How to sell our "Stuff"!

[ShellBack89]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

If, as in our case, your main purpose is to just want to get rid of it all, then whatever money you make is gravy.

Never head of anything like "Everything But The House.” Wish I had. It sounds like a great idea.

I'll research the "Everything But The House" here in the Houston area. I get everyone is saying about penny's on the dollar. It would just be nice to recoup even a little for the cruising kitty.

Originally Posted by LoudMusic

Craigslist the big stuff, garage sale the little stuff, donate the rest.

In reality your stuff isn't worth as much to anyone else as it is to you. Don't expect to get much for it.

Roger that! I think that's the reality is knowing that we won't get much so don't get butt hurt when someone comes in and low balls the heck out of it all.

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Remember, not everyone decides to do it long, which is fine, but you may want to store some stuff for a while first...
I've seen a number of cruises last a month or two, and a number a year or two. And two divorces which occurred very fast. Just sayin', you dont have to swallow hook line and sinker right off the bat!

Great advice. My wife and I haven't cruised for long periods of time so this is great advice. Our intent is to cruise but what do they say about intentions and a road?

Originally Posted by stainless guy

We are working through the same thing,

Right on! Good luck Stainless Guy!

[thomm225]

You might consider putting some of the larger more expensive items in storage just in case you don't want to cruise/liveaboard 100% of the time for years on end.

Storage units out of town can be quite cheap.

[Tetepare]

What about records? Wills, birth and divorce records, college degrees, titles, etc? What about family photos, particularly old books with grandparents ? This stuff adds up, I wouldn’t want it on a boat, but you can’t toss it.

[ShellBack89]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

What about records? Wills, birth and divorce records, college degrees, titles, etc? What about family photos, particularly old books with grandparents ? This stuff adds up, I wouldn’t want it on a boat, but you can’t toss it.

I talked to my wife about these items. We’ll probably keep a small storage unit for these types of items or at our son’s house.

[fozrunner]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

What about records? Wills, birth and divorce records, college degrees, titles, etc? What about family photos, particularly old books with grandparents ? This stuff adds up, I wouldn’t want it on a boat, but you can’t toss it.

Take digital pictures or scan the documents. Then put the documents in a secure Dropbox or equivalent on the web. Upload photos you scanned to Google photos, create albums you can share with relatives. That's what I did with all the old family photos I got from my Dad. That way my brother's and sisters and their families have access to the historical photos, some dating from the 1880's.

[fozrunner]

We are embarking on this process. Unfortunately we haven't moved in over 20 years and we have accumulated way too much junk. Some of this stuff are relatively valuable antiques and collectables that my mother accumulated and ended up in our house.

I must say it is very, very hard to just give this stuff away for pennies. Things like Belleek china my mom bought at action for $80, we can't seem to sell for $10. It's not worth the hassle to use ebay, get boxes and packing and then ship. No one, including our kids, seems to want antique furniture anymore, even if it is solid wood compared to the junk you buy in stores these days.

One good thing is that Ikea launched a buy back program for old items in good condition. We have lot's of Ivar shelving, we'll see what they will offer for it.

We've got 9 months to get this done. I've made a promise to myself to completely fill the garbage container every week. Once we declutter we'll try the estate sale method mentioned above. That sounds like it could be worthwhile. Estate sale sounds way better than garage sale!

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

What about records? Wills, birth and divorce records, college degrees, titles, etc? What about family photos, particularly old books with grandparents ? This stuff adds up, I wouldn’t want it on a boat, but you can’t toss it.

Good point. I should have added that we bought a travel trailer to hold all our stuff like this. We also decided to keep enough basic stuff so we could easily set up a simple home if we decide to abandon ship. So stuff like a couple of pots/pans, a few sets of cutlery, plates, etc. And we also kept a lot of the photos and a couple of ‘heirlooms’.

All this stuff is stored in a trailer, which is parked (for free) on a friend’s farm. To be honest, this was really the safety blanket my partner needed to be able to say goodbye to a land house. She found the whole divenstiture process much harder than I.

But now, four years out, I can barely remember what’s in there. And she too is far less attached to any of it.

[toddster8]

Anybody tried commercial photo scanning services? I've inherited everybody's box of photos - like a whole closet full. I just don't have time to scan them myself. Maybe if I dedicated an hour a day to it... If I could get it done commercially for a reasonable amount, I'd jump at it.

Some years ago I ripped all of my CD's. Basically had the computer working at it anytime I wasn't using it. It took a whole summer. Now I suppose I'd better get a big fat external drive and do the same for the videos.

I've been keeping a dozen things on Craigslist for a year or so - they move pretty slowly. For one thing, I'm an hour drive from the city. And most of my stuff is kind of specialty market items. e.g. lab equipment that would be hard or expensive to ship. Some antique guns that I have no idea how to sell legally. Sporting goods go reasonably quickly, as long as you're willing to take a bath on the prices.

What about art? There are a few pieces that are worth more than garage-sale prices. But again, selling them seems like a specialty thing. And probably need to keep the house "staged" until it is sold or leased. In the last few years, I've made a point to limit collecting to small pieces that conceivably could go on the boat. Mostly.

The furniture (that isn't junk) and tools could probably go pretty quickly at a yard sale. Books are probably a lost cause - Goodwill? I don't know if there are any used book shops left that would take a whole library. I already hauled a truckload of journals to the dump. Couldn't give them away.

[apirate]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

What about records? Wills, birth and divorce records, college degrees, titles, etc? What about family photos, particularly old books with grandparents ? This stuff adds up, I wouldn’t want it on a boat, but you can’t toss it.

We scanned all photos and house them on google drive. Any important papers like you described are going into a safety deposit box. A family member will have access in the case something is needed and we aren’t able to be there in person.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by ShellBack89

For those full time live aboards, who got rid of most if not all of your "stuff", how'd you do it?

.

I used Craigslist and got rid of pretty much everything in a month. The trick is to remember the goal is to get rid of the stuff, not make money.

[wilkersondg]

We sold the house and had an auction selling nearly everything. Kept furniture that we were comfortable donating as we had not purchased a boat yet and were still working. We moved into a 2 bedroom apartment for 7 months before moving on the boat we purchased in July.

[SpillTheWine]

Originally Posted by toddster8

Anybody tried commercial photo scanning services? I've inherited everybody's box of photos - like a whole closet full. I just don't have time to scan them myself. Maybe if I dedicated an hour a day to it... If I could get it done commercially for a reasonable amount, I'd jump at it.

Some years ago I ripped all of my CD's. Basically had the computer working at it anytime I wasn't using it. It took a whole summer. Now I suppose I'd better get a big fat external drive and do the same for the videos.

I've been keeping a dozen things on Craigslist for a year or so - they move pretty slowly. For one thing, I'm an hour drive from the city. And most of my stuff is kind of specialty market items. e.g. lab equipment that would be hard or expensive to ship. Some antique guns that I have no idea how to sell legally. Sporting goods go reasonably quickly, as long as you're willing to take a bath on the prices.

What about art? There are a few pieces that are worth more than garage-sale prices. But again, selling them seems like a specialty thing. And probably need to keep the house "staged" until it is sold or leased. In the last few years, I've made a point to limit collecting to small pieces that conceivably could go on the boat. Mostly.

The furniture (that isn't junk) and tools could probably go pretty quickly at a yard sale. Books are probably a lost cause - Goodwill? I don't know if there are any used book shops left that would take a whole library. I already hauled a truckload of journals to the dump. Couldn't give them away.

I am in exactly the same boat! Wait, not literally.

I inherited everything because I was the only one who cared. The cheapest way is to buy a scanner but here's my opinion on that. For quality, I only want best quality for a very small number of slides and negatives. The rest are just not as important. So unless I buy a pro scanner I'm gonna end up sending some images to a pro scanning shop anyway. Plus, a great scanner like the old Nikons are a science to themselves and I don't want a learning curve.

So I looked around and found this place. Gets pretty good reviews and I like the idea of having some that are worth the best treatment while the rest isn't.

I hope this helps.
https://www.scancafe.com/services/valuekit-product

Regarding furniture and the like, I know a guy here locally with a business and he does an estate sale a day. Except, he buys the whole contents. His majority client group are kids downsizing their parents and the kids never want anything. So the buyer gets very nice expensive stuff for free usually because the kids are happy to just get to an empty house. And I mean the Art, the antiques, the heirlooms, and the rest. The kids want nothing.

[ShellBack89]

Originally Posted by apirate

We scanned all photos and house them on google drive. Any important papers like you described are going into a safety deposit box. A family member will have access in the case something is needed and we aren’t able to be there in person.

Smart! My son is a banker with Wells Fargo so that's probably were we'd park those documents.

Originally Posted by wilkersondg

We sold the house and had an auction selling nearly everything. Kept furniture that we were comfortable donating as we had not purchased a boat yet and were still working. We moved into a 2 bedroom apartment for 7 months before moving on the boat we purchased in July.

Was it a company that came in and conducted the auction?

[Sailorbob8599]

My wife & I have never gone cruising far enough to have a need to sell up our worldly possessions, but I do sell a lot of 'stuff' on Craigslist & Surrey Re-Uses ... both marine & household items; as well, I hold a Garage sale every spring of tools & household items. I have a lot of success in all cases. I have never sold on E-bay & rarely ship anything unless I get a request. The buyer must then agree to pay by Pay-pal incl. shipping costs which I check & advise costs ahead of sale. I've sold a number of items over the past few years to some very satisfied U.S. customers but they know up front there has to be a certain amount of trust to do this. Usually through a phone call.

I find the most important part of selling pretty much anything is, Clean everything well, & package small items if possible. eg: for Marine items such as shackles, blocks etc. I use Zip-lock Baggies. This way, I can label & price every item. Bigger stuff I will find cardboard boxes to accommodate the item.
As for pricing items, I find people do not like to ask "how much?" so it is important to price items both clearly & realistically. It depends on whether the item is "unused & as new" … or "used" The former I price at 70% of retail & the latter at 50% … obo. (or best offer).
In all cases, everything is negotiable … within reason. As for 'low-ball' offers, I simply tell those people where the Thrift Stores are in town, & they do NOT bargain on prices. I also visit those Thrift Stores myself & I know what their prices are. Occasionally I will adjust my prices if needed to stay at or slightly below theirs. Don't forget, Thrift Stores rarely, if ever, purchase their stock as it is usually donated. They usually have a sign on the counter by the cash register stating they have researched the value of their goods & believe them to be fairly priced. Please do not try to bargain on our prices because staff are not authorised to adjust posted prices. This means I'm at liberty to undercut them if I really want to move something.
With Craigslist lo-baller's, I simply tell them: "Thanks for your offer, but I find if I leave the item on CL long enough, eventually someone will buy it at my asking price. Now, do want to buy it or not?" Usually, if they really want it, they'll buy it. . . . Works for me more often than not.
One thing to keep in mind is, there are a lot of Flea Market sellers doing the rounds of garage sales looking for bargains to resell so you're well advised to "know your values" … You've probably heard the story of the fellow who tried selling a spinnaker pole on the dock beside his boat in the marina.
The pole was well priced & there was lots of interest shown by one fellow on the same dock who really wanted it, but he was your typical Lo-baller. The owner dropped his price a couple of times but each time the would-be customer offered even less.
Eventually, the owner placed a large sign on it, showing a much higher price. The "buyer" came by, saw the sign & asked: "What the hell? you were willing to sell that pole to me yesterday for $xxx.00, why the price hike?" To which the seller responded: "I know, but it was obviously the wrong price because everyone thought at that low price, there must be something wrong with it. It is now correctly priced & there will be no reduction from the posted price." … at that, the other fellow is said to have bought the pole at the new price. Whether that story is true or not, I cannot say but:-

I too had a very good used (looked like new) Spinnaker Pole for sale for the last two years. I advertised it on CL at a very attractive price but it did not sell. I remembered the old story & thought, what the hell? I've got nothing to lose, why not try it. So I raised my price considerably. After a few months off of CL, I advertised it again. It sold to the first person responding & I gained an additional $150 over my original asking price. So, … KNOW YOUR VALUES.
Pictures! VERY IMPORTANT … Yes, I know it's a lot of work, but the old adage "a picture is worth a thousand words" is very, very true. Sometimes it's prudent to show from more than one angle. Also, try to show only one item per ad on CL. I've tried showing numerous items of sailboat gear on one photo, but people obviously do not care to search your photo to see if you have the 'one & only item' they're interested in buying.

This is merely my personal experience, not a lecture on "how to sell".

I now have to sell my boat; that is a little more complicated & challenging, because it is a 'traditional' design with teak decks & I know you guys do not like teak decks & trim. I've tried selling through a broker over the last two years but he has only brought three would-be buyers in that time so I shall try selling it myself. Didn't want to do this because of poor health. I cannot even take it out for a trial sail due to physical balance problems.

[ShellBack89]

Originally Posted by Sailorbob8599

This is merely my personal experience, not a lecture on "how to sell".

Great information! Thank you!!