8 Items To Sell Around Your Home For Extra Money

If you are new here, welcome to my post about how to make money by selling items around your home! Here are 8 things to sell to make money and how to find stuff to sell. I suggest you read my monthly income blogging reports as well, where I show you how I earn over $100,000 a…

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Last Updated: April 2, 2024

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

If you are new here, welcome to my post about how to make money by selling items around your home! Here are 8 things to sell to make money and how to find stuff to sell. I suggest you read my monthly income blogging reports as well, where I show you how I earn over $100,000 a month online.

The average person has a lot of extra stuff in their life. Too many clothes, old electronics that have been tossed to the side, useless furniture, books you’re never going to read again, and more.

Why not get rid of some of this extra stuff?

Whether you’re looking to make extra cash or if your primary objective is to declutter your home, there are many items around your home that you may be able to sell.

This extra money can be used to pay off debt, save more money, go on a vacation, and more.

However, many people end up just throwing things like these away.

I’ve heard all the excuses for why a person doesn’t want to try selling their stuff:

  • “But, no one will pay for my junk.”
  • “That item isn’t worth it.”
  • “It’s so much easier just to throw it away.”
  • “What if I look stupid if a thrift store says no to everything I am trying to sell to them?”
  • “What can I sell to make money? I have nothing!”

Stop with the excuses!

If you are throwing things away that you could be selling, you are throwing money away.

Related articles on things to sell to make money:

This means next time you are about to throw something away or leave it at the curb in hopes someone will take it, you may want to try your luck at selling the item first.

There are many places you may be able to sell your things. These include:

  • eBay – eBay can be a great way to reach a larger market.
  • Craigslist – This free site can be an easy way to sell your stuff, but be safe and don’t fall for any Craigslist scams.
  • Garage/yard sale – This can be an easy way to sell many things at once all from your home, but usually the pay is lower.
  • Thrift stores – Thrift stores may pay on consignment, cash on the spot, or store credit.
  • Facebook – There are specific groups on Facebook dedicated to selling items to someone in the same city as you.

Below are eight things to sell to make money. Continue reading below if you are wondering “What can I sell to make money?”

Side note: Don’t forget to donate items as well! Sadly, many people throw away perfectly good things. Even if you don’t want the cash, donate items that you think can be put to use by someone else.

Here are different things to sell to make money.

Things to sell to make money  – Clothing!

I have gotten rid of so many clothes now that we live full-time in our RV, and I’m pretty sure I could get rid of even more.

Everyone has extra clothing they don’t wear, so this can be an easy thing to find and sell. I recommend checking out a thrift store near you, such as Plato’s Closet or Buffalo Exchange, to see if you can sell them any of your clothing. There are also designer thrift stores paying cash for high-end clothes.

Items you could sell include shirts, pants, business casual clothing, shoes, jewelry, costumes, dresses, jackets, wedding dress, belts, formal dresses, and more.

Recommended reading:

What to sell to make money – Electronics and appliances

There are many electronics around your home that you may be able to sell.

Even if you think the item is too old, you may still have a shot. For example, the electric company in my old town pays $35 for an old fridge, even if it doesn’t work. And, they even come to pick it up from your home!

Other items you may be able to sell include cell phones, laptops, computers, cameras, TVs, and so on.

Side note: Before you sell a cell phone or laptop, make sure you completely clear any information from it.

Recommended reading: 15 Best Ways To Sell Used Furniture For Money

Your opinion.

Yes, one of the things to sell may be your opinion.

Some of the paid survey sites that you can sign up for and sell your opinion include:

  1. American Consumer Opinion
  2. Survey Junkie
  3. Swagbucks
  4. InboxDollars
  5. Branded Surveys
  6. OneOpinion
  7. Pinecone Research
  8. Prize Rebel
  9. MySoapBox
  10. Opinion Outpost
  11. User Interviews
  12. Springboard America
  13. Vocalyz

Furniture

Sometimes there is furniture you no longer have a use for. Maybe you just redecorated, or maybe you just have extra furniture taking up too much space. You might be able to sell this extra furniture for cash.

Yes, furniture is another part of the things to sell to make money!

In fact, I have some friends who repainted their old furniture so they could sell it. Before, their furniture may not have made them any cash, but refurbishing certain pieces may allow you to make some extra money.

Related: How Thrift Store Reselling Is Good For The Environment And How To Do It

Cardboard Tubes

Okay, so this is probably the most surprising one on the list. Did you know that one of the things to sell to make money is actually that you can sell your old toilet paper and paper towel rolls for money?

Yes, you can!

Click here if you don’t believe me. Yes, people can buy new cardboard tubes as well like these too.

This certainly won’t make you rich, but it can make you a little bit of money for something that you are already using and probably just tossing away.

Books

Books are a great thing to sell for extra money. Depending on exactly what you are selling, you may be able to earn a couple hundred dollars from a stack of books.

Whether you have a textbook, novel, encyclopedia, or any other type of book, you may be able to sell it and earn extra money.

I recommend checking to see if you can sell your book on eBay, Cash4Books.net, Half.com, a college bookstore, a local thrift store, and more.

Movies

Movies are another great item to sell for extra money. You may be able to earn a few dollars for each movie sold, and possibly $10+ if you have a TV series.

You can sell them to a movie or CD store near you (yes, these still exist), online, at a garage sale, and more.

We recently sold a stack of movies that we never watch and made around $50 in store credit. Because we knew we were going to buy a present for someone from that same store, it was a perfect switch for us.

You can learn more at 11 Best Ways To Sell Used DVDs Online And Locally.

Gift Cards

Many people have gift cards in their wallet that they will never use. Rather than letting that gift card go to waste, you can sell it online.

Yes, you can sell your gift card even if you used a part of it. It doesn’t matter if there’s the full amount on it or if it’s a weird number like $13.57.

There are several websites dedicated to selling gift cards. These include GiftCardGranny and CardPool. Both of these websites say that they give up to 92% of the gift card’s value.

Recommended reading: 7 Best Places To Sell Gift Cards For Cash

Sporting Goods

Just like used clothing stores that buy your clothes, there are used sporting goods stores willing to buy your stuff.

One used sporting goods chain I recommend is Play It Again Sports and you probably can find many things to sell to make money through this store.

On their website they state, “Typically we will resell our used items for about 40-60% of what they would sell for new today. You would receive 30-50% of that amount depending on demand, condition and current inventory levels of like products.”

Play It Again Sports probably isn’t the only used sporting goods store in your city, so check around online, and call to see what the different buying processes are like.

Some of the items a used sporting goods store may buy include:

  • Helmets
  • Kayaks
  • Treadmills
  • Ski boots
  • Skateboards
  • Weights
  • Snowboards

You can also sell your used sporting goods on websites such as eBay and Craigslist, at a garage sale, and more. Used sporting goods stores may be the easiest way to sell your items, though.

What have you sold around your home to make extra money? What other things to sell to make money can you think of?

If you are new to my blog, I am all about finding ways to make and save more money. Here are some of my favorite sites and products that may help you out:

  • Start a blog. Blogging is how I make a living and just a few years ago I never thought it would be possible. I earn over $70,000 a month online through my blog and you can read more about this in my monthly online income reports. You can create your own blog here with my easy-to-use tutorial. You can start your blog for as low as $3.49 per month plus you get a free domain if you sign-up through my tutorial.
  • Sign up for a website like Ebates where you can earn CASH BACK for just spending like how you normally would online. The service is free too! Plus, when you sign up through my link, you also receive a free $10 gift card bonus to Macys, Walmart, Target, or Kohls!
  • Save money on food. I recently joined $5 Meal Plan in order to help me eat at home more and cut my food spending. It’s only $5 a month (the first two weeks are free too) and you get meal plans sent straight to you along with the exact shopping list you need in order to create the meals. Each meal costs around $2 per person or less. This allows you to save time because you won’t have to meal plan anymore, and it will save you money as well!
  • I highly recommend Credible for student loan refinancing. You can lower the interest rate on your student loans significantly by using Credible which may help you shave thousands off your student loan bill over time.
  • Cut your TV bill. Cut your cable, satellite, etc. Even go as far to go without Netflix or Hulu as well. Buy a digital antenna (this is the one we have) and enjoy free TV for life.
  • Try InboxDollars. InboxDollars is an online rewards website I recommend. You can earn cash by taking surveys, playing games, shopping online, searching the web, redeeming grocery coupons, and more. Also, by signing up through my link, you will receive $5.00 for free just for signing up!
  • Find a part-time job. There are many part-time jobs that you may be able to find. You can find a job on sites such as Snagajob, Craigslist (yes, I’ve found a legitimate job through there before), Monster, and so on.
  • Lower your cell phone bill. Instead of paying the $150 or more that you spend on your cell phone bill, there are companies out there like Republic Wireless that offer cell phone service starting at $10. YES, I SAID $10! If you use my Republic Wireless affiliate link, you can change your life and start saving thousands of dollars a year on your cell phone service. I created a full review on Republic Wireless as well if you are interested in hearing more. I’ve been using them for over a year and they are great.

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Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Author: Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Hey! I’m Michelle Schroeder-Gardner and I am the founder of Making Sense of Cents. I’m passionate about all things personal finance, side hustles, making extra money, and online businesses. I have been featured in major publications such as Forbes, CNBC, Time, and Business Insider. Learn more here.

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  1. Dee @ Color Me Frugal

    I’ve sold almost all of these things to make money! I’ve never sold cardboard tubes though- I’m going to have to look into that one! My fav sites to sell on are eBay and craigslist. I list smaller more valuable items on eBay. Larger items that would be difficult or expensive to ship I list on Craigslist. Sometimes it takes a while for me to sell things on Craigslist because I live in a small city. But if I keep relisting the item eventually I can usually get rid of it 🙂

    1. lsabel

      Clothes are very slow to sell i did it people want to buy 100 rand bag for just 10 rand serious

  2. Ashley

    You can actually make $1.50 for just listing your gift cards for sale on raise.com when you go through Yazing.com

    1. Just for listing it? How much has to be on the gift card?

  3. Ashley

    For books, movies, video games, and other products you might also try the Amazon trade in program. I use he Amazon student app to scan the bar codes and see what the trade in value is. If Amazon has a trade in offer for the book, movie or product they pay for the shipping and you get an Amazon credit in your account!

  4. Amy @ DebtGal

    I go through periods of motivated selling on eBay and Craigslist. I’m good about setting the stuff aside, but less good about consistently listing it. I really love children’s consignment sales and stores, which make it a lot easier to get rid of outgrown kid stuff. I make several hundred dollars a year selling stuff them.

    Freecycle is another good tool for essentially donating unwanted items.

    1. Yes, I love consignment stores – they make it so easy to sell your stuff!

  5. It seems like I am selling something every other week. This is mostly because my kids grow out of stuff so quickly!

  6. I’ve had a lot of success with Poshmark and Tradesy for selling clothes and accessories. I also try to be aware of my time and space, so if something isn’t selling in a reasonable amount of time, I’ll take it to a local resale shop or donate it. The cardboard tubes made me laugh – I’m not sure I want the extra clutter. Maybe if we had more space!

  7. I’m a big fan of the Dave Ramsey quote “sell so much stuff your kids think they’re next!” 🙂

  8. Ree Klein

    Hi Michelle ~

    A friend of mine recently relocated from CA to Nashville and she sold a TON of stuff in preparation for her move. She used both OfferUp and Close5 and loved the success she had with them. These are phone aps that have beautiful interfaces and are really easy to use. They are more for local selling, much like Craigslist.

    1. Good to know! We just donated pretty much our whole home. Definitely could have made some money but my laziness took over.

  9. Kate @ Cashville Skyline

    Thanks for the reminder, Michelle! I’ve been meaning to take some of my gently used designer clothing to one of the high-end consignment shops in Nashville. I never wear it. So it’s just collecting dust in my closet. I know I can make some extra money with a little extra effort here.

  10. We’ve had really good luck selling on some Facebook resale sites for our area since we live a little too far out for the nearest Craigslist city. We gotten the best prices on those sites too. We’ve sold holiday decorations, a vacuum, video game stuff and a moped. It’s an easy way to get some extra cash for sure!

  11. I’ve sold so many things over the years. Some of the items includes shoes, t-shirts, toys, books and coffee mugs.

  12. Thanks for the reminder — I was wondering what the hell we were going to do with an old bike that my husband never ended up using. It needs new tubes in the tires, so I’ll call Play It Again and another sports resale place near us to see if they’d even want it. Otherwise, it really is time to get rid of it on Craigslist.

    We also bought rollerblades for him that never got used. Now with his joint problems, they probably never will. It might take me another year to convince him, but it’d be nice if we got some money back from them.

    I already have a stack of clothes that I’m ready to give away or sell. They’ve actually be sitting around in stacks for about a year — which definitely shows that they’re not missed — so I just need to get to a resale store. I should check out Plato’s Closet. I’d forgotten all about that store!

    1. Yes, definitely try Play It Again! My old boss at Plato’s Closet owns a Play It Again Sports as well, so I know a little about the store.

  13. Same here. We just gave away and donated a bunch of stuff. It was nice!

  14. I have some gift cards from Christmas and you just reminded me that I need to sell them! Thanks for providing the sites to sell them on.

  15. I’ve made some extra money selling most of these items, I actually just packed up a bag of great clothes to take to a consignment place over the weekend.

    For selling books, there’s a handy app (that’s free) called Book Scouter, that will let you scan a book and will tell you which places will buy it and for how much.

    1. Thanks! I’ll have to check that app out.

  16. Michael

    I go through periods of purges. This past week has been one of them. So far I sold my old cell phone that has been in my closet for almost a year. It didn’t even turn on and I got $40 for it and some accessories I included. I figured someone with the knowledge to do so could get it working again. I currently have a pair of professional headphones listed. I haven’t used them much recently and they still sell for quite a bit.

    I’m putting the money towards other hobbies of mine. It makes me feel better about buying other things if I sell some things that I don’t use first. I like to sell bulkier items on Craigslist and smaller stuff on eBay or Amazon. Next I have an old bike that I either need fix up or get rid of it. I rescued it from the dumpster over a year ago. I also have a bunch of DVDs and books that I should sort through. My cardboard tubes usually end up becoming cat toys ha.

  17. We are going to have a yard sale before we move later this year and I’m definitely going to be selling many of the things you mention in this post.

    1. Do you know where you’re moving to yet?

  18. Kelly

    I been really successful selling things on a community Facebook page. I’ve sold everything from old applicances to different household items. I must add that I have also saved a lot of money purchasing items off the site such as a stroller that I paid $20 for that retailed for $400!

  19. Stockbeard

    Wow, the cardboard tubes thing is… surprising! People will really sell (and buy) everything 🙂

  20. I think I need to check out local consignment stores and see if I can get a little bit of $ for all the extra clothes sitting around!

    Thanks for all the ideas!
    ~Karina

  21. We have a few items in our basement that we need to sell – I feel like that amount is dwindling, though. A few years ago I did sell quite a few things for around $500.

  22. Ravinder

    Thanks Michelle for Idea

    I have many stuff related to Computers and Accessories which are useless for me Now I’m thinking to sell it on quickr.

  23. Anne

    I have so much to get rid of, to downsize my possessions in preparation for retirement and probably moving, but I live alone and am concerned about security. I have no family in town and hesitate to advertise something which would bring an unknown someone into my home to see and buy the item. Suggestions?

    1. Definitely meet in a public place. I never recommend having someone go to your home, even if you had a home filled with people.

  24. I’ve tried selling clothes and books before. It’s a great way to earn extra money and declutter your home at the same time.

  25. Kara @ Money Saving Maven

    I’ve had the most luck with furniture and kid’s stuff! 🙂

  26. We’ve purposely downsized our home which has forced us to get rid of stuff. Recently we’ve sold a cable TV remote, a Wii (the kid who bought it paid me with coins he’d saved up – adorable!), we’ve sold a lot of books and children’s gear, mainly baby gear. For the very low value items I just donate to charity, as it would cost me more to put a listing up and walk to the post office and sell it than I would make.

  27. Linda

    I’ve sold some of my old college textbooks on Amazon in the past, but nothing recently. When I moved into my boyfriend’s house a lot of my furniture went into the basement and hasn’t been used since. I should probably try to sell on craigslist. Thanks for the idea!

  28. Ivan Jordon

    Hmmmm. How about our old piano? No one’s using it anymore.

    1. Callie

      Where do you live? There are lots of people willing to buy a used piano.

  29. neucarol

    How can baby pack-n-ply and strollers be disposed of? Goodwill won’t take them due to safety issues.

  30. Drew

    Good advice for selling your old electronics. Good reminder to wipe the data from your old tablets and phones. You wouldn’t want that information in the hands of a stranger. Thanks so much for sharing.

  31. Lindsey

    I recently went through all of my old videogames and movies and I was able to make $125 in amazon trade in credit. Since we use amazon for almost all of our purchases this worked out great for us!

    Another site we use to sell movies is decluttr.com

  32. mona

    I tried InboxDollars to earn money. i wasn’t very happy. it takes a long time to earn @ least $30.00.Which is what you need before you can collect your money. It took more time than needed to find surveys that i could answer. ( I am not married w/ lots of children and I didn’t want to spend LOTS of money redoing my home.)I also received lots of phone calls from their company sponsors, even though I was clear that I wasn’t interested in their product and hadn’t requested information. I had issues w/ the video surveys and was unable to contact the company for help. The system just kept taking me through the same tutorials that were not helpful. I had to contact them by snailmail. I haven’t heard a response , it’s been months….
    I doubt that i will hear from them….

  33. Jamie Jarvis

    I realize I’m late to the party but I just came across this article and wanted to chime in!
    First, I love the tips you gave and THANK YOU for providing links to each source!
    Also, I wanted to share that I have made literally THOUSANDS of dollars over the past couple of months using VarageSale. It is the same concept as Craigslist, OfferUp, etc., and I have tried every one of those sites, none of them are as good as VarageSale. For me the best thing about it is the membership requirements and safety precautions in place that virtually eliminates scams. It’s not available everywhere (yet), but if you enter your zip code on http://www.varagesale.com and find local communities, you can submit a request to join. Each community has an administrator that reviews membership requests and will only approve them if they can verify the applicant does live in the area, and only approved members can browse items for sale or list their own items (no more sketchy buyers from who-know-where trying to put one over on you!). It has been SO easy to use! I never had much luck with the other sites so I’m really glad to have found this one…highly recommend!

  34. What a great list! I never thought about the gift cards! I’m going to search it right now, thank you very much!

  35. Dave

    It is a great idea to sell stuff that you no longer use. It keeps my place from getting cluttered. Plus, I get a few bucks back.

  36. Lealia

    What site do you go to to sell your ink cartridges?

  37. I have used a lot of these ideas to make extra money but I never thought to use cardboard tubes. That’s thinking outside the box! I love it. Another place to sell that may be helpful to others would be on Bookoo (it’s sort of like Craigslist) it’s typically located around military posts and we used it a lot. It helped pay the bills. Great post! 🙂

  38. I do have quite a few interesting things around I think would sell well. I just haven’t had the mindset to putting toward writing a nice description toward selling on eBaY or Pinterest or possibly any other site. I’ve been busy doing so much at once that I put it of literally forever.

    Here’s a few goodies galore I have that can sell:

    1. Baseball cards

    2. Brand new college textbooks

    3. Comic books

    4. Polo Ralph Lauren

    5. Shoes and Summer skip sneakers (New Balance M574 and Polo Ralph Lauren walking casual sneakers with White soles)

    6. Jos A. Bank grey pinstripe suit (unhilled size 54)

    7. Google polo shirt

    Pinterest is pretty good to for selling stuff. And I’ve also yet to try Etsy.

  39. I created an online seller account on a certain site to start selling things in my residence. It took a while for these items to sell because I pretty much wasn’t aggressively promoting them. Lo and behold, I was able to sell some Nike Air Force 1 sneakers and some leather sneakers recently by Polo Ralph Lauren.

  40. i have sold quite a bit on aBay and Amazon over the last few years, but when it comes to personal stuff (ie kids clothes), I just donate it.