As I’ve shared the details of my at-home organizing projects on social media, the number one question I’ve received from readers is “what do I do with the items that I no longer want?” With many donation locations closed, now is the time to take the time to cash in on some of that clutter. Today I’m sharing 5 ways that I’ve cashed in on my clutter in hopes that it will inspire you to do the same!

THRED UP

Thred Up is a wonderful way to let go of clothing that you no longer love.  I’ve been using their service for years and I absolutely love the ease of either filling a pre-posted bag they have mailed to me, or printing off a pre-paid label and filling a box of my own. Once they receive the items they sort, photograph, sell, and donate on your behalf and you receive a direct deposit.  I personally love that they handle the donation factor of my shipments, nothing comes back for me to deal with later.  They also offer donation ONLY options if you would prefer to donate to a charity over selling for cash.  I recently decluttered my own closet and opted for two boxes to be processed to benefit Feeding America.

They have several additional donation partners that you can select. It really is simple so DIG into your closet and fill a few of those lingering shipping boxes in your garage with clothing you no longer love.

The Real Real

What if the items that you no longer love are designer or couture? The Real Real is a nice option but I’ll warn you, they are picky! To get started you will want to schedule a virtual consignment meeting to make sure that your items are eligible to be sold.  Once you start selling with them they will make it easier to ship larger batches.

Each item is inspected prior to approval and there is no guarantee the items will make the cut.  Items that are new with tags do really well, jewelry and handbags are also popular.  Items are on consignment so you will not receive a payment unless the item is sold. Unsold items will be shipped back to you so this option is better for those of you who really want to cash in versus let go. 

Buy Back World

Prior to Covid-19 I had a client ask me to sell some older electronics online.  They were 6-8 years old so the technology was outdated and I talked her into shifting the goal from profit to having the items properly processed.  I did some research and worked with Buy Back World to cash in her old iPads and laptops.  The process was simple, I keyed in the model numbers and created a “cart” of items that I wanted to sell.  They shipped me boxes to ship the items back and viola, a check game in the mail.  The process freed up a cabinet in her home, the items were properly processed, win win.  Oh, and she received a check for $175 so that’s an added bonus.

I have processed a few lingering items from our electronics stash over the last few weeks and it’s been great! I would highly recommend this service!

DECLUTTR

Next up, let’s sell some books and legos! Decluttr is a service that seems to sell everything from electronics to books, games and legos.  I have used this service to sell books. All you have to do is type in or scan the barcode of the item and they will approve the items and send you a prepaid label. I’d love to hear from any of you who have used this service to sell legos!

RETURNS!

This is the BEST way to cash in on your clutter because you’ll receive 100% back! As I decluttered my closet I made a point to review items that I had recently purchased but haven’t worn.  There were a few items that I had purchased for events and travel this spring but with life on hold I opted to process them to be returned online.  I ended up getting almost $400 back from Anthropologie along which is fantastic! I urge you to do the same as you are home, especially if you made the purchases online in the first place. If you find items that you purchased in-person and you still have the receipt, bag them up so you can process them once life gets back to normal.  Most retailers will extend their return policies during this time.

Your homework is to try at least one of these services in the next two weeks and let me know how it goes! Where to start? I say your closet, this is Kuzak’s Closet afterall!