Cash for Hobby Clutter

Get cash for hobby clutter!

I am so excited! I’m actually making money decluttering my hobbies! Over the years, I’ve accumulated an insane amount of sewing/quilting/craft stuff. It’s gotten to the point that I don’t even know what all I have. Really. Kind of embarrassing to admit, but it’s true. Well, enough is enough! So I’ve gotten serious about finding buyers for my excess. And trust me, MOST of it is excess.

First Step: Letting Go

The hardest part is letting go. I’m sure I have inherited hoarder tendencies (thanks Grandma H), which are compounded by living so remotely for much of my adult life that it just makes sense to have whatever you might need for any project always on hand. So I had to ask myself what is my REAL goal - and the real goal at this point in my life is to clear out the clutter. I have a ton of hobby stuff I will never use due to one or more of the following reasons:

• No longer interested in that hobby
• Aging eyesight and/or hands make it less enjoyable
• I can’t possibly live long enough to use all this stuff

 Although I’d like to recoup some of what I’ve spent, making money is not the primary goal.

 Second Step: Finding Buyers

Although yard sales and Craigslist are common ways to sell your stuff, I haven’t used either for a variety of logistical and practical reasons. I have used both Etsy and Artfire with some success, but my best return for time invested lately has been Yahoo Groups. I’ve been a member of three very focused groups for years - Sew It’s For Sale, Craft Items For Sale and Quilter’s Flea Market. I used to be mostly a buyer but now have turned to just selling. (Well, I did backslide two days ago and order four books, but for the most part, I’ve been good!) The beauty of these groups is that I have a super-targeted audience looking specifically for the kinds of stuff I have.

In the past week+, I’ve unloaded nearly three dozen yards of fabric, six quilting patterns/books, five packs of grosgrain ribbon, and 11 fashion discs for a Singer 503A. After PayPal fees and postage, I’ve netted almost $250 - for stuff I no longer want. How cool is that? Am I going to get rich? No, but that isn’t the goal. Is this a long-term moneymaker? No, I WILL eventually run out of excess (yippee!). But for now, I’m going to thoroughly enjoy converting my clutter into cash.

So How About You?

Have you ever made any money decluttering your hobby? If so, how? And even if you haven’t, do you have some ideas to share?