Paula emailed in the following tip:
Facebook is usually a time-waster for me… but recently, it has become a money-maker!
One of my things I did to start off the New Year was clean out our closets, get rid of the clothes that no longer fit, and just generally “downsize” all our stuff — so my laundry pile would downsize, and the lid to the toy box would shut.
My original intent was to donate it all to a local thrift store, then I decided since I was ‘throwing’ away money it might be worth posting a few pictures on the local Facebook garage sale site.
The whole process was relatively simple and I made around $50 dollars!
- When I took clothes/ toys out of our closets and rooms, I snapped a quick picture
- Then I posted those pictures to the garage sale site via my smart phone — you can also upload them via your computer
- Finally, I checked the sale a few times, set up meetings with potential buyers, and had cash in hand!
I donated everything else, but I didn’t feel as bad knowing I had recouped some of my expense.
The Facebook garage sale didn’t take near as long as setting up a traditional garage sale — plus, it is freezing here so it was a great thing to do on a cold day!
Sarah says
We have a FB garage sale site in our area and I use it often. Not only have I made a lot of money (I’m guessing $2000) but if I am in need of something, I can usually find it on the site.
Maria says
…and for the items you don’t sell and end up donating, I can’t recommend ItsDeductible more highly. You just plug in what you are donating and it assigns the value, and the value is often much high than I expected. At the end of the year it will sync with Turbo Tax if you happen to use it and bam, it’s all coming off your taxes for that year. So easy!
Lois says
You might also try your town or county with swap and shop. That’s what some of them are called around my area.
Krysten says
Another good place to check is Varagesale (www.varagesale.com). The group in my area is AMAZING! You can post things by category so when people need a certain item, they search within that category to find what they need. I has the organization of Craigslist (but with no spammers) plus the ability to comment and send private messages like FB.
Krysten says
I have a constant “garage sale” running via Facebook pages and Varagesale. I pull out outgrown clothes and other miscellaneous items out to sell as soon as I see them, make a pile, and add them to my albums once a week. It doesn’t take much time, and keeps my house decluttered. (I fell off the bandwagon through Nov/Dec because of birthdays, holidays, and sickness, and now I have a giant pile that I’m trying to get posted over the last few weeks – not going to let that happen again if I can help it!)
Jen says
We have Varagesale (“virtual garage sale”) in my town too and it’s wonderful. So much easier to manage what you’re selling, has categories and search function- I like it better than the actual Facebook sites… I’ve made hundreds!!
Another tip: I keep all my earnings in a zippered bag (rather than just my wallet) and I only purchase things off the site with that money. I’ve gotten so many great deals four our family on there. I know some people need this money for groceries and bills but for us, it’s our “treat money.” We use it to go out to dinner/ice cream, or bowling or other family activities… and I use it for my Starbucks fix every now and then. It’s so nice to feel like I’m contributing to our family and also cleaning out our house. 🙂
Julie says
Our neighborhood in Houston has a buy and sell page. I love it! I just take a quick picture upload it onto phone and bam it’s posted. I’ve made around $500 in the past few months. I’ve also noticed people will pay more than what they would at a garage sale. It’s also a great way to meet people in my neighborhood.
Erin @balancingbedlam says
I’m not sure if there is a FB sale site around me (Oswego, IL), but Bookoo.com is very popular around here. My husband cleaned out the garage last year and I was shocked that people drove over 1/2 hour to buy a $5 item we thought was junk. So happy they did…$5s can add up fast!
JuliB says
Well, there’s a Plainfield group. Kinda’ tough since there are so many Plainfields, but there’s a closed group for IL.
Elena says
I was wondering how does selling on Facebook actually work. Do people see your personal profile and all the info, or do you actually make a separate account. If someone could explain I would really appreciate. Thanks
Rebecca says
I would think that it depends on your profile settings. If it is set to “friends only” then no one would be able to see your information since joining group does not add the group members as “friends”. If your profile is “public” then yes, anyone can view it.
april says
I started doing this over the past year and I made over $400, which is exactly what I needed to take a test (for my PHR) I love it and its easy. Many people do “porch pick up” but I only meet in a common area which happens to be a CVS parking lot.
Rebecca says
What an idea! I just found one in my area. I have SO MUCH stuff to get rid of, that’s actually worth quite a bit. But with 4 kids 5 years old and under, I just don’t have the energy to keep doing huge sales. Definitely going to try this out. Thanks for the post!
Kathy D says
How is this compared to selling on craigslist?
Kris says
It is similar to Craig’s list but it is usually people from your community and feels safer 😉
ginger says
I’m from Ontario, Canada, and we use kijijii alot. It is free to post an ad, and would you believe, people will buy anything used. We moved into a house where the previous owner was a hoarder, and he didn’t move all his junk in time for possession day. He kept coming back to get stuff but we finally told him he was out of time. I spent the last year sorting and selling his “junk”- brand new unused tool sets, etc. He even left a brand new gas cooktop and wall oven, washer/dryer combo. This house has been a big blessing for us in that God provided all of the little (and big) maintenance things we didn’t have. Plus i have/made over $3000 so far selling what we don’t need!
julie brownfield says
I wholeheartedly agree! My husband and I are downsizing from a 3800 sq ft home in order to move to Nashville. We’ve sold two TV’s, small furniture pieces, given away a bed and a couch, and sold our Ford Explorer on our local FB site. It has been much more profitable than ebay for me. The extra income has been a huge blessing.
Jamie Clements says
I too started doing this at the beginning of the year and actually made almost $500!!
[email protected] says
I have done this as well. Search for local garage sale pages for your county/community.
Christine P says
Where on FB is this?Can’t find it.
MSM Team says
You’ll need to search on Facebook to see if there are people in your area who have started garage sale type pages. Ask your local Facebook friends if they know of any that already exist. If you can’t find one, maybe you and some friends can start one on your own. 🙂
Aleah says
A lot of times they will be called “yard sale” or “resale” pages. Sometimes, there are specific ones. I participate in one that is for baby/kids items only. Another good tip is to watch for people who saying that are looking for an item (ISO = “in search of”). I find people are more likely to buy if I respond to their post for an item than if I just list it myself.
Jen says
Search your town’s name along with yard sale or for sale. If your town is too small you may want to search the next larger size town. Most fb pages for the sales are run by an administrator that watches the post to make sure it’s nothing inappropriate and such. When I searched for my local sale site I had to request to “join group” but no fees should be charged to you so be ware of those sites! Hope this helps.
Kris says
Also ccheck your towns name and buy/sell/trade!
Christa says
I posted all my kids old snowpants and boots when we had rare snowfall (we are in the Seattle area so it was used once). I had an offer the next minute and the cash was nice!
Laura says
I have been looking in the Bellevue area and have come up empty. There is one, but it doesn’t look active. Any ideas for me? Would love to unload my entire play room full of clothes and toys from my three kids—gotta get it gone!! Thanks in advance :).
Amy says
I do this too! I’ve made close to $2000 so far!
Laura says
I have been doing this some over the last month as well. I have sold 3 pairs of shoes, a pair of jeans and a Pampered Chef pan and made $68! Love this idea 🙂