Turn Unused Clutter Into Cash Just in Time for the Holidays - East Idaho News
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Turn Unused Clutter Into Cash Just in Time for the Holidays

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Getty 111413 Clutter?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1384472257641iStock/Thinkstock(ATLANTA) — Looking around the Coopers’ Atlanta home, Meghan Cooper admits that she sees “clutter.”

“She’s a good shopper,” said her husband, Mark, a telecommunications estimator. “She can get a lot of deals on stuff we don’t need.”

“Busted,” said Meghan, the blogger behind JaMonkey.

Stuff includes toys for their children — Adelia, one and a half, and Serenity, 5 — as well as books, DVDs and an old exercise bike.

And though they’re spread throughout the house — from the cabinets to the attic — most of the Coopers’ unused belongings are in the garage. They said they can’t park there, or even walk through, because of the clutter.

According to a survey conducted by eBay, the average household has more than 50 unused items worth roughly $3,100 in their homes.

ABC News’ “Real Money” team teamed the Coopers up with Lisa Zaslow, founder and CEO of GothamOrganizers. Zaslow said that in a matter of moments, the family could clean up and cash in with these tips.

1. Price your items right with eBay‘s new app and bar code scanner.  Zaslow found a new, unopened Sony Bloggie Sport HD camera in the Coopers’ kitchen. The eBay app said it could fetch almost $90. And in the family’s garage, they found a baby carrier, $25 to $43; a nursing pillow, listed for almost $40; and a brand-new TV mount that could go for more than $100.

“That’s a lot of money sitting around,” Meghan said.

2. When selling online, list your items properly. Zaslow said to make sure you include “brand new,” “in box,” “never opened” and “factory sealed.” Also, a good photograph makes all the difference.

“You can do a little cropping,” she said. “Make sure you don’t have the flash shining off the shiny package.”

3. Score money for books on sites like Half, MyBookBuyer and eBay. For old movies, try Amazon’s trade-in program.

4. Try a free online appraisal site if you’re not sure of an item’s worth. Meghan posted a Kodak camera on Instappraisal and quickly got three solid responses. That camera eventually sold and buyers started bidding on their other items.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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