This guest post is from another stuff-less couple from California who cashed in on their couch, cars, and cachi-bachi to do what they love – travel. Just more proof that other people are selling everything and living a minimalist lifestyle to do the things they love to do. Pay attention to their *Top Tips for some great advice!
The How & Why to Sell Everything You Own
By Landon Carlson
There comes a moment in time when you realize that life is overwhelming. What makes it overwhelming? Your job? Relationships? The 9-5 daily grind? Or have you ever thought of this… the things in your house that clutter your life?
One day we came to the realization that we were working to buy more things that either wouldn’t get used or would just add to the clutter we already had. In other words, we were just collecting junk.
Cachi Bachi: [kaw-chee baw-chee] / (noun) 1. A slang-like word used by Spanish speakers to refer to knick knacks, sentimental treasures, “stuff”, junk, etc. 2. Whatever is filling up your garage. 3. The things you know you have, but you can’t find.
Why would you want to sell everything you own!?
To travel. Of course! In order to leave the country for longer than a month, we knew we had to do something with all our beloved belongings – our cars, boat, household furniture, clothes, garage tools, kitchen “tools”, RC planes and cars – sentimental things that were all big parts of our lives.
(*Gasp* you’re not selling your RC car I bought for your 11th birthday, you loved that thing! -Dad)
Luckily, it wasn’t hard for us to come to the conclusion that only way we were going to feel “free” was to get rid of it.
Solution = Sell it all!
To make a long story short, in about 4 months we had 3 huge garage sales, 80 ebay sales, and probably a hundred local craigslist deals. A lot of work, yes. But the feeling of freedom we had later – So. Worth. It. It is so liberating! Nothing hanging over your head!
Here are the best 4 tactics to empty out your house and make the most money in the least time possible.
Method #1 – Craigslist
Craigslist can be time consuming but very helpful with larger things like cars, furniture, appliances, and scuba tanks. Don’t waste time posting things for under $20 because those texts at 1am are really not worth the $5 you’ll get anyways.
*Top Tip – If you can, schedule a couple of people to look at the same thing at the same time so there’s some pressure on the buyer to snatch it up before the next guy does.
Method #2 – eBay
eBay works great for popular electronics, antiques, collectible trinkets, and household things that you can package up and send in the mail. One auction we had someone went bidder crazy and bought an electric toothbrush from us for almost $200. We learned that when in doubt just post it anyway.
*Top Tip – The eBay app is awesome for taking pictures and posting right away. Very simple to use!
Method #3 – Garage Sales
Garage Sales are for getting rid of not-so-valuable things that you want a little money from without straight up giving them away. Although, sometimes it feels like you are doing just that! This can be a somewhat painful process as you watch strangers rifle through your things like it’s nothing and then ask if you’ll take a dollar for something worth a hundred. In the end, it’s about getting rid of things not the money.
Our most creative garage sale moment was when we offered a free doughnut if they bought $10 or more. Great way to encourage people to buy more stuff!
*Top Tip – Offer incentives for people to buy more than one item. Grab some boxes and tell people to fill it up and you’ll give them a package deal.
Method #4 – Thrift Stores
There’s a fine line between trying to get money for everything you own and just moving on. Wherever that line is, save yourself from the agony and use your time on better things like packing, learning a language, or finishing organizing your life. Some stuff is really only junk – just send it off. Peace of mind will come about 2 minutes later. So refreshing!
*Top Tip – Take a picture of everything before you box it up for Goodwill. Nearly all your donations are tax deductible, but you’ll need proof that you did indeed donate 25 pairs of shoes!
Junkless Peace
Overall, the key to selling everything you own is to keep your goal in mind. Think of those white sand beaches and the ocean calling you. NOTHING will compare to your investment in making memories instead of purchasing more useless things. It’s tough to adjust to a minimalist frame of mind, but once you experience it it’s hard to imagine you ever let “things” clutter your life so much! No more feeling overwhelmed, just FREEDOM and some extra cash!
For more tips and tricks about selling your stuff, you can find our experiences with eliminating our clutter on UnevenSidewalks.com
Landon & Alyssa Carlson are a California couple who left their life in San Diego 2 years ago to see what adventures they could find outside the “box” they were stuck in. Former engineer and teacher, they quit their jobs, sold everything they owned, and headed out to explore the world. They have spent majority of their time in Latin America but are heading to Asia this summer. You can check out more of their journeys at UnevenSidewalks.com as well as Facebook, Twitter, & Pinterest!
If you’ve read Sell All Your Stuff and Move Abroad, you may notice similarities in how Landon went about selling all his stuff. And if you’ve followed Chapter 6 you’ll know full well what Landon means when he says “(they) ask if you’ll take a dollar for something worth a hundred”. Haha! No kidding!
Nice work team Carlson. If you have any questions you’d like to ask this travelling dynamic duo, check out their website and social profiles.
I was so thankful to read your story!! My mother-in-law passed away last year and left us her newer home, into which we moved. We acquired all of her furniture and only needed to move our clothing. Now we have our other house, filled with STUFF we haven’t needed in a year and it is overwhelming to think about how to go about selling it all, but absolutely necessary! I know it will be so freeing once it is sold and out of our hands, but I literally cry each time I walk into the “old” house and wonder how to begin the process. Any suggestions where to start? Thanks, in advance.
Hi Sue, thanks for commenting, and sorry for your loss. When it comes to stuff, especially family stuff, I recommend trying to remove any emotional attachment. You can do this by taking a picture of items and saving them to the cloud (google drive, icloud, or otherwise). This is sometimes easier said than done, but once you start the process it can get easier and easier. From there, Facebook Buy and Sell groups are amazing at getting rid of stuff, as is Craigslist. But if you want to go big on the purge, try an Estate Sale (it’s like a yard sale, but “Estate” indicates you’re selling EVERYTHING).
I need to do the exact thing. My mother passed away and I need to get rid of everything. I have until December 1st so I’m in a ASAP situation. Please help 😭.
Facebook marketplace. List it all there, it’s awesome and I wish it was around 10 years ago!