Why sit on piles of things you don’t use when it pays you to recycle your old stuff? Do a clean out to pad your wallet and free your psyche from unwanted clog. Even $100 makes a big difference when holiday shopping is on our heels! Since my workplace has began using recycling machinery such as cardboard balers, I’ve started to really enjoy recycling!
Clothes & Shoes & Bags
From cheap H&M to that couture gown your Mom splurged on and now sits in your closet, there is place to dump the stuff you no longer wear and get cash for it.
- Start with your local consignment shop. There are high-end consignment boutiques (in NYC Ina or in LA The Archive Agency is a good example of this) for name goodies, and lower end consignment shops (Beacon’s Closet in Brooklyn, Buffalo Exchange Nationwide.)
- There are even consignment shops that specialize in plus-size wear (like Larger Than Life in Dallas) and kids clothes (Clementine Consignment in NYC.) A google search in your town will turn up more than you think.
- If you prefer to go the online route, use eBay.
- For Jewelry, we love Exboyfriendjewelry.com (which has a tag line “You don’t want it, but he can’t have it back.”) But you can also always resell good jewelry to a local jeweler, and particularly gold which has an outrageously good resale value right now.
- RecycledBride.com is a green wedding marketplace where women buy and sell designer gently used wedding dresses, bridesmaids dresses, decorations, and anything else wedding-related.
- Though you won’t get cash, a few sex toy stores (see list here) will give you credit for shopping with them when you send them your old sex toys to recycle.
Electronics & Cell Phones
Dated ipods, cameras, laptops, tvs, hard drives, cellphones, gaming consoles, etc. These companies buy your old electronics and send you a box and postage so you don’t need to deal with post office holiday nonsense. I just literally bundled up an old iphone – with a cracked screen mind you – and got $100 for it by using one of these services.
- YouRenew
- Gazelle
- BuyMyTronics
- MyBoneYard (allows you to donate the money they would pay you for your electronics to nonprofits like the Humane Society)
- Flipswap (cell phones only)
- Cell for Cash (cell phones only)
Ink Cartridges
This one is a real shocker, you can sell your old inkjet and laser printer cartridges!
Cardboard Boxes
- Used Cardboard Boxes (1000+ boxes)
- BoxCycle
Furniture
- Craigslist is the easiest way to sell furniture locally since you can specify area and that you aren’t interested in shipping large goods.
- For higher-end name furniture, try Apartment Therapy.
And hell, it’s the holidays, whatever you can’t sell, there is a place to donate it. See this comprehensive donate-ables list here.