The Millstone Times April 2019

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Purge, Toss &Make Some Money By Lauren Kowlacki Tossing possessions that you don’t need any more is a great way to lessen your clutter and stress. But you don't have to lose your clothes, books and oth- er items for nothing. Your stuff is worth something and if they haven’t brought you joy can still make you cash. Start by going through your possessions in order, from clothes, to books, to household items and deciding what to keep and what to purge. Where to sell clothing On-Line Poshmark allows sellers to photograph and upload items to their online closets quickly using their phones. The site provides pre-paid labels for easier shipping. Selling takes little effort, but buyers can haggle Instagram already provides a platform for people to show off their fashion. You can turn your account into a storefront, though you'll have to manage payment, shipping and returns yourself. Thredup is well suited for people who want to get rid of a lot of stuff quickly. You order a bag, fill it with clothes, ship it to Thredup and they pay you for the items they accept. Tradesy only accepts designer fashion, so if you have fancy items in good condition, this could be an option. Tradesy sends sellers a free shipping kit. For items that sell for less than $50, Tradesy takes a $7.50 commission. For items that sell for more, Tradesy takes 19.8%. Where to sell books The best place to start may be your local used bookstore. Call them up to see what they're looking for. Bookscouter can help you learn what your books are worth. Its ISBN search tells you what other sellers are charging for the books you're trying to sell. It's mostly for textbooks, though. The Amazon Trade-In program accepts books in exchange for Amazon gift cards. Amazon provides a free trade-in shipping label. You can also take items to a brick-and-mortar Amazon Books location. Where to sell other stuff Amazon lets you sell a variety of items. Individual sellers must pay a fee of $0.99 for every item sold, as well as a referral fee, depending on the type of item. eBay takes 10% or less from each sale and also allows you to sell basically anything. For those who want to sell locally, Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace allow you to list items for free. Transactions using these services are more hands-on: You have to arrange the payment method and meeting place yourself. On the other hand, Craigslist and Facebook won't take any of the proceeds. Exercise caution when selling something to a stranger, said Kelvin Coleman, executive director of the National Cyber Security Allowance. If you're not careful, you can become a victim of fraud or worse, since transactions are in-person. "Buying or selling items via social sites bridges both personal and online se- curity, so a good rule of thumb is trusting your instincts," Coleman said. To arrange these transactions, use an email address separate from the account you use for dealing with financial or health issues. Limit the information you reveal about yourself both in conversation with the buyer and in anything you post online. Meet in a public place during the day like a coffee shop or library where other people will be present, he said. If that's not possible, recruit a buddy to be present during the sale, especially if the buyer is coming to your home, Coleman said. Use common sense, Cole- man said. If anything feels fishy, call off the deal.

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