How do I get rid of my unwanted items?

Sell your items

Craigslist is an easy, free way to sell items online. Just create an account and start posting ads. All you need are some pictures, a description of the item and a good price. Customers will contact you and typically come to you to view/purchase the item.
eBay is also an option for selling collectibles or unique items. The downside to eBay is shipping.

If you have lots of larger items, consider a yard sale. Best sellers at yard sales are furniture, clothes, books, toys, tools and lawn equipment.

In either case, research before pricing items. See what like items are selling for. A good rule of thumb is to ask 1/3 original retail value if the item is still in good condition. Collectibles will have their own price range.

Stephensons Auction (Southampton PA) is another alternative for selling your stuff. Let them do the work and make you some money. They will auction a wide range of items, not just high end art or antiques. They serve most of NJ and charge a set commission percentage of the sales total. Contact them to see if they will sell the items you want to get rid off.
Bodnars Auction (Edison, NJ) is another auction house. Rago Auction (Lambertville, NJ) is an option for selling high value items.
Princeton Record Exchange is a great place to sell LPs, CDs, and DVDs. Located in the heart of downtown Princeton. Call ahead to see if they are buying what you have – unfortunately there isn’t much of a market for popular mass-produced titles.

Donate to charity or give away

Rescue Mission of Trenton accepts donations that are sold in the retail store to raise money for the mission’s programs. Donations are also provided free to the less fortunate in the community. Recycling through reselling. They will come to you – just call to schedule.
Home Front NJ – Give your gently used household goods and gently worn clothing to HomeFront’s Resource Network.Goodwill – Local thrift storesRed White & Blue – Local thrift stores, work in conjunction with Vietnam Veterans of America.
RISE (Hightstown-East Windsor) – Another option for donating your gently used household goods and gently worn clothing to a local charity.
Dress for Success – is an international not-for-profit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.

Your local library “Friends of” group may accept used Books, DVDs, CDs to sell to raise money to support the library.

Bryn Mawr Wellesley Book Sale – holds an annual book sale in March. Proceeds support college scholarships for young women from central New Jersey.
The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 5,121 groups with 7,058,226 members around the world. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by local volunteers. Membership is free.Lions Club – Donate unneeded eye glasses. Check website for drop boxes or stores that accept donations.

These charities will pick up donations at your home:

Toss or Recycle

Some items just need to be discarded. Either the item is broken or dirty or just no longer of any use to you or anyone else. Don’t feel bad. The item served its purpose.

Before tossing, check to see if the item could or should be recycled. Televisions, Computer Monitors and most electronic equipment must be recycled. Certain household chemicals need to be recycled as well. Check your local county website for details on household hazardous waste and e-Waste recycling.

What is my stuff worth?

Donation monetary value:

What are your collectibles worth?Online resources and price guides can give you a general idea if your collectibles have any monetary valuable, or are mainly sentimental in value. If you have something potentially valuable, then you can seek out an expert opinion.

Kovels – General Antiques
Beckett – Sports and Collectibles
Replacements – Online buyer and seller of china, crystal, silver and collectibles.
PCGS – Price guide for coins
Whitman – Price guide for coins
Collectors Corner – Marketplace for coins, currency, cards and stamps.

You can also take your items to a local auction house for a paid appraisal, or during a free valuation day

Rago Auction – Lambertville, NJ

Other Valuable Information

Stopping junk at the source DMA Choice – reference site for getting off postal mailing lists US Do Not Call registry

Additional Resources to Help You Get Organized