If You’re Cleaning House, These 7 Items Will Actually Earn You Cash

This article is sponsored by Containers for Change.

We’re all guilty of doing a little bit of hoarding. Storing away random objects with the intention of bringing them back out for later, or maybe planning on selling them off one day but never actually getting around to it whether because of the hassle, or sentimentality attached to the object.

But what many of us don’t realise, is that we’re sitting on plenty of cash just from hoarded goods. Research done by Gumtree states that Australians could make up to $7000 selling off their hoarded goods. There are also plenty of environmental bonuses of selling those secondhand as well.

To help get you started selling off those pre-loved items gathering dust, here’s a quick list of items you might consider selling and where.

Exercise Equipment

We’re all guilty of buying up some exercise equipment to satisfy a New Years’ resolution, or in an effort to motivate ourselves to get more fit.

Why not consider selling off the equipment you don’t use to pay for a fitness class instead?

Places you can consider selling to are on Facebook Marketplace or eBay, however, another option you can consider is Grays Fitness which goes direct to a Gym and will pick it up from your house. This can be great for convenience, but also ensuring that your equipment is going into safe hands and a safe environment as well.

Physical Media

Physical media is one of those essential collector’s items that are just never going to go out of style. Whether it’s CDs, DVDs, Video Games or Vinyl, there will always be a dedicated audience looking to pick these up.

This can be for countless reasons: artists with cult followings, consumers rebelling against streaming-focused media, the extra bonus features only found on physical media, and the covers having an aesthetic to them.

If you’re looking for a place to sell your physical media, Amazon and eBay are great, with eBay having a fairly dedicated community of music, gaming and film heads waiting to purchase physical copies of their favourite album or movies.

Electronics

Buying and selling electronics has never been easier! As more companies pop up to ensure better and safer practices for customers and sellers who make sure hardware is sold in a refurbished and reconditioned state, with some coming with warranties also.

Whether you have an old TV lying around you no longer need after upgrading, some gaming consoles, or digital watches. Or maybe you have an extra smartphone lying around that you never traded in after paying off a contract.

Much like your physical media, Amazon and eBay are great options to sell off your electronics, as is the Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree as there are always people looking around there for the best second-hand deals.

Recycling

It’s social season this summer, and we’re all bound to have heaps of cans and bottles lying around after some holiday barbies with friends and fam this summer.

But before throwing out all those into the recycling, you can actually donate those materials in for cash at Containers For Change. Not only will you be making some extra bucks back on that pack of beer, but you’ll also be ensuring that the glass or plastic used will actually be recycled.

Check here to find your local drop-off point.

Decor

Decorating your house can be a great hobby to have, and it lets us flex the inner interior decorators that tell everyone, and ourselves, that our homes are our own. But as our interests and passions change over time, so do our design choices, as we might find ourselves switching out a rug or some artwork for something else more trendy.

Items such as rugs, artwork and cabinets tend to be bulkier items that we don’t always think about getting rid of, mostly due to the hassle of moving them or assembling a new piece. Thankfully on Gumtree and the Facebook Marketplace, there are always people willing to help take it off your hands for a good price. There are also services such as HireaHubby or Airtasker if you want to hire a professional to take the hassle away from assembling the replacement cabinet if needed for a cheap price.

Toys

This one is near and dear to my heart. Growing up I loved to collect Star Wars and anime action figures, decorating my room with them and setting up little battleground dioramas. After growing up, however, much like Andy in Toy Story these toys became relegated to some box to gather dust, always drumming up an internal argument on whether to sell or pass down to future nieces and nephews.

However, toys are always improving, and there are countless kids looking to play with toys now. Toys are also huge famous items for collectors, and capitalising on those IPs sooner rather than later will always net you some good cash for those looking to spend a bit extra for that rare Luke Skywalker toy.

If you’re looking to sell, the best places to start are eBay and the Facebook Marketplace as they have the widest audience of passionate collectors.

Books

Used books are probably one of the best and most common secondhand bargain purchases there are. New books, especially for school or uni are always in high demand as the next year of students will be looking to pick up cheap used copies. Websites like StudentVIP or the Facebook Marketplace can be great options to make sure that your copy goes into the hands of a student that needs it.

There can also be collectors’ value to books depending on the artwork cover, or even if they’re no longer in print in Australia, as some may have to look for expensive options overseas for publishers still printing certain authors. You can also consider selling these as bundles to clear our a wider stock depending on genre classics, comic book series or multiple books from the same author.

Clothing

Thrifting clothing has blown up massively in recent years thanks to TikTok and fast fashion trends. There have also been so many pop-up online stores that have shown online that lets anyone sell off their used clothing for a slim profit like Etsy, Depop or Facebook Marketplace. These sites are great to help sell off that expensive dress you bought that you’re never going to wear again, or a band t-shirt you no longer listen to. It also helps ensure that these clothes have a second life without ending up somewhere in a landfill as well. Or maybe you’re looking to update your wardrobe to something more season appropriate and need to make space to accommodate that.

Selling off your secondhand items can net you some great cash to help save up for new goodies you might be eyeing, or help to pay off some debt you’re looking to get rid of. It also does huge wonders for not just the environment, but also a wider community by getting those items into the hands of people who need them most.

Consider gathering up all those used goodies, giving them one last good dust down and wash, taking some pics and putting them up online to start selling! You never know if you might actually be sitting on a gold mine.