How to Turn Clutter Into Cash

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Is clutter taking over your house? You may be able to turn some of that clutter into cold, hard cash. Yard sales and consignment shops are great places to dispose of clutter and make some money all at the same time.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Hold a Lawn Sale

Step1

Decide on a date for your lawn sale and place an ad in the local paper.

Step2

Collect all your clutter and store it in one spot in your house.

Step3

Mark your items with price tags. Mark everything in increments $0.25 increments to avoid having to make small change.

Step4

Set up tables to hold your wares the morning of the lawn sale.

Step5

Have plenty of change ready in the form of ones and quarters. Keep a calculator handy to help make the correct change if math is not your strong point.

Sell Clutter at a Consignment Shop or Online Auction

Step1

Bring expensive clothing items, such as formalwear, good quality jackets or shoes, to a consignment shop. Most shops take anywhere from 20% to 80% of the profit.

Step2

Get older items, such as furniture, paintings, jewelry and books appraised by a local dealer. The dealer may buy your items outright, or they may list them on consignment.

Step3

List your clutter on an online auction site, such as eBay. You will be responsible for advertising your clutter and shipping it, but you will also keep a larger part of the profit.

Tips & Warnings

In your ad, list a rain date for your lawn sale.
Ask your neighbors if they want to hold a lawn sale on the same day. Multi-family lawn sales usually bring bigger crowds.
Arrange for a local charity to pick up everything you don't sell at the end of the day.
If you are part of a multi-family lawn sale, find out how much others are charging for common items, such as books, clothing and toys. You don't want to overprice and lose business!