Selling all my belongings, opinions needed please!

[Cheli]

So I have been trying to sell everything I own for the last couple of months and it's not easy at all.  I have so much stuff, a lot of it is nice things that I spent good money on and I would like to recoup some money back and then I have a lot of stuff that I'll get rid of for cheap or even donate when it comes down to it.

For those of you who have sold everything you own to become a van dweller (or whatever you chose to live in), at what point do you not get hung up on money and practically give your stuff away by accepting ridiculously insulting lowball offers on your stuff?  I don't know if there is a subconscious part of me that is afraid of making that 100% commitment by getting rid of everything, even though I want to hit the road more than anything.  Or am I really just hung up on the money I spent on everything and I don't want to take pennies on the dollar.  

A couple examples:  I have a beautiful dining room set, it's a large farm style table that is solid wood, heavy and durable and will last many many years.  I paid $1,600 for this set several years ago, I posted it for $525 which I think is a very reasonable price to ask for such a piece of real furniture.  This girl offers $325, I don't find that to be a reasonable counter offer, I find it insulting actually.  If she had offered $400 or $425 I would have said sure.  But now I'm hesitant to counter offer myself because she might say no.  At what point do you take so little money so you don't lose a sale?

I know most of you will probably say something like it depends on how bad I want to get rid of my stuff.  I want to get rid of everything but I think part of it is that I bought all my furniture since my divorce three years ago and i worked hard to save good money to get good furniture and I don't want to get screwed.  I know I shouldn't care, I should just get rid of it all.  Right?

Ohhh the struggle is real.

Please someone give me some insight so I can stop getting hung up on money, even when I'm losing a lot of it.  

 

[Dust-In-the-Wind]

Auction ... otherwise known as an "estate sale". But be ready to share a large chuck of the proceeds with the auction house that does the work. Inventory, tagging, advertising, etc.

Consignment ... If you don't need the money right away.

Donation ... if you can use it, the tax benefits are substantial

Family and Friends ... who might use/store the "stuff" while you decide whether this is really the lifestyle for you.

 

[Cheli]

Auction ...  otherwise known as an "estate sale".  But be ready to share a large chuck of the proceeds with the auction house that does the work.  Inventory, tagging, advertising, etc.

Consignment ...  If you don't need the money right away.

Donation ...  if you can use it, the tax benefits are substantial

Family and Friends ...  who might use/store the "stuff"  while you decide whether this is really the lifestyle for you.

All great ideas, thanks for the input.

Regarding the estate sale, I've been trying to figure out how to do this myself.  I don't want to lose a large chunk to someone when I can do it myself.  My sister keeps telling me we need to organize everything then post it EVERYWHERE and do our own estate sale.  hahaha

Consignment won't work because it's mostly my large furniture that I'm having issues selling and I an unable to drag it to a consignment shop to wait for months for a sale.

I'm not tooting my own horn but this is all fairly new furniture and it's too good to donate, and I need the money to hit the road.  I spent several thousands on all new furniture just three years ago when I got divorced.

It's not all the decor and little things I'm worried about getting rid of, basically all the big pieces of furniture.

My sister has already gotten a lot of my stuff that she's been wanting so I'm like here, take it.  hahaha  And there are a couple of other pieces she wants for my nieces bedroom when I finally leave.

I have no problem giving things away, again, it's just the large furniture pieces that I spent a lot of money on.

I've had several opportunities to sell some of it too but they have been such insulting low ball offers compared to what I posted them for.  I just don't understand how people are so easy to be offensive when someone is selling something and they offer less than half the asking price.  I can't imagine doing that.

 

[Queen]

We sold a couple of things and then decided our time was valuable and the selling process very time consuming. So, we took a deep breath and called Goodwill/Habitat/Hospice/Humane Society and donated everything. It felt better to know someone else would benefit from our things, some it of very nice and very expensive. You only get pennies on the dollar and I quickly realized that just because I paid $2000 for a chair, not one other person was going to give a crap about that.

 

[Headache]

Cheli I learned a long time ago that my things are only worth how much someone else is willing to pay for them.  You are also describing that addiction to "stuff" we have been mislead into thinking is acceptable.

Only you can decide how valuable your time and freedom are worth in comparison to the value you place on your items.

I have a limit of 2-3 weeks that I will have anything up for sale and every time I repost an ad I reduce the price by 10-25% depending on what kind of item it is but I also price my items rather low.  To "defend" my prices I also include sales ads from other places for the same or very similar item.  For instance last weekend I sold a dog kennel.  A new one is $300 so I started my price at half that then adjusted for some missing parts.  I put it on Craigslist for $119 and it sold for $100.

I have a set of Dodge wheels that are over $500 new and between $300-$400 used.  I started my price at $189 and it's at $149 now.  They aren't moving and if they don't sell by next weekend I'm scrapping them.  I can't "afford" the extra time and space they are taking from me and I won't allow unsold items to prevent me from living.  I also won't "give" them away to just anyone.  There's a whole lot of people out there that can benefit from my "loss" and I gain more freedom each time an item leaves my possession.

Other items that don't sell either go to the local Goodwill or the women's shelter.  I refuse to be shackled by material goods and won't allow the value of an item to hold me down anymore with the exception of my vehicles.  I must care for whatever I'm living in for obvious reasons and I have two other pieces of equipment that I won't donate or give away but my storage costs are very little so I can justify keeping them.  They will stay where they are until either traded for something I need or sold.

Right now all I have is a 1/2 ton van with no high top.  It's not set up for living but I'll have to make it work because I know that as soon as I'm in it I'll be saving money faster towards the vehicle I really want as a residence.  Paying rent and utilities is preventing me from doing that right now.  It's just not a sound investment to stay and devalues everything I might try to keep because I have to pay the rent and utilities to store it in the house.

 

[Headache]

I've had several opportunities to sell some of it too but they have been such insulting low ball offers compared to what I posted them for.  I just don't understand how people are so easy to be offensive when someone is selling something and they offer less than half the asking price.  I can't imagine doing that.

Have you countered their offers?  At least with cars unless it's some amazing or rare vehicle or a brand new or renovated house or some kind of mansion, opening offers of half your price are quite common.  Most(but not all!) of the people I encounter doing this are fellow "horse traders" and dickering is a sport to them.

For example: you are selling something at $100 and they offer $50, you counter with $90 and they offer $60.  You counter them at $80 and they offer $70 and the final agreement is $75.  It's a game that a lot of us enjoy and both parties end the transaction winners.

Insulting to me is like you said; putting something up for sale for $100 and they offer less than half and won't go higher than half.  I'll donate it before caving in to that kind of person.  Usually they are resellers.

 

[Wabbit]

....it's too good to donate...

I doubt it's to good to donate.

...I just don't understand how people are so easy to be offensive when someone is selling something and they offer less than half the asking price.  I can't imagine doing that...

I don't think they were trying to be offensive, they prob thought they were negotiating. I have no prob offering someone half of what they have asked for(or even less if I don't think it's worth it to me). I don't do it to be offensive.

Is storage an option? Best of luck!

 

[Cheli]

You are also describing that addiction to "stuff" we have been mislead into thinking is acceptable.
Yes, I guess I am.  

I refuse to be shackled by material goods and won't allow the value of an item to hold me down anymore with the exception of my vehicles.
Wow, that is a powerful point.

Paying rent and utilities is preventing me from doing that right now.  It's just not a sound investment to stay and devalues everything I might try to keep because I have to pay the rent and utilities to store it in the house.
Another great point.  I didn't even think of it that way.  The longer I worried about getting a certain price for something, the longer I'm paying rent at a much higher multiplier then the money I'm losing on an item.

I think you just hit the nail on the head with that one.  Time to stop this addiction to stuff!

THANK YOU!!!!

 

[Cheli]

Have you countered their offers? 
Yes I always counter offer and they get stuck on their offer price and say "well let me know if you change your mind".

Insulting to me is like you said; putting something up for sale for $100 and they offer less than half and won't go higher than half.  I'll donate it before caving in to that kind of person.  Usually they are resellers.
I always post an item know there is haggle room.  But they offer half of my asking price and won't budge.  I haven't posted one thing yet where someone has offered much lower, then I counter offer and they counter offer again.  I'm willing to haggle, buyers get stuck on their price as their last offer.  It's so offensive to me.  So I'm willing to haggle but they're not.  Grrrr.

 

[Cheli]

I don't think they were trying to be offensive, they prob thought they were negotiating. I have no prob offering someone half of what they have asked for(or even less if I don't think it's worth it to me). I don't do it to be offensive.

No because they aren't negotiating.  They give a lowball offer, I counter and they say no.  I have no problem with negotiating, but they don't.

 

[jimindenver]

Cheli

In one sense I sold it all to the other half for half or less of the value. It was the cost of not having to sort it all, clean it up, fix it up and sell it. It also gets me out of here much faster. I walk dept free with a check, that's worth a lot.

On the other hand there are the things that are mine personally that I want to store long enough to see if the lifestyle fits. It's all tools and toys that wouldn't fetch much but would be expensive to replace were I to change my mind.

The sad thing about big furniture is you would be shocked how many nice dining sets, wardrobes, hutches, ect are given away for free on craigslist.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Having sold everything I own twice now and also selling everything in my Dad's house and grandmother's house when she passed I learned a very important lesson. Used furniture and household goods have very very little resale value. Keep this in mind when you're scared to sell your things because if you ever decide life on the road isn't for you, you can then buy really nice used stuff for cents on the dollar over new. I furnished my entire house the 3rd time around via craigslist and think I paid about $3000 for 14k in furniture. Now when I turn around and liquidate everything the next time around I will only be out a thousand bucks or so instead of 10k.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I've had several opportunities to sell some of it too but they have been such insulting low ball offers compared to what I posted them for.  I just don't understand how people are so easy to be offensive when someone is selling something and they offer less than half the asking price.  I can't imagine doing that.

Are these offers in person after they look at the item or are they offers via email before even coming to look at it?

I don't take email offers seriously nor do I even bother with them.  If they show up in person and offer what I think is ridiculously low, they are much more likely to get it because they are there with cash and I at least know they are serious.  I see no benefit to haggling over a price with someone that hasn't even shown up.

I also sometimes offer a very low price compared to what people are asking.  I do this for a number of reasons and I never do it to insult anyone and would never want to purposely insult anyone.  But, I do a lot of buying, selling and trading on craigslist and sometimes people are just asking more than somethings worth, sometimes i want an item, but I only want it if I can get in a certain price point, and other items I take a gamble on, so the lower I can get it, the less my risk is.  I only make offers in person with the cash in hand, so if nothing else they at least know i'm a serious buyer that took the time to come out there and meet them.  I think everyone deserves that level of respect.

 

[Cheli]

Are these offers in person after they look at the item or are they offers via email before even coming to look at it?

No they're on FB, I post the item with description and pictures and they don't even come look at it.  It's crazy and frustrating.

I think I just need to take what I can for everything and move on.  And you had great advice about getting good things on Craigslist.  So if it turns out this isn't for me I'll buy cheap but nice stuff next time, not spends thousands and thousands like I did.  *sigh*

 

[Headache]

No because they aren't negotiating.  They give a lowball offer, I counter and they say no.  I have no problem with negotiating, but they don't.

Those types I don't waste time on.  I'll donate it or give it to a friend.  What it comes down to for me is how do I turn it around into having the most benefit?  Donation provides benefits for people struggling to survive whether it be through the job training and social rehab that Goodwill offers or the woman and her children trying to get their lives back together after a domestic violence situation.  They are much more appreciative than a cheap SOB any day on the week and I feel good about it too.

As far as too good to donate, well, monetarily you'll be lucky to get half because as someone else pointed out furniture depreciates faster than cars do.  However, someone who's lost everything in a fire or a homeless mom in a new apartment with no furnishings?  To them it's gold.

And as Every Road stated, if they haven't even come out to look at it and they want you to call them if you drop your price you just tell them if they are too lazy to look at it then you're too lazy to drop the price and hang up.  My time may not be measured in dollars but it's still a valuable and irreplaceable commodity to me.

But again, you have to decide what your tolerance level is.  Right now I'm loading up a small storage unit with my tools, irreplaceable family items and photos and other things.  I've budgeted myself a year but I can store for several years before I hit the break even point and start losing money(in respect of the value of the items I'm storing).  I'm too cheap though so I hope to find a piece of property I can put some kind of storage container on and have my stuff and home base in the same place before that.  You could try that.  I'm only having to do it because I'm losing my place here and one of the pieces of equipment I have is a moving truck I've been using for storage the last few years.  I'm even downsizing vehicles!

 

[Zizzer_Zazzer_Zuz]

You could also try other avenues for selling these things.

I've had good luck with offer-up and another is let-go.

Download the app, snap a picture, post a price. One item and one picture per post.

Resale on most everything is about 25% of what you paid if it is in pristine condition and less for every dent ding and year it has been out of the box.

When the economy is better people are willing to pay more for antiques but simply reselling a 5 year old table, no matter how nice, is going to net you very little return.

As I always told my son growing up "some is better than none.".

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Everyone else is saying just get rid of it and go.  I enjoy playing Devil's Advocate, so I'll take the contrary position.

Have you already bought your escape vehicle?  If not, the more money your stuff brings, the better the vehicle you can buy.

If you have, how big is your emergency fund?  The more money your stuff brings, the bigger the emergency fund is.

If your emergency fund is already adequate, then the more money your stuff brings, the longer you can go before you have to take a job.

Is there something non van living you've always wanted to do?  A week in Hawaii, for instance?  The more money your stuff brings, the more likely you could do something like that.

Aren't you the one whose niece was heartbroken that you were leaving?  Rather than adopt the attitude that sticking around to get the best price was keeping you from leaving RIGHT NOW!, adopt the attitude that sticking around to get the best price gives you more time to spend with her.  The glass isn't half empty, it's half full.

If I were in your shoes, I would at least talk to a local auction house and see what's involved in putting all your stuff up for auction.  Even if, after their fees, I didn't wind up making any more money, I would still take a lot of satisfaction from knowing that the damned vultures didn't get it for pennies on the dollar.  But that's me.

 

[Cheli]

Yes and this is what it really comes down to for me.  I don't have my van yet so I'm trying to sell everything for the money to get it, I guess that's why I'm hung up on recouping some money for my furniture.  And just like you said, every dollar I get is another dollar towards this lifestyle that I want so badly.  The more money towards my emergency fund, the more money toward not having to work as soon.

And the quicker I can sell everything the quicker I can get out of my apartment.  It's not so much about getting out of here quicker, although I'm getting anxious, but if I can get out of my apartment i can stay with my sister for months and save my income before quitting my job to leave.  The longer I'm here the more I'm waisting on rent, utilities etc.

And wow, very impressed with your memory about my niece.  Yes that's me.  I'm certainly not anxious to leave her but she's been super excited that I'm going to be living with them for several months before I go.  It looks like I'll be sharing a bedroom with my nine year old niece to save money.  LOL

 

[Txjaybird]

:s  The firsttime  I went through what you are was in 2004/05 to move from TX to SD,  I had items in 2 consignment stores and held Yard sales and still donated items.   It took months!

 In 2007 for a move from SD to Ky I had a auction house come and pick up trailer [theirs] loads,  I gave stuff away and sold the house [paid for] at a $5,000 loss from what I paid in 2005.  Not counting the loss on furniture and appliances left with the house, and the vintage Ranch Mink coat that I forgot about.  My Mom reminded me weeks later as it was promised to her.  It was Nov in SD, cold and I was sick and moving/loading/ building sideboards by myself.  I got to the point that I felt it was go now or die here.  It was a week later before I realized  how sick I really was. That was another long struggle to get rid of things.

In 2010 I had this selling out/moving to another state down to an art { I thought }  This move involved consignment stores in both KY and IL.  Listings 2 x a day on 2 local radio stations,  People just showing up at my door without calling.  I had not given out my address. Also giving/selling things to neighbors.  Once again I stuffed my life into a Ranger pick up and a small 5x8 trailor and moved to AL.

So now 6yrs later I have an apt. full and 3 storage units.  Each move was going to be the last move I'll ever make also the last time I'll obtain so much extra stuff.  So I know I have a problem wanting so much stuff.  I don't need others to point that out.  I'm not stupid so I figured that out some time ago.

It's real EZ sometimes to tell others to let it go it's just stuff.  I think it's what the stuff represents to us that makes some things hard to let go.  For me now it's a daily struggle to get rid of things and also to NOT BRING ANYTHING HOME UNLESS IT"S TRULY NEEDED.  My friends and family benefit all the time as I pass a lot of clothes, linens, furniture, household items, and food along to others.  Last week I bought 24lbs of OSCAR MYER hot dogs for .66cnts a lb. one case in the freezer and the rest passed along to others.

One of the reasons I'm sticking with the Ranger and Aliner and not "up sizing" to bigger rigs...I 'd just fill them up.  There is just something about emptiness that irks me. :huh:

All the suggestions I've seen here are good ones.  It just depends on what works best for you at the time you need to get rid of things.

I'm lucky in that I have one long time friend a some new ones who seem to understand how hard it is to just let go of certain things.  It's/I'm a work in progress.

I believe you will work thru this by figuring out what exactly are your priorities and then how to reach your goals in a time frame that suits you, not others.

Good Luck

Jewellann

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

OK.  So, it's not that you are in a rush to hit the road.  It's that you are in a rush to vacate your apartment so as to save the monthly rent.  Got it.

In that case, I would DEFINITELY investigate what's involved in having an auction house take all your stuff.  They can empty out your apartment and haul everything to their place to hold until their next auction.  You can be out before next month.