Donate: Another option is to take everything down to your local charity. While you won't get any money upfront for the items, you can get a receipt for all the stuff that you donate. The value of these items can then be written off on your taxes if you itemize. If you choose to go the eBay or Craigslist route, anything that doesn't sell can also be donated to charity for the tax write-off.
Sell directly: There are certain items that you may be getting rid of that you can sell directly to Web sites or retail outlets. For example, if you have old cell phones that you no longer need, you can sell them directly to a company such as CellForCash. Clothes that are in good shape can be taken to a consignment shop. CDs, books and DVDs can be taken to used-book stores.
Trade: Sites such as Zunafish allow you to trade old CDs, DVDs, video games and books for others you have been looking to purchase. While you don't get cash for them, by getting ones that you wanted, you save the expense of purchasing them on your own. The advantage of trading is that you can often get a better trade for the items than you would be able to get by selling them.
If you aren't looking to make any money and just want to get rid of the stuff, there are still ways to keep it out of the landfill.
Leave on the sidewalk: If you live in an urban area or an area that is quite busy, all you may need to do is place the stuff on the sidewalk with a sign that says "Free" on it. For many, this is probably the quickest and easiest way to get rid of the stuff. In many urban areas, everything you place on the sidewalk will be gone in less than a day.
Freecycle: For those who don't have the sidewalk option, you can list the stuff on Freecycle. This is a community-based board where you list things that you no longer want, and anyone who wants them can claim them and pick them up. You'd be surprised at what others want, and virtually anything that you list will likely be claimed.
Which method you choose ultimately depends on how much time and effort you want to expend on getting everything out of your house. Still, one of these methods should fit your time constraints and give all those things that you don't want a new life outside of the landfill.
Jeffrey Strain
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