3 Things To Sell To Pay Off Holiday Credit Card Debt
3 Things To Sell To Pay Off Holiday Credit Card Debt
Andrew Lisa Sat, December 28, 2024 GOBankingRates
If your generous nature outperformed your budget this holiday season, hopefully you’re anticipating a year-end bonus to cushion the blow. If not, look around — your ticket out of a post-holiday financial fiasco might be hiding among your household clutter.
The most common advice is to sell things like vinyl records, trading cards, comic books and classic toys. The problem is that those kinds of collectibles tend to carry significant sentimental value and — unless they’re truly rare, unique and pristine — are usually rendered next to worthless by the law of supply and demand.
However, the following items could have enough real-world resale value to break your financial fall without forcing you to part with long-held favorites that mean something to you.
Unwanted Furniture
If you have to sell your bed to pay the bills in January, even if it means sleeping on the floor through the spring, you probably spent too much on the holidays.
But if you have furniture collecting dust in an attic, basement, unused office or outdated room, think twice before you kick it to the curb with a handwritten “free” sign taped to it.
Here are three ways to convert furniture into cash.
A Hidden Gem Could Bring a Windfall
Furniture is no different than baseball cards, Fabergé eggs or any other collectors’ items. Its value is tied to its rarity, age, condition, maker and status among buyers, and it’s worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.
If you happen to stumble upon a gem, you could get anywhere from a few hundred bucks to, in the case of the Guinness record-holding 18th-century Italian Badminton cabinet, $36.66 million.
Don’t hold your breath for the latter, but do keep your eyes peeled for the former. Try to identify the wood type, style, period, condition, quality and maker’s mark, according to Decorative Collective. If you think you’ve got something, use sites like Ask Antique Experts and Value My Stuff to get a quick online appraisal.
A Little Restoration Can Steer Double-Digit Prices to Triple or Beyond
If you find a priceless antique Chippendale chair hiding in your attic, the last thing you want to do is alter it. However, you can add value to well-made but inconsequential furniture with a little basic DIY restoration and renewal.
Authorities like Home Depot offer simple tutorials that most people can use to improve a piece for sale, and Amazon sells highly rated DIY kits that include most of what you’ll need for around $20.
With a little effort, you can list your shiny like-new piece on a platform like Etsy, Facebook Marketplace or AptDeco for more than you could have without the elbow grease.
Esty users routinely sell refinished furniture ranging from the high hundreds to well into the thousands.
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