MY TOP DECLUTTERING TIPS
The quickest way to raise some cash and help the environment is to sell that pile of stuff you’ve been meaning to part with for ages. Schedule an evening where you upload those pics you took on your phone and upcycle your things at the same time.
Selling tips:
Put aside an hour to sell/upload (Sundays are good for listings, as statistically it’s when most people are casually browsing on the sofa – or if using eBay, you can schedule your listing on eBay to finish on a Sunday) and upload a few items at once. Natural daylight is often better for photos and showing flaws.
Consider seasonality. It pays to think about what people are thinking about – coats sell better in Autumn/winter than they do in summer, for instance.
You’d be surprised what sells. I once sold an old (just about working) Gameboy from the 90s for £25 to a collector on eBay. It was old, not the cleanest and didn’t have any use to us any more – win win!
In terms of HMRC, you have an individual tax free ‘trading allowance’ of £1,000. You also don’t have to declare if your items are personal belongings and you’ve sold the items at a loss (ie for less than you bought them for) - but do check first, more information is available here.
Where to sell:
GOOD FOR: High street fashion
You can sell designer clothes as well but it definitely seems to excel at selling lower priced high street pieces – you can sell bundles and combine shipping if someone buys more than one item, too. The best bit? No listing or selling fees.
GOOD FOR: Designer fashion
It has been a while since I’ve sold anything here, but the good thing about designer fashion is that if it’s a popular brand, it will hold its price. Vestiaire is used by the fashion community, so you’re more likely to sell less well known names (i.e., brands I love like Manu Atelier) than you are at a car boot or eBay. BUT they do take around 14% commission.
GOOD FOR: Items in good to excellent condition
It’s great for selling clothes that don’t fit/you no longer wear but mainly when there isn’t too much wear and tear to them (I personally find that eBay buyers are a bit more pernickety about the condition).
GOOD FOR: Books
A bit like Music Magpie but for all those piles of books you’ve read (or haven’t!) but still accumulate. It’s a bit hit or miss and we found a lot of kids books don’t hold much value (so ours go to charity) but occasionally a surprise £5.70 will be offered! The app is super easy – you just scan the barcode and when you have 10 items or more (that seems to be the minimum they accept – 10 items or £10 value) you can either arrange a collection (trust me, books get heavy!) or drop off at a parcel point.
GOOD FOR: Furniture
We sell a lot on Gumtree, often old furniture and items that need to be collected. Also good for niche or delicate items you don’t feel comfortable posting (like camera lenses). The downside is you usually have to give your home address for collection, or meet somehwere between for an exchange - it’s important to remember to meet someone in daylight and a public place.
GOOD FOR: Many different items
Facebook Marketplace is great for buying, selling or swapping stuff locally - whether you’re looking for furniture, technology or second hand clothing. It’s all done via the app/messenger functions so keep in mind your first name and location will be visible to others and you’ll have to be willing to sift through a lot of messages! And never engage if someone asks you to click a link for your money/can only pay via PayPal. There’s a chance these may be genuine but more often than not, these are scams.
CeX (UK.webuy.com)
GOOD FOR: Electricals and DVDs.
I sold my last laptop here (make sure you wipe your personal information before taking it in!), and it’s also good for selling old iPhones, providing they haven’t got any dentrimental cracks (I got £250 for my last phone - try and keep the charger as you get more money).
Car boot sales
GOOD FOR: Everything else. All your bric-a-brac, lonely mugs, that photo frame you accidentally ordered in the wrong size, and the shoes you think are in too bad a state to sell. Book a date in advance, so you have a focus, otherwise you’ll have hordes of stuff just waiting indefinitely (and trust me, once you start collecting, you might turn a bit Marie Kondo and the sell pile will just keep growing). Check out Carbootsales.org to find a sale near you.
Where to donate:
If you’d rather donate here are a few places I recommend that are doing amazing things (mainly London based):
Baby items: @pramdepot or @littlevillagehq
Interiors: @furnishingfutures
Clothes: @smartworkscharity @shelterkingscross
Mix of everything: @oxfamgb @northlondonhospice
Or you can click the charity option on Vinted and eBay so the money you make goes directly to help others.
