Thinking of going full KonMari minimalism with your spring cleaning this year? Check out our list of apps that pay you to declutter.
It may sound strange but one of my very favorite days of 2017 was spent indoors, cleaning my apartment.
Fresh-off a read of KonMari’s book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, my husband and I dedicated an entire day to taking stock of our belongings, evaluating how much joy each of them brought us and packing up a good deal of those items to sell or donate to a women’s shelter in our neighbourhood (and I’m not kidding when I say it was an entire day. We set an early morning alarm and worked solidly until around 9pm!)
In the end, we sold about $600 worth of items we never used anymore (my husband’s old hockey cards, an old camera, an expensive face cream I’d received as a gift but would never use etc etc) and then sent eight big boxes of non-sellable items to the local thrift shop and shelter.
We were left with an apartment filled with only things we actually use, or which bring us joy … and it felt amazing!
If, like me, you're looking to make some extra money fast, have items around your home that you’d be happy to part with, and have no outdoor space to host a good old fashioned garage sale, then look no further. We’ve compiled a list of apps that make it easy and convenient to sell your stuff while earning some extra cash.
We’ll start with the biggies. LetGo made a splash last year with their creative marketing campaigns and their efforts paid off. This is one of the most popular selling apps, allowing people to post their items easily with just a few clicks of a button and a few photos to upload. They encourage buyers and sellers to message and transact in person and don’t offer shipping. One of my favorite features of this app is that you can add a video, which makes for some creative “commercials” for user’s unwanted goods. You can connect your LetGo account to Facebook so that you’re quickly and easily verified, giving some peace of mind to both buyers and sellers. Available for Android and iOS.
Is there anything Facebook doesn’t do? If you haven’t used it, Marketplace is a feature of Facebook that allows your to snap a photo, write a quick description of your item, choose a price and post to the Marketplace and even area-specific buy-and-sell groups nearby. A number of the sales we made came through Marketplace, as having it connected directly within my Facebook messenger inbox (which I already check regularly) made for extreme convenience. The only downside I found was that since the market is so flooded with people, there can sometimes be TOO many items listed and yours can get lost in the shuffle. I made the mistake of searching for a baby stroller for a friend and now get about 25 notifications per day of new baby strollers listed in my neighbourhood. Oy!
Sound familiar? You may have seen this app from the news feed ads of your FB or Instagram account. It’s a convenient way to sell your unwanted stuff; all it takes is just a few photos if your item, a short description and your posting is live within less than a minute. To note: Carousell won’t let you pay through the app, but allows buyers and sellers to negotiate price and alk about how payments can be made. Essentially, it’s up to you how you’d like to pay or be paid. The app is available on both iOS and Android.
Like most apps that pay you to sell your belongings, this one just requires you make a listing and provide some snaps of the item, alongside the price. Folks in your local area will be able to see your listing (but not your specific address, which helps with peace of mind) and they can communicate with you easily. Available on both iOS and Android.
This one works a little differently from the first two. Rather than your post being automatically accepted and listed, Gone decides for you if your item can be sold. They then will choose a price, which you can accept or reject. If you accept, you will need to follow some simple instructions on how to send the item to them and then they will list the product and look for a buyer for you at no cost. Not having to worry about how to sell it or communicate with potential buyers? So convenient! Gone accepts mostly electronic gadgets and appliances. Available on iOS.
Got bigger things to sell? Not keen on selling to strangers? Here’s one of the most popular apps in the market today that accepts almost everything you can think of to sell. They’ve got a function for validating identity so you can worry less about scammers. They don’t offer shipping options like other selling apps, but let buyers and sellers message each other to arrange the transactions. This app is available in both Android and iOS.
Not only does this app allow you to sell, but it also allows you to swap items in your closet. Vinted lets you process payments directly within the app (via a bank transfer or Paypal), but note that they charge 19% commission on all transactions. Available on iOS and Android.
This free app lets you create an account and sell in seconds. All you need to do to create a listing is upload a photo. Loads of categories (apparel to fitness to tech/gadgets) make the shopping experience fun and transactions occur through direct messages with the seller or buyer. Available on both iOS and Android.
… and this is just getting started! If you didn’t find a solution that worked for you in this list, you can also check out Varage Sale, 5 Miles or Mercari.
May your mission to declutter bring you as much joy as it’s brought me.
