With a growing family, we have decided to shift our house around a little bit, and as a result we have needed to get rid of a good deal of junk and even some stuff that’s hardly junk.  It’s truly amazing how much crap we accumulate.  The pleasant surprise in this endeavor is how much cash I’ve been able to generate by getting rid of the stuff!

There are two main services I’ve been using to unload my junk: Craigslist and Amazon.

Amazon Seller Account

You can create a seller account on Amazon very quickly and it doesn’t cost you anything.  The only fees you pay are a small commission when you sell something.  Also, Amazon provides a $3.99 shipping credit which helps compensate your shipping costs.  It’s really a great way to sell your old books.

I’ve noticed that out of the 30 or so books I listed on Amazon, about 5 of them were able to command a nice price ($30 and up).  The rest of them had significant competition and I was only able to list them for a few bucks (enough to cover the expenses and time to do so, hopefully).

Regardless, I’ve already made over $100 on a few books which has made the entire process worth the effort.

Craigslist

Every time I use Craiglist, I’m amazed at how effective it is to sell stuff.  Almost immediately I always get responses from potential buyers.  I’ve sold everything from a table with chairs, coffee tables, filing cabinets and even a set of GMAT books (I figured I could sell the set for more money on Craigslist than selling each book through Amazon – plus it’s much easier to sell the set).

The endeavor was a huge success.  We de-cluttered our home big time, and were able to get some extra cash to put towards some new items we are looking to buy for our home.