Archive for January, 2008

Clothing swap parties

Published on January 31, 2008 in Conscious Simplification and Tips. 2 Comments

Instead of just donating your used clothing to charities to resell to people you don’t know.. why not find creative ways to dispose of your unneeded wardrobe pieces? One such idea is a clothing swap party.

Here’s the idea. You invite all your friends over, and ask them to bring a bag of clothing from home of things they’re no longer wearing and would have donated anyway. Everyone gets together, perhaps even sharing a pot-luck meal, tasty beverages or whatever. Everyone then spreads out their clothing and everyone goes through it to find pieces they might like and goes to try them on. For a fun twist with the right group, you can turn it into a ‘Naked Lady Party’ – in which everyone takes off their clothing and tries on pieces right there.

It’s a great opportunity to have a fun social party, embrace the philosophy of re-using and gives your entire social network awarenes around purging.
You can even have pieces of clothing for the whole family that get swapped around.

In the end, any pieces that didn’t find new homes, the host can collect and make a large donation. Usually, the guests allow the host to take the donation receipt to use as their tax write off in thanks for hosting the party.

Broken doesn’t mean no value

Published on January 28, 2008 in Success Stories. 0 Comments

Just because something is broken doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value.This 5-year old laptop a client handed to me has the screen broken off. The laptop still worked if it was connected to an external monitor, but there was no way to verify if the screen would ever be repairable. (At least, I couldn’t.). So, I listed it as is, was upfront about the damage and encouraged it for someone wanting a project or parts to repair other laptops.

One in good condition would have sold for about $175.. I netted a closing bid of $77 for this broken thing that the client thought had no value. And, someone else will be able to make use of this, instead of it ending up in a landfill somewhere.

Don’t discount something just because it’s not fully working – sometimes it does still have value to someone.

My de-clutter business helps people get rid of stuff they thought was just junk.
Purge Genie / http://www.purgegenie.com

The value and fun of thrift shopping

Published on January 26, 2008 in Conscious Simplification and Tips. 0 Comments

Clothing is fun to buy and wear, and I love variety in my wardrobe. When I had access to a large closet and dresser, I’d almost always have them at full capacity. No matter the space I have, it always seems to fill. In order to make room for new purchases, I have to get rid of the old.  This is usually accomplished by once or twice a year doing a round of purging.

I go through my closet and drawers, take everything out and toss it on my bed.  I then put it all away, but evaluating each item for the following:

  • Have I worn it in the last year?
  • Does it serve a useful function in my wardrobe?
  • Does it still fit?
  • Is it something I will actually wear in the next few months?
  • Is there anything annoying about it? Such as unusual fit, scratchy materials, I don’t have the proper bra to wear under it, etc.?

I then toss stuff that doesn’t meet my ‘keep’ criteria into a pile to donate somewhere locally.  Some items, if they have value (such as formal wear, vintage clothing, high dollar specialty items, hardly worn stuff) I might put up on eBay – but generally, clothing doesn’t hold enough value to do so.

It’s a great process, and seeing the results of a trimmed down closet and drawers that easily shut is quite rewarding.

And now I have justification to go buy new things.

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However, last year I moved into a 50 square foot travel trailer for seven months as I traveled around the country.  My closets and drawers were reduced down to about 1/15th the space I was used to. I did a massive purge with a lot of pre-thought about what I’d actually need to take with me.  Unfortunately, the space I had didn’t leave room for a lot of variety in my wardrobe.  I had only enough space to keep enough basics to meet the different climates I would be in.  After a month or so,  I knew I’d be bored wearing the same things over and over.

So, what I discovered as a solution to this was just to plan of refreshing my wardrobe on a regular basis.  But this would far too costly to do on a regular basis by shopping in regular stores.  I had already been introduced to thrift store shopping, and really enjoyed the process. But up until this point, thrifting was a fun hobby that helped supplement my wardrobe with cool things that I wouldn’t ordinarily buy at department store prices.  So, I decided to try making thrifting my primary way of replenishing my wardrobe as I traveled.

I would plan to purge about 1/5th my wardrobe when I started to feel bored (or the climates changed) and then only restock my wardrobe with thrift store finds. It became a lot of fun to find the thrift stores in the various cities I was in, and having a constantly refreshed wardrobe for only $20-30 a trip.  It worked really well for me, and I felt good about embracing the re-use philosophy.

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Now that I’m back in a regular house (with plans to hit the road again the future), I’m keeping the same model.  I keep my wardrobe small, so that I can hit the road at anytime with minimal preparations – and I enjoy the pursuit of thrift shopping to inexpensively refresh my wardrobe.  But I always donate something when I get something new.. keeping my wardrobe size the same.

Stay tuned for more tips on fun ways to keep your wardrobe refreshed..

Your Junk may be Someone Else’s Treasure

Published on January 20, 2008 in Tips. 0 Comments

So  many times when going through my stuff, or someone else’s stuff – it’s easy to just consider stuff to just be junk. Perhaps you don’t recognize what something is, or it’s not something you appreciate or have knowledge of.  The tendancy is to just toss it.   But I’m constantly amazed that with just a bit of research effort, I often discover that what I at first thought was just ‘stuff’ is actually worth something to somebody.  And even if I don’t find much information on the item, just posting it on eBay with as accurate a description as possible oftentimes yields me pleasant returns.

Don’t just toss your stuff. Someone else may appreciate it and even be willing to pay your for it!

Must Have Stuff to Sell Stuff

Published on January 17, 2008 in Tips. 0 Comments

So you’ve decided to take the big step and purge your house of unneeded stuff taking up space. But what to do with that stuff? Sure, some of it is destined for Goodwill or the curb, but a lot of your stuff still has value and is worthwhile trying to sell. eBay and Amazon Marketplace give individuals the tools to sell their items with just a bit of effort. Beyond making sure you set up eBay, Amazon Marketplace and PayPal accounts (and accumulate a high rating on those sites by fulfilling several orders to satisfied buyers), there’s an essential toolkit you need in order to fulfill orders:

  • A digital camera to take photos of the items you’re listing on Ebay, Craigslist or any other site. Having quality photos that shows the item, the condition it’s in and any other details that buyers want to know – is the key to just selling the item and selling the item for maximum dollar.
  • Proper lighting and backdrops for taking photos. General household lighting and the flash on your digital camera rarely cuts it for most items you might want to sell. You’ll end up with bad shadowing, cluttered backgrounds, flash spots reflecting back off shiny surfaces, etc. For smaller items, constructing your own light box is a great way to go. Or set up an area of your home with lots of lighting, a clean background (a table, clean floor, open wall, etc.) and take lots of photos to make sure you get one that is clear. Experiment with different angles to get the flash just right.
  • A measuring tape. You will need to take measurements on many of your items to list them – especially on clothing, collectibles, furniture and other miscellaneous stuff. If you don’t include measurements, many potential buyer’s will write asking. And after the sale, you may need to take measurements of the boxes you’re sending to calculate the proper shipping fees. A seamstresses measuring tape (one that is flexible) is a great way to go. I usually keep one within arms reach when I’m preparing stuff for sale and shipping.
  • Cleaning supplies. Most of your items will probably need a good dusting off and cleaning before they can be photographed. And having an item that looks newer will lead to more satisfied buyers. You will net unhappy buyers demanding refunds and leaving negative feedback if you ship them something dusty or dirty.
  • A postal scale. You will need to know the weights of your items to be able to estimate what the shipping costs are going to be. For eBay, you have to state upfront what you will be charging for shipping. Be sure to include the weight of the box and shipping materials you’ll be using to secure the item during shipping. Don’t rely on a bathroom scale for smaller items, as most bathroom scales are not reliable at the smaller weights. You’ll need to know the weights down to the ounce in many cases, especially if you plan to print your own postage at home by using PayPal or the Post Office’s online postage centers.
  • Decent writing skills. When you write your ads for your listings, use good grammar and spelling. Be sure to accurately describe your items, and absolutely disclose any defects, scratches, smudges or damage to the items. Write your ads, proof read them before clicking the submit button, and then proof read them again after the listing is live. Well written ads sell your items and instill trust in your potential buyers.
  • Shipping boxes. Chances are, you haven’t kept all the original boxes your stuff came in. And even if you did, they’re likely not shipping worthy. You’ll need boxes to ship your stuff in. Save boxes you receive from items you’ve ordered and re-use packaging whenever you can. Ask friends and neighbors for boxes they’re not using. And as a last resort, visit your local office or shipping supply place and buy the boxes you think you’ll need. You may need to take measurements of the items you’re selling to know what size boxes to buy. And remember to add the cost of your box into your shipping quote on eBay listings.
  • Shipping Supplies. Most of your items will need to be properly secured in their boxes. Never leave an item loose in the box – as it will tumble around during shipping, potentially causing damage during transit. Your buyer will not be happy when they open the box. Save things like bubble wrap, shipping peanuts, wrapping paper, newspaper, styrofoam inserts, those bags filled with air, shredded paper, plastic grocery bags, etc. to use as packaging supplies. Re-use (clean) materials whenever possible – it’s good for the environment and good for your pocketbook. And, as a last resort – buy some at your local office supply store.
  • Printer and Paper. You should print out a packing list with your order (which are usually supplied by eBay, PayPal and Amazon), and if you use online postage – you will need to print out your postage.
  • Selection of Stamps. If you’re selling things like books, DVDs, CDs, LPs, etc. – media mail via the USPS is the cheapest way to ship them. Unfortunately, you can’t print media mail postage online – so you’ll have to use old fashion stamps, or take these items to the post office (personally, I prefer just sticking them in my mail box as the orders come in). If you have several of these items, it’s a good idea to go to www.usps.com and buy a variety of stamps. Check out the current media mail rates (1 lb – $2.13, 2 lbs – 2.47, 3 lbs – 2.81) and have an idea of the weight of the items you’ll be shipping. You’ll have to buy a variety of stamps to make up the exact postage. I typically keep these denominations on hand: $1, .80, .37, .10, .03 and .01 so that I can make up the typical media mail rates. Oh, and be sure to have something to ship these items in! I find that 10 x 13 envelopes are great for most books, CDs and DVDs.
  • Packing Tape – A roll of clear packing tape and a dispenser are pretty much essential for both sealing up your shipping boxes and attaching printed postage and addresses to the front.
  • Scissors - You’ll need these to cut your printed postage out, potentially cut bubble wrap and other items.
  • Pen/Marker – It’s always nice to scribble a quick note of thanks to your buyers on their packing list.
  • Scratch Paper - To mark down measurements, weights, potential damage to your items to disclose, etc.

If you’re using the Purge Genie full service, you don’t have to worry about all of the above stuff.. because I take care of the transaction from start to finish.