It’s a good idea to declutter before moving house — especially if you’re downsizing. As well as saving valuable space in the moving van, which could lower the cost of your removals service, it’ll allow you to make the most of the space in your new home.
When you have a day free, get four big boxes and label them: sell, donate, upcycle, bin. You should then go through all your belongings and ask yourself if you really need to keep each item. If you haven’t used the item in a year, the answer is probably no. You can then categorise your unwanted items into the appropriate boxes.
Selling unwanted items
You should consider selling anything that’s in satisfactory condition, as long as you think it’ll be worth your time. If you only have a few low-value items, the effort that goes into selling will probably outweigh the money you’ll make.
Not sure what something’s worth? Have a look on eBay to see what similar items have sold for. If you have an antique, visit a specialist dealer for a valuation.
If you have a lot of low-value items, like old toys and clothes, it’s probably not worth selling one at a time. Your best bet is a car-boot sale, where you can sell lots of items at once. However, sellers are normally charged around £10 a car, and you’ll spend around a day on preparations and selling, so make sure it’ll be worth it.
For single items worth more than a few pounds, you might be better off selling them individually through eBay. To maximise your profits, keep an eye out for ‘No Insertion Fee’ weekends and other special offers. You should also optimise your listing by providing good-quality images and writing a detailed description. Keep an eye on fees and P&P costs to ensure selling is worth your while.
If you have larger items that will need to be collected, such as furniture, Gumtree is a good option, as it allows you to advertise locally for free.