Sunday, July 24, 2016

Letting Go Of Stuff and Selling It!


I have been selling my clothing and other fashion items for close to 2 years.  I originally started with Poshmark in 2014 and then moved on to eBay in 2015.  Initially I only sold a few items I was tired of and some items that no longer fit me.  I also did a purge of handbags.  I had been collecting Coach handbags for about 20 years.  I believe I had somewhere between 15 to 20 Coach bags and about 3 Michael Kors bags.  I loved Coach bags for many years and never thought I would ever sell any of them.  One day I came to the realization that I wasn’t using them.  I asked myself, why am I holding onto them.  The answer was emotional attachment and nothing else.  I also came to the realization I no longer actually liked any of these handbags.  After I initially listed all of these handbags and sold them, I sort of got lax in listing and selling items.  
As some months when by, I still was holding onto items.  I thought I could lose some weight and they would fit, I got emotionally attached to things, or I was holding onto designer items just because they were designer.  I wasn’t using these items but I held onto them for no good reason.  I had not worn many of these items in over a year and some had never been worn or used. 

Recently I watched a video where someone sold a YSL handbag to be able to put the money toward a Channel handbag.  I was amazed that she was willing to part with the YSL.  Then I had a revelation.  I needed to do a huge closet purge.  I have a several items on my wish list that I would love to purchase before the end of the year. I would love to earn some extra money to put toward the purchased of these items.  At this point, I decided to let go of many things and sell them on eBay.  In the past 2 weeks or so, I have listed close to 60 items. I am still sorting through & cleaning more items to list on eBay.  Since the beginning of July, I have sold 16 items and 11 of these items actually sold in 1 week.  I’ve also set aside close to 20 items to be donated.  These are clean items in good condition but I didn’t feel would actually sell on eBay.  Once I got serious and made the decision to let go of things, I have been more successful in selling items. 

Making the decision to sell these items has been amazingly freeing.  Once I decided to let them go, I no longer felt emotionally connected to these items.  I actually find the process of selling items to be entertaining. I will readily admit that getting the items ready to sell can be a lot of work.  I carefully inspect each item for wear and tear.  I also want to make sure the items are clean.  Then I photograph each item from several different sides.  Then if it is appropriate, I will measure the item.  I also weigh each item with envelope or box that I am going to ship it in.  Then I create the eBay listing and carefully document any defects in the items.  I tend to list all of my item with the “best offer” option.  This allows buyers to make me a offer.  I can choose to accept the offer, make a counteroffer, or decline the offer.  Generally, if I receive an reasonable offer from a buyer, I will accept it.  The biggest downside to this is that the buyer isn’t required to make immediate payment.  This can be very frustrating.  I’ve recently had 3 people who have refuse to pay in a total of 6 days.  There are so many positive results from selling things on eBay but there can be many frustrations as well.  

When deciding what to let go of, I have a few rules:
1. Do I wear this item or use this item?
2. Do I like or love the item? (I am not talking about emotional attachment here.)
3. Does it fit?  
4. Do I like the way the item looks on me?
5. Am I comfortable in the item?
6. Stop telling myself I am going to lose weight so I could fit into an item.
7. How long has this item been unworn or unused?  If it is over a year, I need to sell it.

My wardrobe has gotten smaller but it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.  I have kept items that I truly loved and use.  Thereby getting rid of a lot of clutter.

I do not use eBay as a means to earn a living nor am I an expert on this site.  I use it to sell items I no longer have the need of and to make some money in the process.  This post wasn’t intended to be an advertisement for eBay.  It was to encourage you to get rid of items you no longer use and sell them (donate if you chose).  There are many different sites you can use to sell items.  eBay just happens to be the one I use.

Thanks for reading!

Karrie

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