Before you banish those seven-year-old leather pumps to the local landfill, consider this: A 2013 report from eBay revealed that a pair of shoes sold every two seconds on the site, with the fashion category in general grossing over $3.5 billion in sales in just a single quarter, and electronic devices weren't far behind. So, as you clean house this spring, take a closer look at your "junk": It could make you a tidy profit.
FASHION
If you're so over those once-coveted Stuart Weitzman boots (hey, fashion is fickle), it may be time to shop your closet.
• Poshmark, a free mobile app, lets stylish types see and buy your treasures on the fly. Create free listings by snapping pics with your smartphone of items you want to sell. Poshmark skims 20% off your price, and the buyer pays for shipping.
• Tradesy, a digital buy-and-sell marketplace, features both high-end (Alexander Wang, Gucci) and brand-name (J.Crew, Zara) labels (we recently spotted a magenta Coach bag, with tags, originally $378, selling for $174). Designer duds usually go for 65% off retail; other clothes, 70% to 75% off. The site takes just 9%, so if your castoffs are in good shape, you could pocket a nice amount of cash.
• Plato's Closet is a hip resale shop (with about 400 locations across the United States) that buys teens' and 20-somethings' clothes — typically stuff that's been in stores within the past 12 to 18 months.
• ThredUp, an online consignment shop, sends you a Clean Out Bag to fill with clothes and ship back, postage paid. Within a month, they'll let you know what they'll buy and for how much; you earn up to 80% of the selling price (and they accept kids' clothes, too).
TOP-DOLLAR TRICK: When you post online, include several photos showing front, back, and side views — even of the interior of a handbag and the soles of shoes. Note anything unique, such as a blazer's silk lining.
HOME GOODS
Are great-aunt Sophie's upholstered ottoman, two extra sets of wedding china, and heaven knows what else still sitting in the basem*nt gathering dust? Sure, you could have a killer yard sale, but there are easier — and more profitable — ways to pocket some green.
• Craigslist and eBay are great for big-ticket items (a major appliance sold on the latter site every 26 seconds in the third quarter of 2013 alone). Brand names in like-new condition usually bring in bigger bucks (Pottery Barn tables, Kitchen Aid mixers), but items from another era — say, china pieces produced in a limited run — are also in demand. Even 1960s and 1970s kitsch may fetch a nice sum — call it the Mad Men effect. One eBay seller offloaded a 1968 glass coffeepot for $23.
• Classic Replacements buys china, crystal, and flatware from anywhere in the U.S. Once you receive a quote, ship it to them: If they like what they see, they'll pay within a week; if they don't, they'll return it free of charge.
• Facebook "Yard sale" themed groups bring together buyers and sellers: Post a photo of the item for sale, and friends in your group will see it. Interested buyers contact you via the comments page or a private message, so you won't have to sift through tons of calls or text-messages. To find a group in your area, log into Facebook, type the name of your town (or a nearby city) and the phrase "online yard sale" into the search bar, and see what pops up. Click on Join Group; once approved, you're good to go.
TOP-DOLLAR TRICK: Reveal what the item you're selling is going for now at retail — along with what you paid for it way back when; this may put the asking price in a better light.
ELECTRONICS
With new "gotta-have-it" upgrades coming out practically every year, technology depreciates fast, so if you're unloading old gadgets, try to do so quickly. One exception: The market for video games — especially older ones like the original versions of Wii Sports and Pokémon — is brisk.
• Apple's Reuse and Recycling program gives you an Apple gift card for your iPad, iPhone, or Mac. RadioShack also offers a trade-in program (a 2012 Kindle Fire could fetch as much as $72 in credit).
• Gazelle, a site that buys used devices, pays cash or offers an Amazon gift card for computers, smartphones, and more. It honors a 30-day price lock (that is, you have 30 days to get a new phone before mailing in your old one).
• Glyde calculates the true resale value or market price of your electronics and suggests a price (unlike trade-in or buyback programs), which may translate into a better deal. Once your game, tablet, or phone is listed, Glyde users can take a look and, maybe, snatch it up.
• ExchangeMyPhone will match and often top the highest buyback offer from a reputable site or store. Take your payment via check or PayPal deposit, or donate it to any of the thousands of nonprofits listed on the site to get a tax credit.
TOP-DOLLAR TRICK: Selling a video game? Think about throwing in a console, even if it's older, to really up the price. "Vintage models of gaming systems, such as Nintendo, Xbox, or PlayStation, are especially hot right now," says Jim Griffith, eBay's senior manager of seller advocacy. (Recently, a 2009 PlayStation 3 on eBay sold for $163.)
SPORTS GEAR
If your garage has become a dumping ground for your husband's old putters or your son's outgrown hockey skates, score some cash by trading them in.
• Play It Again Sports, a national retailer, will buy your stuff or offer you store credit. Used items go for about half the price of what they sell for new, and you'll net 30% to 50% of that secondhand selling price. (Quick math: A graphite tennis racquet that costs $99 new today would sell for about $49 used, and Play It Again Sports might pay you $15 to $25.)
• SwapMeSports is a community site that lets you sell or trade gear with fitness buffs in your neighborhood. The beauty of keeping it local: There's no listing fee, and you won't have to pay a commission.
TOP-DOLLAR TRICK: To get the best price, put aside gear and sell when it's "in season" (lacrosse sticks in the fall, for example).
CASH IN YOUR GIFT CARDS
An estimated $6 billion worth of gift cards collect dust each year. If you've received one you don't want (e.g., Godiva when you're on a diet), trade it in for up to 92% of its cash value at cardpool.com. Redeem for a check or for an Amazon gift card of slightly higher value than that (for example, mail in a $50 Athleta gift card and get a $40 check or a $42 Amazon gift card).
