For the most part, cleaning the attic or garage is a weekend project that you put off as long as possible. However, you may be more inclined to clean out your home if you knew that you could make money doing so. While not everything in your home is worth a lot of or any money at all, you never know when you’ll find that rare painting or piece of jewelry that makes your efforts worthwhile.
Know What You’re Looking At
Just because something is old or you think it is rare does not mean it is valuable. There is a lot that goes into how much a product is worth. Most importantly, it has to be in demand by collectors if it is going to fetch a premium price. It will also need to be in good enough condition to be worth spending top dollar on. While this doesn’t mean something in less than mint condition can’t sell for thousands of dollars, most items go down in value if they aren’t in good shape.
Should You Clean or Restore an Item?
Just because most items are worth more in very good or mint condition doesn’t mean that you necessarily want to restore or clean an item. In some cases, the cost of restoration is more than what you would get in addition profit after selling the item. Cleaning an old gun or refinishing an old piece of furniture could cause it to lose its historicity, which would cause its value to plummet.
How Do You Know How Much to Ask for an Item?
When it comes time to sell an old item, you have to know how much to ask for. If your ask is too high, you may not be seen as a serious seller. If your ask is too low, you could sell something for $1 that is actually worth $1,000. One way to determine the proper price of an item is to have it appraised. You can easily go online for a free online valuation which can help you set a fair price on almost anything that you would want to part with.
Where Will You Sell the Item?
There are many different forums through which you can sell your goods. These days, the Internet is a handy tool that will connect you to buyers around the globe who can view your listing at any time of the day. While sites such as eBay and Amazon are popular, smartphone apps that help connect buyers and sellers may be something that you are interested in. You could also choose to sell your goods through a physical auction house or part with them through a local flea market or garage sale.
Time spent making money is rarely time wasted. Therefore, you should get to the attic or sift through your garage and start looking for old stuff that you may be able to turn into a profit. That money could help you retire, take a vacation or maybe buy more stuff that you can sell someday for additional profits.
