What to do with stuff that's hard to sell OR donate?

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What to do with stuff that's hard to sell OR donate?

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Started 1 year ago by Steve Robinson
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Steve Robinson
Member

I'm new to the forum, but I'm an advanced declutterer with very few pieces of clutter left. The few things that are left are either inappropriate to donate (nowhere really specializes in these items or they're undonatable) or they're worth just a little too much to donate but connecting with a buyer is hard.

Some examples:
- Flightcom 4DLX flight headset (for airplanes) with minor corrosion on the plugs (can't test it, nowhere appropriate to donate?),
- Casio WK3000 electronic keyboard (worth about $150 if someone would buy it),
- firearms, ammunition, and accessories,
- collectible fountain pen worth about $200.

I have no sentimental attachment to these items nor any qualms about getting rid of them, but I do want them to find use with someone else rather than ending up in a landfill, and I do need to at least get a reasonable price for the expensive ones for financial reasons.

Does anyone else have declutter-resistant items? Any ideas on what to do with these types of things?

Posted 1 year ago #
Tweetie
Member

It's a bit more of a hassle, but I would try craigslist, Ebay, or a similar site where you can sell to a wider audience via the internet. Remember to be safe if you're meeting a potential buyer in person by arranging to meet in a public place such as the parking lot of a grocery store, or a coffee shop, rather than at your own house. I've had luck selling some highly specialized items on craigslist by including detailed descriptions and lots of pictures of the items I'm wanting to sell. Good luck!

Posted 1 year ago #
susanintexas
Member

With firearms and ammo you are best off going to a licensed dealer -- anything else is apt to get you in trouble, or at the very least there are complicated laws that might trip you up. If you are in the US, the rules differ from state to state -- if YOU don't have the right permits you might find it most expedient to just turn them into the local police station.

For the other items, I think there would be a market on Craigslist or e-bay.

I had a keyboard that I gave to a piano teacher, who passed it onto a student who had been practicing on a photocopy of a keyboard and who was delighted to get it (she was 9 years old and wrote me a charming thank you note.) I looked up your keyboard and there are several on sale online for about $40.

Posted 1 year ago #
Rosa
Member

Flightcom 4DLX flight headset - if you've got a local or nearly-local flight school, they have probably got their own little for sale bulletin board. Otherwise, you're probably going to have to toss it.

- Casio WK3000 electronic keyboard (worth about $150 if someone would buy it) - is there a used instrument store near you? THey can give you a good idea of value. If not, and it works, you might be able to consign it and ought to be able to donate it (unless it's really large? Electric organs aren't worht any money because they're heavy/large.)

- firearms, ammunition, and accessories - like Susan said, licensed dealer/shop. You probably live near one, if not then try a pawn shop, they are often licensed gun dealers (the one I worked at was) and will be willing to buy instead of lend for expensive items like guns. If you don't have a license to carry you should transport them in a gun safe (actually, you should anyway, for public safety. But for legal reasons if you don't have a carry or concealed carry license).

- collectible fountain pen worth about $200. - I thought we had fountain pen people on here? THere's totally an online market for fountain pens and also they are cheap to ship because they're so small.

Posted 1 year ago #
hlg
Member

If you can't get what you think they are worth, you might want to look hard at simply donating them somewhere anyway, taking a tax deduction for the claimed values, and moving on. You're already out the money you paid for them, it's gone, and it's been gone. It simply may not be possible to get paid what you think they are worth.

Posted 1 year ago #
klutzgrrl
Member

Definitely agree with licensed dealer for the firearms, everything else ebay or toss. 'Worth 150' is relative - I have the same issue with a large item that I paid $300 but I expect I'll be lucky to get $50. Sometimes it's better just to get the danged stuff out of your way.

We have a local free advertising board at the shopping center (selling, buying, kittens to good home) - do you have anything like that?

Posted 1 year ago #
Scarlet
Member

If you have trouble selling the guns for some reason, I've heard of police departments allowing people to trade guns in for gift cards or other incentives, especially near Christmas. Of course, that's usually aimed at getting illegal weapons off the street, so if it's a properly licensed firearm, you'd definitely get more (and in cash) from your local dealer.

For the rest, as others said--eBay or Craigslist are the way to go. Freecycle or Good Will as the last-ditch effort to keep things out of the landfill if they don't sell.

Posted 1 year ago #
Steve Robinson
Member

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. :) I regularly sell things on craigslist, and I've listed the flight headset and keyboard there at least 5 times without any interest. I also tried the flight headset on eBay for a month, no buyers. The keyboard value I listed isn't just a guess -- my exact model in the same condition just sold on eBay in the past few days for $177 (not sure where someone found it for $40), but I don't want people coming to my house to do "local pickup." The guns were purchased with the proper permits and are worth relatively large amounts, but I'm more concerned about getting rid of ammo for firearms I no longer own, which I can certainly look into turning in at the police station.

There were some great suggestions here, though, so here are my action items:

- Check local flight school for bulletin board to sell headset,
- See if I can find a friend or family member with a kid getting into music or a local music teacher who might know such a kid for the keyboard,
- Find out if the local police station will accept firearm ammunition,
- Try to find a community online to sell the fountain pen (this model doesn't seem to do well on eBay judging from completed auctions).

Thanks again!

Posted 1 year ago #
Brandilynn
Member

My parent's neighbour (they share a driveway) is a Gun Shop. I know that if someone walked in with old ammo he'd be able to tell you what to do with it (either taking it himself or pointing you in the right direction.) See if you can find a local gun shop and ask them what you can do with it. Or if you happen to be in Central Illinois I can point you in the right direction ;)

Posted 1 year ago #
pammyfay
Member

Good strategy -- but I would offer this idea: For the keyboard, start calling schools around your neighborhood and just ask if they want it as a donation. You might not get a tax deduction slip, but I know it would thrill me to know that perhaps a future musical superstar would get his or her hands on it! LOL!

(Also, eBay seems to be lagging in business these past few years, compared to, say, 10 years ago, when it was truly hopping -- from what I've read and conversations I've had. Collectible items that I know were selling really well back then just linger there nowadays. For me, it usually doesn't pay to go there anymore. But as they say, "your mileage may vary.")

Posted 1 year ago #
tobiasschnell
Blocked

Never judge a book by the cover. So goes the saying. But the same cannot be said for gifts. Because beautiful gift boxes definitely have beautiful surprises inside them. Now-a-days much attention is being paid to gift boxes and gift baskets so much so that there are companies manufacturing gift boxes and gift baskets to fit in any occasion.

Paw print

Posted 12 months ago #
mili
Member

will someone please take care of this tobiasschnell? If it walks like a spammer, quacks like a spammer...

Is there anything more clutter-ish than SPAM?!

Posted 12 months ago #
Astreja
Member

Mili, I don't get forum-spamming either. It's disruptive and it almost certainly guarantees that people will *not* buy your products.

It also lowers the quality of hits your website will get on the search engines, because a search for your company will turn up a lot of people replying with choice words like %$@## and &%&$!!! to your posts.

If I were CEO of an Internet-based firm and someone started spamming on my "behalf," I'd take out a restraining order on them so fast their digital heads would spin.

Posted 12 months ago #
Nina
Member

One thing you have to remember is that things are only worth as much as someone else is willing to pay for them. So far you haven't found anyone who wants to pay what you think it's worth. Yes, you might have been looking in the wrong place, but it might also just not be worth as much to others as you think it should be.

I know I struggle with selling/giving things away that I payed dear money for and I think "but this should be worth more" - but I've come to realize that having an uncluttered home is something you can't put a price on. In the country I live there is no tax deduction for charitable donations (other then cash), but when I give things I no longer need (and maybe would have been able to make a few dollars with) I always think that maybe someone will come along who can really use or cherish what I no longer need.

So instead of spending a lot of time and energy on trying to get some money I prefer to give a lot of things away.

Posted 12 months ago #
susanintexas
Member

I feel an urge to clarify something about charitable tax deductions, especially for those of you who live outside the US.

Everyone gets a "standard deduction" which is
* $5,800 for unmarried taxpayers or married taxpayers filing separately,
* $11,600 for married taxpayers filing jointly, and
* $8,500 for taxpayers filing as head of household.
* Additional $1,150 if you are blind or a senior citizen

In order to deduct charitable contributions from your taxes, you have to have exempt expenses over and above these amounts.

The biggest category of deduction is interest on a home mortgage. State income taxes are also deductible. Required uniforms (but only those that cannot be worn as regular clothes -- my army uniforms were deducible; a pair of khakis would not be.) Some medical expenses (if they exceed 7.5% of your gross income.) Educational expenses if they are required for your current job. And charitable contributions (money or goods, but not time.) Can you tell I used to be a volunteer income tax assistant for low-income people ? :)

The bottom line is only about 1/3 of US taxpayers itemize their deductions. In Texas the rate is more like 22% (we do not have a state income tax.) We own our home but do not have a mortgage, so we do not itemize.

What I'm getting at is that there is no financial advantage for most people to donate to charity as opposed to just giving stuff away. There are other advantages, of course, but not money.

If anyone is interested, there are more detailed #s here:
http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/22499.html

Posted 12 months ago #
Gypsie
Member

Wow, SusaninTexas, I've been in the military for 13+ years and didn't know that my uniforms were deductible! Thanks for that insight into taxes.

Posted 12 months ago #
susanintexas
Member

Gypsie: only the battle dress, not the Class A or Dress Blue/Mess.

Posted 12 months ago #
Steve Robinson
Member

Nina, thanks for the reminder about things only being worth what people are willing to pay. :) I understand this concept very well, and I've donated and given away thousands of US dollars worth of stuff over the last two years. These are literally the last few items, though, and they only barely constitute "clutter" in that I don't use them as much as I used to. I would be more than happy to give them away if only I knew people who wanted them. Unfortunately, I don't know any pilots, local musicians, shooters with guns of the right caliber, or pen collectors! And I'd prefer not to give them to a charity that won't know what to do with them, or to a random person on the street (or the internet) who will likely just sell them (if they're going to get sold, believe me, I could use the money myself).

Another thing is that it's not so much that I'm not getting what I think the items are worth...it's that I can't find anyone who wants them at all, at any price. Say it's free and people refuse assuming there's something wrong with it, charge any amount of money and no one will buy it because they don't want to spend money. It's a catch-22. :P

I'll keep working at it, no worries. :) Thanks everyone for the support.

Posted 11 months ago #
Parsifal
Member

Did you ever sell your keyboard? I ask because the price you are trying to get seems a little high, especially if you add shipping. It looks like that model is selling brand new for $192 on Amazon, and I'm sure you can find them cheaper elsewhere.

Maybe you could donate your keyboard to a local school? I'm 100% sure it would find use in a music class.

As for you fountain pen, have you tried listing it on a forum for pen collectors? Most of those forums have classified areas and it is kind of a niche item.

By the way, selling weapons and ammo if you're not a dealer is problematic. Most charities won't take them for free and most give-away sites won't allow you to list them. I ended up selling my bow for 1/4 current retail to someone I found via word-of-mouth and was happy to get rid of it without just tossing it in the trash.

Posted 11 months ago #
Steve Robinson
Member

Parsifal -

I haven't sold my keyboard yet. The price I gave in my post was not an asking price, but a guess based on the fact that the same exact model sold a couple weeks ago for $177 on eBay (from completed auctions list). I'd gladly sell it for a LOT less, but no one wants it. I can't even give it away. I've contacted some teachers I know, though, to see if a local school wants it.

On the fountain pen, I've tried fountain pen forums, but they seem to require that you be a member for 30 days and make at least 30 meaningful posts before they'll let you have access to the classifieds forum. I don't have time to become a recognized member of a fountain pen community - I honestly know very little about them. I just have 1 pen I want to sell. :P

Weapons and ammo - it's just the ammo I want to get rid of right now. I'll find a home for it, it'll just take some time. I think the lesson to be learned here is patience. :) For selling guns, I've had a lot of success with GunBroker.com in the past -- I've sold two high-ticket guns there and got what I paid for them new. I'm familiar with the laws involved, and I know the process (though it's a bit annoying). Right now, I just need to find a home for the ammo to the guns I've already sold!

Thanks for the ideas. I'm working on it!

Posted 11 months ago #

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