So the other day, when my mom came in and said that she was going to sell some of her old gold jewelry since the price of gold is so high, I was naturally concerned.  My mom is a smart woman who doesn’t fall for scams, and I can’t imagine her ever willingly mailing gold to a unknown company, but I had to ask.  Turns out that the local, family-owned jewelry store is buying old gold jewelry.  This is a great store that we have frequented for purchases and repairs and I have always felt we were getting a good price, so I was reassured that she was making a smart decision.

My mom’s not in need of extra cash, but she realized that she has a bunch of old necklaces from when thick gold chains were all the rage (no, my mom is not Mr. T), and she never wears them but has held onto them simply because they’re gold.  This probably is a great time for her to be selling.  Plus I was relieved to hear she wasn’t getting rid of any of her prettier pendants or rings.  Just the simple pieces she can’t imagine any of us would have an interest in.  

It made me take a second look at my necklace tree and I realized that I do have some extra gold I could sell.  Some sexy gold chains that I bet you could find me wearing in some junior high photos.  Might be something to consider if I take a trip home this summer.  Sure, I could try to find a place around here, but I like the reassurance that I know the people I would be selling to – I don’t think that I will get cheated.

I’ve already used eBay to sell off a bunch of things that I didn’t need while decluttering the apartment.  It’s time to take another look through things.  Perhaps as part of my spring cleaning.

How about you?  Looking to sell some gold?  Or perhaps something other than gold?

This week, J.D. at Get Rich Slowly posted his version of the idea – a Stuff Replacement Fund.  Same general idea – sell off your things and track how much money you’re making.  But rather than spend the money immediately or put it into a “fun fund,” J.D. suggests creating a Stuff Replacement Fund.   If you’re hanging onto something because you think you might want to use it someday, by putting the money into a Stuff Replacement Fund, you have the money there to replace it if you so choose.  His theory is that a few years later, if you’ve not needed the money, you can just fold it into your regular accounts, because clearly, the items you sold weren’t items you needed.

This isn’t a bad idea for people who find themselves holding onto things because they might need them again.  Sure, you won’t be making enough money to replace the item if it were new, but you’d probably be able to buy another used one. 

What’s the point of selling then, if you’re just going to stash away the money?  Well, you’re earning interest.  All your item is collecting now is dust.  Additionally, you’re simplifying your life.  I’ve realized over the past few weeks that one of my problems is that I have too much space to store things.  I’ve kept stuff just because I have room for it, not because I need it.  Plus, the item is better off in the hands of someone who will use it.

I’m not sure if this is something I’m going to try or not.  I’m pretty good about getting rid of things that I know I won’t use again, but there are things I can’t bring myself to sell, even though I’m well aware that perhaps they are not items that I need.  I find more incentive in creating a “fun fund,” as J. Money has done.  But maybe I should take another look at what I own, just to see what else might be ready to leave the apartment.

That doesn’t mean that everything is staying in that room, however.  For my most recent move, my belongings were all packed by the moving company.  I had just taken the bar exam and admittedly had not done a whole lot of decluttering before I moved.  When unpacking, I would open boxes and laugh, finding things that I had no idea I still owned.  Many things got tossed almost immediately, but there were a number of things that ended up in closets or in drawers because “I might need this someday.”

I’ve been in my apartment almost a year, so I think that if I haven’t used something yet, it’s time to toss it. 

The plan is to go into the room with four bags/boxes.  One for trash, one for things to donate, one for things to sell and one for “things I want to keep that don’t belong in this room in the first place.”  I’m sure I will have a number of things for each box.  I am also hoping this plan keeps me from getting distracted from the task at hand. 

I have already started selling books on half.com again, mostly old texts from school.  As an English major, I ended up with a sizeable book collection, that’s for sure.  I’m also hoping to list a few things on eBay as well.  My theory is that if it’s not worth anything to me, then if I can make even a few dollars, it’s worth it.  I’ve made about $22 after shipping so far this month, which isn’t a lot, but as anyone who’s done snowflaking knows, every little bit helps.

Also on the list of things to do to clean out that room is to go through my file boxes, start scanning documents, and get rid of documents I really don’t need to keep.  But that’s a story for another day.

Ideally, I would just like to be able to pare down the amount of stuff I have.  It’s all too easy to continue to accumulate when you have the space to fill.  It’s time to simplify, regardless of how much space I may have.

I had four auctions finish this week, and all four items sold! I’m very pleased about that. Two sold at the list price, which isn’t great, but hey, if they hadn’t sold, I was just going to donate them or toss them, so I’m happy to have a few extra dollars in my pocket after all fees are paid and items are shipped. Two sold for more than I had hoped, which definitely brightens my day. I still haven’t received payment for one, and I’m a little apprehensive about that, as it sold for $50 to an eBay member without much history, but I’m going to do everything I can to protect myself on that sale.

The downside to selling on eBay and half.com for me means that I have to visit eBay and half.com and see all the things they have for sale. Movies that are on my wishlist being sold for under $2, great books, etc. I just remind myself that I can’t buy anything right now. This month’s budget is finished, and until I have saved up for my upcoming vacations and various bills, there will be no fun spending.

A lot of people say that selling on eBay isn’t worth it because you don’t get a good value for the item. But in my opinion, if I’m not using the item, it’s not worth anything to me. Something shoved in a box in the back of a closet has no value, no matter what I paid for it. Sure, I’m not going to sell something I bought for $100 for 99 cents, but if I can get $50 for it, I’ll be very happy.

I’ve decided to keep a spreadsheet of what I sell and don’t sell and all the various fees associated with the sale to see a true representation of how much money I’m making (or rather, recouping) by these sales. So far, even if the open auctions don’t sell, I’m still ahead a decent chunk of money. Every cent helps!