So as one goes through all of one's products & food looking for toxic home invaders it can feel overwhelming and make one want to burn the house down! But wait there's hope (although the ethics of giving someone else toxins you won’t use yourself is up for debate. Some people really don’t care what they use). As I've slowly gone through everything in my house I've found that a lot of things I can make some of my money back on! 😱 That money in turn helps me afford the replacement products if I don't want to just use them up before I buy new ones. If you have anything that is a recognizable brand name it's easy to sell! Here's my tips on making money off your toxic stuff you don't want any more.
STEP 1: Identify what you want to toss or get rid of instead of just using it up and take good pictures of the items. Wipe down soap containers get some natural lighting or an uncluttered white or solid color back drop. Clearly photograph any nicks marks or imperfections on the item.
STEP 2: List the item on a resale website or app my favorite is Mercari (requires shipping) but I have also sold used shampoo and conditioner via OfferUp locally. Facebook marketplace is also great for local listings. There is always craigslist but Mercari I feel is the most user friendly. Before you list do a search of similar products/items on the site/app so you can get a feel for what things are selling for new and used so you can competitively price your item.
STEP 3: Ship or schedule pickup/meet-up for your sold items! USPS.com allows you to schedule free carrier pickup and you can find some padded mailers at the dollar store for safe shipping or reuse any boxes and packages you got in the mail recently. If you have a local buying from you I recommend meeting somewhere near by your house vs having them come to your home for safety reasons. Also for safety reasons it's best to not use a real picture of yourself. I had some guy want to buy a paper towel holder from me for $10 then asked me to deliver it to his house 45min away! Um nope not worth the $10 and that's just stupid. He never responded when I suggested my husband could meet him halfway at the zoo. 😂 So be smart about those things.
STEP 4: If it doesn't sell join your local "Buy Nothing" group and see if someone there wants the item. It's a great place to offer up unwanted things that someone could have some use of still but not worth buying.
I have made about $300 so far on used stuff or things I don't need anymore with the Mercari app. I've sold used make up to used shaving cream that only had about 1/4th left in it! I have a friend that has sold used hand cream on there too. I usually don't count it worth the time if I can't at least make $1.50 off the item though. Then it just gets gifted or tossed. But only after I've attempted to make a little back off of it.
Please note if you use the following link to sign up for Mercari you and I can both receive some bonus app/site credit for the referral! Do you know of any other great ways to earn some money back off of your toxic stuff you don't want anymore? Tell us in the comments! Would love to hear it! Happy Selling!
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