Let’s face it, we’re all going to die and the world is going to end. It was supposed to end in 2012 according to the Mayans. And if you believe that Hollywood movies have some element of truth to them, then in August of 1997, July 2004, and April 2011, we were supposed to witness Judgement Day according to the Terminator movie franchise. And on my travels I’ve met many conspiracy theorists saying 2014 would bring the end of days. Then 2015. And of course, 2016…yet here were are!

This article isn’t going to be about an upcoming apocalypse, although I may toss in a popular line from Apocalypse Now every now and then. And if you’re like me and are ecstatic that you’ve survived this many “end of the worlds” so far, you should rejoice. How? By selling your stuff to get money so you can go do something exciting, something riveting, something joyous…something that makes you feel…ALIVE!

In every podcast we participate in we always say “do more stuff with less stuff”. And to our pleasant surprise we get emails, stories, comments, and tweets from people who sold all their stuff; moreover, how it affected their lives (in a good way). How they feel “lighter”. How they went on an epic journey with the funds they earned from selling all their stuff.

But there are others who have asked for advice on where to start when it comes to selling stuff. How do you let go of your stuff? What’s the best place to sell stuff? Don’t you miss having stuff?

All of the above are discussed in all four of our Sell All Your Stuff books, but let’s drill down on one thing here today.

How to make money selling stuff…

If you think you can show up at hoarders or junk collectors (sometimes they’ll refer to themselves as antique dealers), and haggle some things away from them to sell for big profit. Sorry amigos, that ain’t gonna happen. Why? Because collectors know the value of their stuff, and so do hoarders. Which is my first point.

#1. Know the value of your stuff

It’s so important I wrote this article about it as well. Take a few minutes to find out what your stuff is worth. If you want to make money selling stuff, you need to know what that stuff can fetch. It’s not hard these days because of a great little invention called the internet and a minimalist-looking search engine called Google.

#2. Get tech savvy

There are so many apps out there that can help you make money selling stuff. I can’t even keep up with them. Seriously, I can’t! I wrote this blog about 8 great apps to help sell all your stuff and more keep popping up. I’ve updated the article but I’m still finding others coming out of the woodwork.

Of the ones on this updated list, I like Decluttr because it’s sort of one-stop-shop and they sell your stuff for you (taking their cut of course). Sadly it’s not yet available in Canada – wait, I don’t have any stuff to sell. Moving on… Another I like is Letgo because it’s as easy as point. Click. Post. Your profile and GPS location do the rest! Letgo merged with Wallapop back in May, but you can still use both apps, so cross-post your stuff on both!

Not sure what cross-posting is? It’s when you post your item in multiple locations.

Apps aren’t the future folks, they’re the present. If you’re not using apps to help sell all your stuff, you’re missing a huge market. Trust me, you’ll be hAPPy you did. Yikes, talk about a crAPPy pun, eh!

#3. Let go (not to be confused with the app; letgo)

It’s just stuff people. And if your stuff has value, get the value out of it while you can, because you can’t take it with you, and if you “will it” to someone after your time here on earth, they might just sell it anyway, so don’t let them reap the rewards, be selfish, sell it, get some money from it, pay yourself first, because the world is going to end next year…or the year after that…or the year after that…

Wow, that was an insanely long sentence with a lot of commas. But it’s true, let go and find freedom from stuff.

I’d trade all my stuff for one really cool experience I could share. Like when we rode bicycles through rush-hour traffic in Medellin, Colombia. Or when we floated in a sensory deprivation chamber in Asheville. Or when I got completely covered in chocolate in Nicaragua. Or when my quad got a flat tire on the remote side of an island in Panama. Or when…okay, you get the idea.

#4. Get organized

How do you know what to sell if you don’t know WHAT stuff you have? How do you know what stuff you have if you don’t know WHERE stuff is? How do you know where stuff is if you…whoa, my eyes are starting to cross.

Getting organized helps you see what you have, what you need; moreover, what you DON’T need. Go through some kitchen drawers. If yours are anything like my family’s growing up, you might not be able to open some of them because the potato masher is at the top of a pile of stuff and is wedged between the large whisk and the small whisk, forming an impenetrable drawer-locking system.

But when you do manage to untangle the whisks and the potato masher and pry open that drawer, you’ll probably find you have duplicates. Why? No, seriously, I’m asking. Why do you have duplicates of things like carving sets, peelers, measuring cups, meat thermometers, tongs, basters, whisks, slotted spoons, spatulas, and wooden spoons? Wait, I know why we had so many wooden spoons…yikes, flashback…the horror!

When you get organized and have piles of “trash”, “donate”, and “sell”, you can easily make money selling stuff on eBay, Craigslist, or the good ole’ fashion yard sale. And if you’re not making money, donating to a good cause will make you feel good and someone else (possibly yours truly) can find some amazing deal at the Thrift Shop thanks to you.

#5. Set goals

When I was a teen I had a friend who wanted to buy a top of the line stereo system. It was going to cost him well over $1000. But he had a goal, and he met that goal. He worked a lot – and saved a lot too. And in no time he had enough money to buy that stereo. Now, I’m not saying go sell all your stuff so you can buy a stereo. I’m saying that you need to set a goal. Better yet, set goal-ZZZZ (that’s multiple goals, not 4 goals based on the number of ‘z’s).

Tired of a cluttered kitchen? Set a goal of organizing/purging one cupboard a day.

Looking to make a few bucks selling stuff? Set a goal of selling 5 items a week online.

Want a relaxing spa day but lack the funds to get pampered? See above!

Some people might not need to make money selling stuff, they just want to declutter. Others could use the few extra bucks. Whichever bucket you fall into, it’s important to have goals.

There are a lot of “minimalist” sites, groups, and forums out there on the interwebs offering a wide array of advice. Some are preachy, some aren’t. Some are judgey (not us), some aren’t (that’s us – yay us). We didn’t even know that being a “minimalist” was a thing. We just started living this way and it felt awesome. Like, wicked-awesome! And it’s allowed us to do more stuff with less stuff. Minimalism to us is being free from consumerism. Part of that is realizing it’s just stuff. But there’s no reason you can’t make money selling stuff on your journey.

So if you’re looking at indulging in some cool and unique life experiences, ask yourself, is my stuff holding me back? If there are things you want to do and places you want to see, what are you waiting for, the end of the world?

Now go sell all your stuff and do something epic before the world ends!