Welcome to October’s series on 31 Ways to Earn Extra Cash Before Christmas. In this series, I’m highlighting simple and legitimate ways you can earn extra cash in the next two months for those of you who could use a little extra cash to help you pay for Christmas — or just for your living expenses if you’re in a tight spot right now.
If you’ve found a great way to make extra cash before Christmas that doesn’t require an outlay of cash upfront, please email me your tip. I’d love to hear it and possibly share it during this series!
Guest post from Ashley of The Thrifty Wife
Yard sales and Craigslist are both great ways to make a little extra money and clear the clutter from your home. However, I’ve found that small items don’t sell well on Craigslist, and selling at garage sales means I need to sell things for next to nothing.
Thankfully there is an alternative: Facebook. Facebook is not only great for catching up with old friends, but it is also a wonderful way to make money by selling items you no longer need.
While you can list things for your friends and family to buy, the real profits are made through local buying and trading groups. Chances are you have one or several of these groups in your area. To find a group, just search for your city in the search box and then ask to join any of the groups that look interesting to you. If you cannot find a group, you can always start one yourself, though this can be time-consuming.
I am a part of five different groups, two geared towards baby and children’s items, one towards women and men’s clothing, and two others for general stuff. I have had the most success selling home décor items.
After you find the group, just follow these steps to start selling your items:
1. Gather and take pictures of your stuff.
Chances are you have a lot of stuff that will sell. All you have to do is gather it all up and take a picture of each item. If you have several smaller items, try grouping them. I know I wouldn’t meet someone just to buy one onesie, but ten of them for $9-10 sounds like a deal.
I have listed everything from curtains to coffee mugs to baby items. I can usually sell my baby and children’s items, as well as home items. However, when it comes to selling women’s clothing and men’s clothing, I have not had much success.
2. Write a good description.
In your listing, you should include applicable sizes or measurements, the condition, the color (sometimes cameras don’t pick up colors clearly in dim lights), as well as the price and the location you want to meet at.
For example, my listing might say:“Like-new boy’s Gap coat in dark blue – size 3T – $6 – Pick up/Meet up in ‘this side of the city’”
3. Private Message the important details.
It is not wise to give out your phone number for the whole community to see, just in case there are untrustworthy people in the group. If someone wants to buy something from me, they will either give me their cell phone number and ask me to text them, or I will private message them my number.
4. Exercise caution.
Use the same amount of caution as you would with Craigslist listings. If the person looks or seems shady, you do not have to sell to them. Your safety and the safety of your family are more important than temporarily offending someone.
Ashley is a freelance writer based in California. She loves to write about everything from finances to fashion, you can check out her blog at The Thrifty Wife. When she is not writing, she is taking care of her husband and baby girl.
