I don’t know if it is going to be worth it to sell an encyclopedia set on eBay. Those books are very heavy and shipping will be very expensive. I would try a used book store where they will sell books by the pound (and color) to people who want to fill up their shelves (for movie sets, etc.) But a local one, because again you don’t want to have to ship them.
Even those green book donation bin people will not accept encyclopedias (and they have a very lenient acceptance policy).
I agree! But showed the example of how to search for “sold” prices just because it was asked.
I am a big advocate of books, reading, authors - all things literacy. It’s actually my day job. But there comes a time that books need to be laid to rest. You can “save” some of them, but not all of them. Make an effort to see if anyone wants them but if not… Have a fire pit? Make an occasion out of it and burn the “A” encyclopedia while eating an “A” snack.
So actually USPS media (book) shipping is surprisingly inexpensive. There are some things from my mother that I have mailed to my sister only because media rate is an option. Obviously with many encyclopedias poundage would add up, though not as much for my set of small-sized volumes. It looks like sellers are charging about $13 to ship similar set.
The trick with media mail is that you have no idea when it’s going to show up (although these days who knows on any day of the week). It’s cheap (and they’re trying to get rid of it) but it’s on a “when we get around to it” basis. I’ve sent boxes of books to my D. Some arrived within a couple days and one took six weeks to arrive. All mailed at the same time.
That’s a good point. USPS can be quite unpredictable. There would be a bit of gamble with that.
I’ve mostly been doing UPS (with MANY boxes of my mother’s stuff over past two years). That’s because the very first sentimentally important/Priority box that I sent to my sister in August 2020 took 31 days (!) to get to TN. I tried hard to get tracking searches, and eventually USPS claimed it had been totally lost. Since then, I mostly just use postal service for media mail, noncritical items… only about 5 boxes (small sample), but all arrived on timely basis. Oh yea, I did send my passport renewal in Feb via post office (my lucky charm UPS option not allowed) - that envelope seemed lost in transit a few weeks (showed never arrived at processing center)….but phew it did actually where it needed to be. Postal service rant over.
Media mail is very limited in scope. Books, CD’s , brochures.
I’ve been following and contributing to this thread for years and have taken on various purging projects and organizing projects along the way. Now I’m under the gun. Sold my house the day it was listed in April and closed at the end of May. I have until July 22nd to move out, but I don’t get occupancy for my new condo until August 1st. I’m going from 3100 sq ft to 1405. I think one of the big pluses for my current home is the closet space/storage, but it is now feeling like a big negative. I have been selling some furniture since the beginning of June, but am working towards a garage sale next Saturday. I wish I had been more vicious in my purging through the years, but I think reality didn’t hit for me until I went under contract on the new place and knew just how much space I would have. While I have a nice storage unit in the basement for seasonal items, etc., I have become ruthless about what I am willing to take with me. Thank goodness I am only teaching online this summer and don’t have to be in the office on a regular basis. Cross your fingers that I will be in a better place this time next week and that a significant amount of garage sale “treasures” will sell and stay out of the landfill!
Good luck, 2VU0609!
Did a big clean out of storage side of our basement this weekend. I’m triaging things - the biggest items that we definitely don’t need are going first - anything that takes time to sort through/evaluate will go in ‘stage 2’ (e.g., more sentimental type items). Selling a bookcase and a large dog crate really freed up a ton of space!
And it’s a great feeling that this is moving us toward greater flexibility with “Life Stage 2” (i.e., moving, downsizing).
One thing I’ve found very helpful - when selling an item on Facebook market, I first search for similar items for sale to get the going market-rate. Then I price my item on the low end. Usually I get very quick responses! I’d rather have an item gone in a day than try to extract another $5-$15 from the transaction!
Have you done a garage sale before? Get some help. Use a fanny pack for money rather than a money box. Get a lot of change/small bills. Don’t bother pricing anything except for the big items.
And don’t do a two hour garage sale–give it time depending on the number of items you’ve got. Like my sister always says “it only takes that one person to swoop in–they just aren’t here yet.”
When the garage sale is near done, you could post a photo, with any valuable items removed on “Buy Nothing” . Say you will be there the next few hours (and maybe next day)
@gouf78, thanks for the good tips. I have done a garage sale before, but not since the '90s. A fanny pack is an essential, IMO, and I need to dig mine out. D is coming to help me and I have a local young woman who has been helping with FB marketplace listings and who is going to help quite a bit with garage sale (and bringing her 14 year old son the day before when we set up). My banker recommended her since she has experience with selling second hand/estate sales/etc. She has been a gift. One thing that has paid a chunk of what she will cost me was her insistence that I forget the idea of donating D’s somewhat beaten up bedroom furniture. She said it would be most popular thing I listed and she was correct - I had 13 inquiries and had it sold & picked up in less than 48 hours. We are doing 7-12. After noon, we will be out of steam and our temps are supposed to be in the high 90s, so that idea of a second FB posting for freebies from @Colorado_mom is a good one. If someone else claims the leftovers, it saves me from having to take them to a donation site next week.
Yard sale was a success. D came in Thursday afternoon and worked like a pack mule all day Friday and again on Saturday before she went back to Nashville. My moving organizer/helper was a good help as well and we had her 14 year old son here for 3 hours on Friday toting things down the stairs, etc. My first customer bought $15 worth of stuff, but her best gift was to tell me about a local charity that would pick up all the leftovers a few hours after we were done. She even called the director of the charity from my driveway and helped to make the arrangements. I have just a few things left that I’m determined to get a few dollars for off of FB and I have until July 22nd to do that. The charity people even came in and broke down and took the queen sized mattress and boxed springs from D’s room.
D had left an hour or so before they got here (it was her wedding anniversary and she was eager to get home) and she triggered my first really emotional reaction since S was here mid-May. I came into the kitchen and she was standing and looking around and crying. I asked what was wrong and she said she just realized she would never be here again. That was all it took for me to add my waterworks to hers. While leaving your home of 28+ years is an emotion packed experience, I am excited about the new condo. Closed on Wednesday, so had a walkthrough on Tuesday afternoon. I’m really happy about the property and looking forward to settling in.
Transitions can be hard. Really hard. Just keep putting one foot in front of another, and a few months from now you’ll be appreciating all your decision.
In case any one else has a garage sale (God help me, hopefully I never ever have another one!) I found one of these aprons even more helpful than a Fanny pack. I could easily reach in and see what I was pulling out and I could keep change in one pocket, one dollar bills I’m another, bigger bills in a third - or even a pen, my phone etc
I have been working hard on organizing/decluttering unfinished basement to make it nicer for husband when doing his woodworking hobby in the shop area. While I was at it, also went through crawl space since there is a local collection for freebie garage sale. Oh, so many items around, including lots that my mother had stored with us.
The good news is that things are looking much better. I have a fun story about a large metal desktop (accompanying file cabinet bases long gone) that has been too heavy for us to carry up the awkward right-angled basement stairway. I combined it with two of my mom’s old items (metal cart & filing cabinet, conveniently same height) to make a nice worktable under the window.
I found a taker for 3 boxes and some bags of old books - bestsellers from the last probably 20 years I’ve collected and failed to donate yet.
She understands the rules - they don’t come back! They will be gone Saturday.
Just weeded out about 25 more books off the shelves. Seems like the weeding of books is never ending!
I sold a fair amount of books at my garage sale; however, lots to donate. I went to the library on June 27th with my car loaded and was told they had too many books in their storage unit to accept donations right now, but to try back in a few weeks. If they can’t take them early next week, will channel them in another direction. Lots of adult hardbacks (John Grisham, Barbara Taylor Bradford, etc.), but many thin little children’s paperbacks as well. I took a count and just over 300. You would think I would be almost out of books, but I am typing this in my playroom where I have boxed up about 2 dozen boxes of books to move to new home in Nashville. I have purged 4 times now in the last 2 - 2 1/2 years! I wish I had half of the money we have spent on books over the last 40 years!
That’s why I use the library for 99% of my books!
On my to-do list after the move is to get library card and start getting e-books that way. I don’t buy many “real” books anymore, but clearly I was channeling lots of money that way years ago. My hat is off to the smart folks like @VeryHappy who have avoided being bogged down with so many books.
On a different subject, I have an enormous corner cabinet in my kitchen with a trove of everyday glassware. I listed half of it this morning on FB Marketplace for $12 and had it claimed by a work colleague in under half an hour. It’s not the $12 I want, it’s the freedom that I don’t have to pack it up to go for donation since breakage is an issue. I opened family room closet door yesterday and asked myself why I didn’t get rid of one particular box that held blown glass ornaments, etc. that I wired to garland on my mantel for several years. Listed on FB around 3:30 and was picked up just after 7 pm last night. Another victory for freedom from dealing with these items going forward. The woman who picked up was so thrilled to get the box full of Christmas treasure that it made me happy. I listed two more bundles of garage sale leftovers that were too good to send to the charity that picked up the leftovers (they are wonderful, but not very careful in their handling) today - silver-plate trays, etc. and two crystal vases. Priced low and hoping they are out of the house before the weekend is over. I have been saying all along that my goal is to keep stuff out of the landfill, at least for now. However, I’m also anxious to get things gone before I make a last big donation run later next week.
