Why You Shouldn’t Sell Things You No Longer Need

If you’ve recently taken the time to declutter your home, you might be wondering what you should do with the things you’ve decided you no longer need. One option that might spring to mind is that you can sell them and make some money, but is this really the best idea? 

Although no one is going to turn down the chance to make some extra cash initially, the more you think about it, the more this might not work out so well when you’re selling your used items. Read on to find out why this is and whether donating the goods might be a better option. 

Photo by Julia M Cameron

Selling Things Is A Lot Of Effort 

Let’s face it: most people don’t find it easy to get rid of their clutter. If you spent the first few decades of your life collecting as much stuff as you could, it won’t be easy to get rid of it all at once. It will take a lot of hard work and a clear plan.

Unfortunately, reselling things you want to get rid of takes more work: taking pictures, putting them online, answering questions, haggling over price, meeting buyers, etc.

Even worse, we rarely get the amount of money we expect for each item. Again, there are probably exceptions for very expensive items, like a Mac, after you have reset network settings, but most of the time, the work doesn’t pay off in terms of money.

It’s far easier to gather everything up and take it all down to a charity store. It’s over and done with, and the job was much easier than it would have been otherwise. 

Donating Helps Others 

People can be helped by what we have too much of. Almost everything we have in our closets, drawers, basements, or even the back of our cabinets that can still be used by someone else. Even if you don’t need something anymore, there is almost always someone in your neighborhood or even another country who does.

So many people want to do good things, it’s rather heartening. But when it comes to the realities of life, it can sometimes just be too expensive or take too much time, and when life is so desperately busy, adding the chance to help others to the burden can be a challenge. 

This might be true, but at the same time, our homes are full of things we don’t need, like things we’ve collected or things we’ve gotten over time that we don’t want anymore. These things can give us the extra room we need to give more, and they can help people and causes in our community in very specific ways.

The only time it would be better to not donate or even sell is if you have things that are broken or are beyond repair. There is no point giving something to someone when they can’t use it and they don’t have the money to fix it. In cases such as this, binning them is the best course of action. You can dispose of all kinds of trash with a dumpster rental, helping you free up your space and keep your conscience clear that you didn’t give someone a dud.

Your Money Is Gone 

We mentioned earlier how you’re very unlikely to get anywhere near the amount of money you spent on something when you resell it. The truth is, your money was gone the moment you parted with it, and in most cases, you’ll never see it again whether you sell, donate, or even throw it in the trash. 

You can try to sell if you want to, but the money you make is unlikely to be worth your while, and in fact, not getting any money for something can help you in the future. 

If you are giving something away that cost you a decent amount (or even a small amount because it all adds up), this should help to give you a better understanding of the value of money. You’ll know that you wasted whatever money it was you spent on that item if you didn’t use it enough or it just sat doing nothing in your home. If you did make use of it and you simply no longer need it anymore, that’s another lesson; it shows that you can make good buying decisions as well. 

In the future, when you consider buying something, you can really take your time to think about whether you want the thing or need it. If it’s not going to be worth the money because you’re not going to use it enough, and eventually you’ll have to give it away, it would be best to save your money in the first place. Over time, you’ll get a better understanding of this and become much more streamlined in your spending. 

You’ll Lose Momentum

Decluttering is hard work. It’s physically hard because there is a lot of moving and carrying to do. But it’s also mentally and emotionally hard. We form attachments to things, and whether that’s a good or bad thing is not a debate to be had here – it’s just a fact. This means that when the time comes to get rid of things, it can take its toll. However, if you can get past this and start decluttering, you’ll soon feel better because you’ll look around and see a tidy, neat, liveable house. 

Once the decluttering is done, pack everything into the car and take it to a donation station or a thrift store. Don’t keep it there waiting to sell it. If you do that, you’ll lose the great momentum you had when you started decluttering. You’ll still have things in your home that you don’t need, even if they are in boxes. As things take longer and longer to sell, you might decide that you’ve changed your mind and start bringing items back into your home again, placing things in their old place on shelves and closets. 

If you skip the selling part, this won’t happen, and you can get used to your lovely neat home instead. 

Decluttering Leads To More Decluttering 

If you sell your items and have the mindset that you can always make a little money (if not everything back) when you no longer want that item, you’ll constantly fill your home with stuff. That stuff will start to make your home untidy, and it will cost you money. 

If you declutter and give things away immediately, you’ll be much less likely to replace all those things. In fact, you’ll probably want to keep decluttering, which is never a bad thing. The more you clear out, the easier it becomes, especially when you know you’re doing a good thing by donating to a cause you believe in.