Author Topic: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?  (Read 6938 times)

stlbrah

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I am mostly referring to craigslist.

I often have computer hardware and other miscellaneous things that are not really worth a whole lot and I usually acquire them for free through my side business.

The problem is an item such as a freshly refurbished (by me) 5+ year old desktop computer is not exactly a hot item. Even though it can be worth $150, I know it will be hard to get rid of. I can set something up on craigslist for $100 and let it sit for sometimes a month or more and hope to get an offer - say a 50% chance I even get one, or I can just get rid of it FAST for $70. There is also the overhead of bumping the post every 2 days. I usually go with the latter.

I do the same thing with clothes on ebay. Sell lot of 5 used dress shirts for $30. Sure, the buyer is getting a steal, but it is better than nothing.

I just feel like I am lucky to get anything in some cases, just because of the lack of demand.


On the other hand, when I sell something that is more of a hot item, for example my iphone 6 I sold a while back, I will squeeze the most out of it that I can.


I just wanted to lay out my thoughts and see if anyone else has these thoughts or if I deserve a facepunch. Tips on selling items similar to what I mentioned are also appreciated.
« Last Edit: September 23, 2015, 04:56:31 PM by stlbrah »

Kaikou

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2015, 05:43:06 PM »
sounds about right.

Time is money.

Telecaster

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2015, 06:04:41 PM »
Hell to the yeah I do this.  I've never been a hoarder, but I've always bad about getting rid of something that might have value.  "Oh, I could fix this and it would be perfectly fine"  or "Oh, I might have use for this some day." Those things are true, but the reality is 1) If I needed it, I already would have fixed it, and  2) if I have need for XYZ someday, I can worry about it then.

I've come around to the reality is that if you have crap you don't need it is like a millstone around your neck, it has negative value, it is a burden.  Sell it to the lowest bidder and get rid of it.   

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #3 on: September 23, 2015, 08:30:41 PM »
Absolutely. Gave away a perfectly good light fixture (undersized for the room so I replaced it) this week.

AustinKat

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2015, 09:31:30 PM »
I recently sold a seven-year-old Asus netbook to Amazon for thirty-one bucks in credit. Paid $300 for it new, as I recall.

The Money Monk

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #5 on: September 23, 2015, 11:33:34 PM »
I do it all the time. An item is only "worth" what you can sell it for. These things do nothing for you sitting in your house. Just cash them out for what you can, and move on.

sol

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #6 on: September 23, 2015, 11:45:31 PM »
My wife, all the time.

We listed an old fridge for $200, and she sold it less than an hour later to a guy who offered $100.  She hates to haggle.

driftwood

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #7 on: September 24, 2015, 12:06:04 AM »
Yes.  I like it to move fast.  Lower prices usually mean I don't need to haggle or show the item multiple times either.

Villanelle

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #8 on: September 24, 2015, 05:14:38 AM »
Yes.  I'm moving and had bunch of 220v stuff to sell as it won't work where we are heading.  My goal was to have everything gone ina day.  I dreaded dealing with flakes and indecisive people. I had a Nespresso machine which new is ~$230.  I asked $80.  So many people assumed there was something wrong with it.  But I just wanted it gone.  My terms were that they had to commit right away--I wasn't going to hold it while I waited to hear back.  And they had to pick it up by the end of that day.

The only item I ended up getting screwed on was the one item where I made an exception and let them pick it up the next day.  They flaked 3 times and finally were unable to get the item, and I ended up having to just leave it for the next renters (who kindly agreed to pay me something for it, but didn't have to).  Lesson learned.  Price stuff to move.  Getting an extra $7 here and $15 there is not worth it.  In exchange for the cheap price, be demanding about the terms of the sale, and don't make compromises no matter what sob story or promise they make. 

Most of the time, I just donate and avoid the whole ordeal. 

Ricky

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #9 on: September 24, 2015, 06:23:20 AM »
I'll come down 10%, but not the often ludicrous 30-40% some people expect. Just depends on the item and situation though. I know what you mean though - lately I just dread the thought of selling anything and would gladly donate certain items. Just don't buy things you don't need and it will be easier to get the price you want on the few things you have to sell.

CowboyAndIndian

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #10 on: September 24, 2015, 06:24:28 AM »
Absolutely.

I give away stuff on freecycle.org all the time.

Kaplin261

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #11 on: September 24, 2015, 06:56:16 AM »
After listing stuff with Fulfilled by Amazon, I realized not only do items gradually depreciate but there are storage fees involved as well. So a premium price might take 6 months to get, but there is a storage fee involved that could turn the tables to make it more profitable to sell cheaper/quicker. Same concept goes for storing stuff at home, I pay money to have that extra space to store stuff. So your side business may bring in a extra couple hundred bucks a month. What could you make if you downsized, moved into a smaller home and gave up the side business?

HappyHoya

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #12 on: September 24, 2015, 07:03:23 AM »
What something is worth it totally subjective. I would not sell anything for less than it is worth to me, but I often sell things for less than they are worth by other measures. Any time you sell something for more than it's worth to you, it's a good transaction, IMO.

The Money Monk

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #13 on: September 24, 2015, 09:07:59 AM »
What something is worth it totally subjective. I would not sell anything for less than it is worth to me,

So if you can't sell it for what it is worth to you, what do you do with it? Sit on it forever?


HappyHoya

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #14 on: September 24, 2015, 09:50:27 AM »
What something is worth it totally subjective. I would not sell anything for less than it is worth to me,

So if you can't sell it for what it is worth to you, what do you do with it? Sit on it forever?

There's no sitting on anything involved, lol. If it's worth something to me it's because I am using it. If I don't need something at all and would be happy to give it away for free, I often do, unless selling it is really, really easy.

Hank Sinatra

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #15 on: September 24, 2015, 10:12:11 AM »
Quote
There's no sitting on anything involved, lol. If it's worth something to me it's because I am using it. If I don't need something at all and would be happy to give it away for free, I often do, unless selling it is really, really easy.

If giving things away rather than selling them warrants a Face-Punch then I am Cleveland Williams up against Muhammad Ali.  When I have stuff or junk that is not busted and still can be of some usefulness and I want to find a home for it rather than just jam it in the landfill,  I give it away. Maybe Goodwill, maybe some local charity. My goal, or you might say my "need", is not dollars, it's getting rid of the thing. So that's what I do.

I tend to look at things and say "Would I buy that?" And the answer is almost always "NO."  Ergo I conclude nobody else would buy it either or it would be too hard to sell. That is probably why I never went into business. And that's a good thing.

JPinDC

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #16 on: September 24, 2015, 10:33:51 AM »
Absolutely. I gave away a ton of stuff when I moved this summer so that I didn't have to bother listing it all, meeting with people, etc. Friends were thrilled to get things they needed, and I felt so free of the burden of extra stuff. I was like Oprah, but with kitchen stuff and books and decor and bedroom furniture. Bonus: I have dibs on my friends' guest room when I visit because it has all my old stuff in it!


kendallf

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #17 on: September 24, 2015, 10:53:49 AM »
I used to be horrible at this.  I would always feel like if it's broken, I should fix it because it'll be worth so much more...  you know where that's headed.  I had a garage full of broken junk that, in theory, when fixed, when sold to the right person, yada yada, would be valuable. 

Not so.

I am not all the way there in fixing this tendency, but I've come a long way.  I love to create and build things, so I will probably always need tools and a place to store them.  What I don't need is salvaged parts and remnants to hoard for all time.  I loved MMM's article about "storing" things on Craigslist; I'm trying to do that increasingly.

DagobertDuck

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #18 on: September 24, 2015, 10:57:14 AM »
Absolutely. I gave away a ton of stuff when I moved this summer so that I didn't have to bother listing it all, meeting with people,

+1 Not having to deal with the idiots that crowd Craigslist is worth quite some money.

Kaikou

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #19 on: September 24, 2015, 11:17:35 AM »
I used to be horrible at this.  I would always feel like if it's broken, I should fix it because it'll be worth so much more...  you know where that's headed.  I had a garage full of broken junk that, in theory, when fixed, when sold to the right person, yada yada, would be valuable. 

Not so.

I am not all the way there in fixing this tendency, but I've come a long way.  I love to create and build things, so I will probably always need tools and a place to store them.  What I don't need is salvaged parts and remnants to hoard for all time.  I loved MMM's article about "storing" things on Craigslist; I'm trying to do that increasingly.

link?


snogirl

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #21 on: September 24, 2015, 11:21:17 AM »
Yes most of the time.
I have had a few exceptions, very few, only because the item was more valuable to me at the time, and paid off waiting.
Most of the stuff I sell I get free and fix up so my profit is more positive.
It all evens out & the items go away.  That's my goal in the long run.

acroy

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #22 on: September 24, 2015, 11:35:48 AM »
Anything over $50 I clean up nice, take nice pics and put on Ebay 30-day classified ads. It might sit there a long time.... But especially for higher-value but small-market items, it is very worth it.

Under $50 generally goes to Goodwill and I take very meticulous tax breaks :)

zinethstache

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #23 on: September 24, 2015, 01:05:56 PM »
I had a HUGE amount of horse tack. I had used it lovingly (the horses weren't so kind) for 25 years or so and I let it all go for a song. What I could not sell I found a horse charity that would take it. I just couldn't throw it away...

It has now all been rehomed and I am amazed that I still earned what I think it alot for a bunch of well used stuff!

I do plan to use ebay this winter to peddle some other items. I have a mature sellers account with a high enough rating and I know how to take good pictures since I sell new goods there. I've just never tried to sell my own used items. I am hoping for success! I know it is key to have good descriptions and pictures.

honeybbq

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #24 on: September 24, 2015, 01:06:38 PM »
It's only worth what someone will pay.

Easye418

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #25 on: September 24, 2015, 01:16:21 PM »
Of course. Especially on large items that are taking up tons of garage space.  However, I typically come out breakeven or on top. 

-I just sold a perfectly good Ryobi Table saw for $100 bucks yesterday.  Brand new ones go for $200.  I probably could of gotten $125 for it, but it was just taking up space.

-I just sold a Hampton Bay Outdoor Bar with Pergola.  I paid $100 bucks (plus time and truck rental).  Had buyer's remorse because my patio wasn't big enough.  Sold it for $150.  Could of sold it for $200-$250, but I still at least broke even.


Greg

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #26 on: September 24, 2015, 03:36:28 PM »
That's what I always do, except maybe for certain cars.  Most garage-sale type stuff I price to move, and usually it gets taken without haggling.  I guess my prices are pre-haggled.  I hate negotiation when it comes to money.

As has been said, something you have for sale is only worth what you can sell it for.  If you try to hold stuff to get a better price, you may end up with it until it's not worth anything.  I have parents in this situation.  Better to sell it for what it will fetch, or give away than hold onto it.

stlbrah

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Re: Anyone sell things for less than they're worth just to get rid of them?
« Reply #27 on: September 24, 2015, 04:23:36 PM »
I'll come down 10%, but not the often ludicrous 30-40% some people expect.

I wouldn't do that either, because low-balling 40% is disrespectful. Also, these are the type of people that flake, try to get you to deliver the item, etc. Delinquents