary of selling an old mobile/cellphone on eBay or Facebook Marketplace.

Sites that specialise in buying used tech are very careful to provide you with guidelines on how to prepare your phone for sale – i.e restoring factory settings and other security tips -and will give you a price that they will buy at, so there is no risk of selling a relatively young iPhone for a fraction of what you wanted to sell it for.

I have had success selling old mobile phones and ipads to both MusicMagpie and Envirofone. I also know that Mozillion gets amazing reviews.

It is worth comparing prices across all three ahead of deciding which to sell to. There are a few sites out there that allow you to compare prices really easily, including CompareAndRecycle (UK) and SellCell (US)

1. MUSIC MAGPIE/DECLUTTR

MusicMagpie (DeCluttr in the US) was one of the first online sites to buy and sell secondhand tech. It gets a score of excellent on TrustPilot with good reason.

You simply enter the details of your tech on its site to get offered a price. If you’re happy with the price you can pop your tech in a box and send it free of charge.

If MusicMagpie has any issues with the condition of the tech it will offer you a revised price and give you the choice to accept that price or they’ll send the tech back to you.

Assuming all is well with the condition of the phone you will be paid the same day as MusicMagpie receives your phone.

MusicMagpie also buys the following items:

• Tech– Phones, Tablets, eReaders, wearables, consoles, MacBooks and laptops
• Media– Games, DVD’s & CD’s
• Books– Fiction and non-fiction books
• Lego– yes, really! Scroll down to find more specific details on selling Lego

Find out more about MusicMagpie. Find out more about Decluttr.

2. ENVIROFONE

I have been using Envirofone consistently for the last few years and am always really pleased with the money I get paid for old phones and other tech. This is bourne out by it being rated excellent on TrustPilot, just a smidge ahead of MusicMagpie.

What I really like about Envirofone – other than the fact the prices they offer are really competitive – is that they send you a box for your tech so you don’t have to hunt around for something to send it in and you know that it is totally secure.

It’s just one less thing to worry about and actually spurs me on to actually get around to sending the phone off!

Envirofone works in the same way as MusicMagpie, you simply enter the details of the tech and it gives you a price. It wil also negotiate if the phone or tech isn’t in the condition it is expecting.

Envirofone is one of the longest running mobile phone recyclers in the UK, established in 2005. Envirofone buys the following items:

• Mobiles
• Tablets
• Wearables

Find out more about Envirofone.

3. MOZILLION

Now I have yet to use Mozillion, but it has a super impressive 4.8 out of five excellent score on TrustPilot, so I feel it is well worth including in this roundup.

Like MusicMagpie and Envirofone, you can search on Mozillion for your phone model and it will give you a price.

But this is where things then differ from the other two sites. Instead of sending the phone to Mozillion you list it on the site if you are happy with the price it suggests.

So rather than trading your phone in you are selling direct to a private seller, but within the safety of Mozillion. This means you will potentially make more money.

If and when the phone sells you send it to Mozillion and they send it on to the buyer and send you the cash.

Find out more about Mozillion.

I will just add the Apple does offer a trade-in service and so does Samsung, however the consensus is that you will get better value from using a site like MusicMagpie, Envirofone or Mozillion if you want to get the best cash price.

THE BEST WAY TO SELL BABY AND KIDS CLOTHES

In my experience you can spend a lot of time listing baby and kids clothes and make very little money for your effort. So the first thing to know is that not all kids clothes are equal when it comes to getting a good resale price for them.

It’s all pretty logical really, but essentially:

• Popular well-known mid to highend brands in excellent condition will get the best resale price
• Mass market brands in excellent condition can work well if sold in mini bundles
• General brands in excellent and good condition are best bundled together (ideally by age) and sold in bulk
• Anything else… as long as it’s in good condition it’s best to donate it and if the clothes have holes, are worn or just not wearable, then it’s best to send them off for recycling

The second thing to know is that not all online sites and platforms are equal when it comes to selling baby and kids clothes.

It is very easy to spend hours carefully listing stuff on eBay only to end up selling stuff for pennies and having the hassle of packing it up and sending it as the final kick.

eBay is still a viable option for selling kids clothes, but what I suggest is doing a search through sold items for the brand or type of clothing that you want to sell to see a. whether it sells well and b. what the final sale prices are.

Ultimately the baby and kids second-hand clothing market is pretty saturated, so be prepared to sell the majority of it in bundles sorted by age and/or brand.

Another tip is to make sure bundles aren’t too big, because many buyers will be nervous of paying out for a large bundle only to find that much of it isn’t what they wanted.

For example, put together a bundle of ten items, with a photo that clearly shows all of them, rather than a bundle of 100 items where the buyer feels like they’re taking pot luck.

Online sites and apps where it is worth selling kids clothes include:

• eBay
• Vinted
• Mercari (US only)
• Facebook Marketplace

As well as the major online marketplaces there are plenty of smaller startups buying and selling second-hand kids clothes, so it’s well worth doing a google to find out if there are any in your country/area.

Here’s a list of a few UK kids clothes marketplaces:

• Dotte
• The Octopus Club
• Kids O Clock

SELL LEGO BY WEIGHT

Did you know there is a huge market for secondhand Lego? Well there is! There are a couple of ways to consider selling Lego.

You can sell Lego in bundles but this is a method to use if you have loads of it to get rid of quickly, you don’t have the time or interest in dividing it up and any money you make is a bonus.

Alternatively, there is good resale value in Lego sets and Lego figurines. I hope it goes without saying that you must ensure that a Lego set has absolutely every single piece of Lego in the set and ideally a set of instructions!

Places where you can sell Lego and make cash include:

• MusicMagpie/Decluttr – will buy in bulk as well as buy sets and figurines
• BrickBin (UK) – will buy in bulk as well as buy sets and figurines
• BrickLink (UK) – you will need to become a registered seller in the same way as eBay, it’s particularly good for selling rare and high value Lego
• eBay – sell in bulk as well as sell sets and figurines
• WeBuyGames – will buy in bulk as well as buy sets and figurines
• Facebook Marketplace – sell in bulk as well as sell sets and figurines
• Facebook Lego groups – there are a number of Lego Facebook groups, it’s worth looking into these if you’ve got high value Lego to sell

This guide on how to pack Lego for a move is really useful if you are overrun with Lego and want to get it organised to see exactly what you have or want some ideas on how to pack it up to sell.

BULK SELL CDs DVDs AND BOOKS FOR CASH

There can be a lot of emotion tied to CDs, DVDs and books. CDs in particular hark back to a time when we had to put a little more thought into getting hold of the music we loved. So it can be hard to let go, even though those very same songs can be listened to on Spotify or Amazon or on a gazillion other streaming services.

The same can be said of books versus Kindle! But if you’re honest with yourself, how many times do you go back and read a book, even if it’s one you loved reading the first time?

The reality is that CDs, DVDs and books take up HUGE amounts of space and are great at gathering dust. The other reality is that they are unlikely to be worth a lot individually. But if you bulk sell them it could be really worth your while.

Both MusicMagpie (Decluttr US) and WeBuyBooks (UK) make it very easy to sell CDs, DVDs and books in bulk.

The simplest way to do so with both sites is by downloading the app and then either scanning barcodes or entering the barcode numbers for CD and DVDs, and barcode or ISBN for books.

Download the Music Magpie app. Download the WeBuyBooks app.

This video from We Buy Books shows how easy it is to use its app to scan a barcode – and in my experience the MusicMagpie app is just as simple to use. It literally takes a second to scan and get the item added with its price.

If you have a signed, limited edition or rare book it is well worth using Abe Books (Abe Books UK) to find out what it is potentially worth.

BEST PLACES TO SELL ADULT SECONDHAND CLOTHES

There are lots of places to sell clothes online. Be honest with yourself about the condition of the item, even a designer label item won’t sell for a good price if it is damaged or worn out. Buyers are, understandabley, really particular.

Here is a list of some of the main places you can sell clothing, shoes and accessories online and stand to make good cash.

1. DEPOP (UK, US)

Depop is a favourite place to buy and sell clothes, shoes and accessories for influencers and GenZ. There are no listing fees, but there is a 10% commission charge for all sales.

2. VINTED (INTERNATIONAL)

Vinted is a great place to sell high street clothing brands. It’s a marketplace rather than an auction site, so there is no chance of your items going for less than you price them unless you negotiate with a buyer.
Listings and sales are free, it’s the buyer who is charged a small fee. One thing to note is that you only get paid once your item is received and accepted by the buyer.

3. POSHMARK (US)

Poshmark, like Vinted, is a great place to sell high street clothing brands. It operates the same sales payment method as Vinted too, where payment is made once the buyer has received and accepted the item.

There is a flat commission fee for items under $15. For items sold over $15 the commission fee is 20%.

3. VESTIAIRE COLLECTIVE (INTERNATIONAL)

Vestiaire Collective is a great place for selling designer label and high end brand clothing. Vestiaire authenticates items as you list them, which is reassuring for buyers and means that you stand to get the best price for an item.

All items need to be sent to Vestiaire rather than to the buyer once sold. Vestiaire also offers a listings service, where you send all your items in and they list them for you.

Vestiaire Collective charges a commission of around 20% if you list items yourself. This reduces down to around 75% if Vestiaire lists for you. These figures are fairly high, but you will stand to sell designer label items for better prices than you would get if you sell on eBay or other clothing marketplaces.

4. EBAY

EBAY is a really good generalist auction marketplace if you just want to set up and account with one site and sell everything through it. That said, if you do have designer label clothing in great condition, it really would be worth your while to go to a more specialist platform like Vestiaire Collective. You can sell items in bundles if you want to reduce the time it takes you to list everything. Just make sure to bundle by brand or by clothing size.

EBAY lets you list and sell 20 items for free. After that listing fees are charged with the rate dependent on whether you opt to auction or use the ‘Buy It Now’ function. Commission is 10% of the sale price. EBAY charges you on a monthly basis, so don’t let the fees charge creep up on you.

5. FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE

Use Facebook Marketplace if you only want to deal with local sales and want a super quick and easy way to get rid of stuff. This isn’t going to be the best way to maximise the money you make, but it is a quick way of decluttering your wardrobe. Bundle items together for quick sales that don’t take you forever to list.

There is no listing fee and there is no commission charged.

6. PRELOVED (UK)

Preloved is similar to using Facebook Marketplace, so perfect if you don’t have Facebook. It is great for local sales and quick and easy to use. Again, it is not the place to make your fortune selling your unwanted clothes, but it is a great place to declutter your wardrobe quickly.

There is no listing fee and no commission.

7. THREDUP CLEAN OUT (US ONLY)

ThredUp offers a closet cleanout service by sending you a Clean Out Kit bag that you fill and send to ThredUp using a prepaid shipping label. The site then inspects your items to see what could sell and what should be donated. You can choose to receive cash or shopping credit for items that sell.

BEST PLACE TO SELL WEDDING DRESSES ONLINE

You can of course sell your wedding dress on any of the clothing marketplaces and auction sites listed above, however wedding dresses are in a league of there own and there are some great specialist online wedding retailers you can use.

Browse google to find good local options, but here are two sites that are well-known as great places to sell wedding dresses.

1. Still White – the largest wedding dress marketplace in the UK. Listing fees apply
2. Nearly Newly Wed – this is a really popular US wedding dress marketplace. Commission is charged at 40%, but the site does absolutely everything for you, which will include getting you the best price possible

TIPS FOR MAKING THE MOST MONEY FROM SELLING YOUR STUFF

Keep reading for some more general tips on the best way to make money from selling household clutter and stuff you no longer want or need.

1. Consider what you want to sell and the best place to sell it, it will save you a lot of time and effort and help you maximise the amount of cash you make
2. Check the fees that the online site or digital platform takes before you commit to using it.
3. Research what similar items to yours have been listed and/or sold for in the recent past to work out whether your item will stand a chance or a. selling and b. sell for a price you are happy with
4. Be realistic on price if you want to make sure to sell the item
5. It is worth taking the time to get more expensive or items that are important to you valued by a professional. They may also be able to give you tips on the best place to sell. Just be sure to make sure to check the credibility and trustworthiness of the professional
6. Don’t underestimate the value of your time. Cleaning, taking photographs, writing descriptions, answering queries, parcelling securely and sending items takes time. I’ve learned to be more realistic about how much I can make selling clutter versus the value of my time. My bottom line is that if I won’t make more than £10 on a transaction it’s really not worth the effort
7. Be really accurate and honest with your listing and take as many photos of it from every angle as possible. Also give as much detail as possible, think about what you would want to know if you were buying the item. This helps with buyer confidence and is also insurance against future issues of an item not being as expected
8. A quick way to draft descriptions is to find a description of the same product on eBay (ideally one that sold for a good price) and use it as the basis for the description of your item
9. Some items, like everyday kids clothing is better sold as a bundle, because the individual price of the items wouldn’t be worth your time listing. Bundle selling is also good for books, DVDs and CDs. Just make sure there aren’t any real gems that could make a good amount of money if sold on their own to avoid seller’s regret!
10. Be really clear about delivery/shipping – who is responsible for paying for it and what your boundaries are with regard to people collecting from you. Check costs ahead of time if you are responsible for shipping to avoid them eating into the money you make
11. Offering free shipping can be a good way to entice buyers for some items, but make sure you will still come out ahead on what you make
12. Seaonality can really affect the price of some items. It is well worth holding off selling winter coats until the Autumn and selling outdoor hobby kit at the appropriate time of year. Bikes also have seasons, with Christmas being the exception in the winter months
13. Use local sales to safe on effort. Now obviously you could organise your own garage sale, but unless you’re moving and need to get rid of heaps of stuff to avoid the costs of shifting it, this has to come under the category of ‘major headache’. However,I do think it’s worth looking out for local mums and school sales. The caveat being that you are prepared to ‘price to sell’. This way you can get rid of loads of things all in one day and be done

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