Kids can learn beneficial life lessons from selling toys!
Kids are more likely to let go of excess toys if parents help them sell the extra items and put the money towards something meaningful for the child.
If your child wants to sell toys as part of their decluttering process, use this opportunity to teach him (or her) that selling unwanted items is a lot of work. This teaches children to think twice before impulse buying.
How to Help Little Children Sell their Decluttered Toys
Little children can sell toys in your yard. It’s better to sell many things cheaply. Neighborhood children will spend money on toys if you price them right. Your kids will likely earn enough to buy one smaller toy or fatten their piggy bank.
After your garage sale, talk with your kids about how many toys your children needed to sell to earn money to buy one new toy. It can be eye-opening to realize how low the re-sell value of most items actually is.
Teach Older Kids to Sell Decluttered Items
Show older kids how to sell things on eBay, Crage’s list, or Facebook marketplace. It’s pretty self-explanatory, but if your child is underage they may need to use your account.
At our house, when I felt the need to sell items (we needed the money). My kids got the money from items they receive as gifts, and I kept the money from all other items I bought for my kids. Children understand if you don’t split the profit on everything you paid for.
On the other hand, if you don’t need the money yourself, pick the best 10-20 items you paid for and let your kids sell these as well.
It all has to do with motivation.
Ask your child if they have a specific item or experience they want to earn money for. Knowing where the money is going often sparks initiative and motivation to do most of the selling themselves.
Tips for Helping Older Kids Sell Used Items.
- Be clear about what is ok to sell and what is not. (My brother sold a lot of childhood items during his high school years which made my mom sad when she found out.)
- Guidance on price setting is usually needed. Kids are not immune to the endowment effect. Help your kids set a reasonable price. Googling or searching eBay for similar items is a good way to find a starting price.
- Have kids lower the price every week till items sell, and ask your teens if they’re surprised at which price point items finally sold.
The Endowment Effect basically states that we overvalue items we own. That means that when we want to sell our belongings we often grossly overprice them.
How to Help Kids Sell their Decluttered Items when They’re NOT Motivated
My son asked me to sell his big-ticket items. He didn’t want to help.
I made this video to show my process for selling my decluttered items on eBay.
- It takes time to sell things, so I agreed to sell them if we split the profits. He got 50%, I got 40%, and the online auction site got 10%.
- Let a consignment shop sell your child’s things.
- Leave the items at a company that specializes in selling things for others on eBay. You’ll probably get 30% of the profits, but 30% is better than nothing.
Check out my blog posts below about ADHD and decluttering!
Copyright Annie Eklöv
