How do they put it nicely? One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
I remember as a child going yard sale-ing on Saturday’s with my father. It was our tradition to wake up, open the newspaper and circle (yes, actually a carbon paper and pen) which ones we thought would be great to browse through before jumping in the car for our weekly adventure. It was all about the bonding and what wildly great buys or insanely items we could pick up. He taught me from a young age to love books, so usually we would dig for old classics (check those editions, people!), records (yes, those shiny black circles) and creepy knick knacks (listen, I never BOUGHT any of those creepy ceramic clowns for the 1920s, but I didn’t like to find them!).
Yard sales may be long gone, and while I don’t get to spend my Saturdays perusing for treasures, I have realized as I have grown up, I have accumulated too much stuff. Kids grow fast, and there is just no real reason to hold on to much of it. Being more of a purger than a hoarder, I am always cleaning out clothes and donating stuff. Then, a friend introduced me to this cool new “online yard sale” app, Close5.
Close5
Basically it’s an online yard sale. You can peruse all your local “trash” right from the comfort of your couch to find your new treasures. Or, you can easily upload a quick photo to try and get a couple bucks for the stuff you need to pass on to happy new homes. Really, we’re talking a pair of pants for $2 or a “antique” set of glasses for $3. Cheap, simple items exchanging hands.
How it Works
It’s sort of like a visual Craig’s List. You can make an “offer” on items and if the seller excepts (or vice versa as the seller, you can accept the “offer”) you agree on a public location to meet and exchange the goods for cash. That’s it. There’s no mailing of items or a percentage taken like Ebay, and it’s all photos – so an Instagram of stuff for sale.
There are also higher priced items such as designer purses and furniture, but again, this is a “yard sale” so make sure you get what you pay for. It’s a great place to just throw up quick photos of outgrown baby clothes and shoes to try and get a couple bucks back for those items you probably spent too much money on.
Close5 is a free buy and sell app for iPhone and Android.
Can’t sell them?
Not everything has a price, but that doesn’t mean others couldn’t use them!
- Thred Up. Is an online consignment store that sells your items for cheap. They only take certain designers, but if you’re just tired of housing the clothes, you can ship them to them for free, and they’ll put funds in your account once they sell.
- Donate. No everyone can afford the things they need. You can always locate a Goodwill or Salvation Army in your area for a drop off, or look for local charities that take in certain items like Dress for Success or NYC Mammas Give Back. (I wrote a great piece on this for MommyNearest.com).
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