9 Tips to Help You Make Money Selling Old Equipment

The saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” has never been truer than today.

It’s become incredibly easy to sell almost anything. But only if you know what you’re doing.

You may already know that you can get money for selling your old cell phones and even some other types of tech hardware, but you might not have realized you can also sell your equipment.

Even if it’s a few years old.

To help you make the most money and the most out of your time, here are nine tips to help you sell your old equipment.

1. Do Your Research First

Before you try to sell any of your old equipment, do some research first. The more you know about the item you’re trying to sell, the more successful experience you’ll have.

First off, certain items may not be in demand. Take Hummels, for example. At one point, they were expensive keepsakes.

Now, you can find them selling on Amazon for as low as $19.12.

You might also find out that what you have to sell is actually worth a lot of money.

Without doing research first, you might end up selling it at a much lower price than it’s worth.

Doing research will also help you determine where the best place to find buyers are.

2. Be Patient

While you might be excited to sell your old equipment, have some patience.

Not everything is going to sell as quickly as you might like. Especially if there isn’t much demand or it’s something that only will sell to a niche market.

If you’re willing to invest some time and have a little patience, there’s a much better chance that you’ll end up getting more money for your old items.

3. Know Your Audience

Every place you choose to sell your old equipment has a different audience. Get to know the audience for each place you try to advertise or sell your equipment on.

Craigslist tends to have a lot of scammers on their site. There’s also a lot of people who will express great interest only to never show up or stop just short of buying your item.

If you choose to sell your item through an online store, check to see how much they plan on keeping out of the sale. Make sure you understand their policy before you sell anything.

4. Be Safe

If you’re planning on selling old equipment like electronics, be careful. Learn how to wipe your personal information from items like cell phones and laptops before you sell them.

If you’re worried, you can always go to a store like Best Buy or Staples where they can help you wipe out your old information before they buy it from you.

If you’re selling items through a site like Craigslist, ask for cash only. Checks can bounce and it’s not uncommon for people to hand out fake money orders.

5. Old Equipment Containing Metal Has Value

Even if no one wants the item itself, if it contains metal, there is some value in it.

Before you spend a lot of time gathering up everything you own that has some metal in it, find out which metals are worth money and which aren’t.

Then see if there’s a local place to sell your metal to. See what their rates are for the various metals you’ve collected.

6. Avoid Scams

There are tons of websites online claiming they will buy your old equipment. Not all of them are legitimate.

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

If someone contacts you and seems too overly eager, be careful. And if someone is offering to pay you more than the item is actually worth, run.

It’s not always easy to spot a scam. Take your time and trust your instincts.

7. Use Social Media

Another great place to try selling your old equipment is social media. Take a great photo of the item and list its best qualities.

Then just share it with friends and family and let them know it’s for sale. Ask them to share your post.

You can also check out social media groups. You might find there’s a group of people who absolutely love talking about and collecting exactly what you have to sell.

8. Selling It Yourself Versus Someone Else

You can choose to sell old items yourself. If you do, be prepared to do the work.

It might take time to find an audience to sell the item. During that period, the item will remain in your custody.

If you no longer want it on your property, consider having a store or expert sell it for you.

Also, you’re responsible for doing all the research unless you find an expert to sell it for you. However, you also get to keep all the money if you sell it yourself while an expert can keep upwards of 90% from the sale of the item.

If you have the time and interest, consider selling it yourself. If you need all the money, consider selling it yourself.

You might find you enjoy the experience so much, you decide to start your own business to earn extra money.

Otherwise, hiring an expert or having a store sell the item for you is a smart way to make a quick buck with little effort.

9. Learn How To Barter

If you decide to sell the old items yourself, learn how to barter effectively. While it would be nice if an interested buyer just accepted your price, that’s not always the case.

In fact, in some cases, you might find that someone has something to offer you in exchange for your old equipment.

If that happens, it’s up to you to decide if what they are offering is an acceptable form of payment. It could be a service or another item that you have an interest in.

Why You Should Clear Out The Clutter

Whether you are selling items from work or from home, it’s time to clear out the clutter.

Clutter is known to cause anxiety and depression. It leads to poor decisions and decreases productivity.

Clutter affects how effective you are at work and at home. But clutter isn’t just physical stuff. It’s all the stress and worries you carry with you that affects your health and happiness.

Learn how to let go and live a happier life. Keep coming back to read our blog.