What You Should Consider Before You Donate Your Stuff by Stephanie at LoverAntiques.com

1)Regain Monetary Value- There's an obvious reason you should seriously consider selling things instead of donating or giving them away. Money, of course. It's very likely that you spent money on the things you own, so why not recapture some of that value in the process of letting go? This can be especially helpful if you went through a heavy consumerist phase or are trying to pay down debt. While it can be a lot of work selling off each item, getting some of the money back is positive and there are even more benefits to selling as you'll see down below.

2)Sustainable Lifestyle Change Takes Time & Effort (and that's why it works) Truly shifting your lifestyle from a consumer-based to a more creator-based approach takes time and effort. It's not something that happens overnight. If you bear the pain of going through and dealing with each item, you are more likely to change as a person and evolve through the decluttering process. Selling off your items one by one is a conscious act and reminder to be more intentional with future items you bring into your life. Dropping a bunch of things off at the donation center really just makes your clutter someone else's problem.

3)If You Can't Sell It, Neither Can Someone Else- benefit of selling instead of donating an item is it's an indication of whether it's really something that ought to be donated. If no one wants to buy it from you, what are the chances that someone else will be able to sell it, including the donation center? There are certain exceptions though, depending on where you live and local organizations around you. This is where doing some research and thoughtfully donating can be very beneficial. Animal shelters will often gladly take clean, used towels and blankets, among other household things. Homeless or transition shelters will often take toiletries, makeup, towels, books, and many other household items. Checking with local organizations is a great way to intentionally donate items you no longer need or want.

4)Paying Increases Perceived Value + Product Lifecycle- When someone is specifically looking for your item and is willing to pay for it, they'll appreciate the item more. The person also has a higher likelihood of using the item. This extends the product lifecycle of the item. It also results in a lower carbon footprint since the person didn't buy a new item. It's also a great feeling knowing your unwanted or unused item is going to a motivated buyer. As we were selling off our things, it was reassuring to know that people had a need for those items. 5)More Likely To Buy Used (Save Money, Reduce Consumption) Another reason to stop donating is you're more aware of how much value is lost once an item is no longer new. You start realizing the value of buying used. The most sustainable item is the one that already exists. Not only is it much more environmentally friendly, but many used items are also just as good, if not better than new. Older items are sometimes composed of better materials and thus, last longer. It can be a wonderful thing to donate items in good condition, that are usable, needed or easily resellable. But it's time for us to take more ownership of the full product life cycle. Simply collecting items and donating them just transfers the problem from your home to another location. For the record, I think donating usable, practical things, or giving things to people that need them is wonderful.

​Still donate things. Just don't default to it. Selling items gives you money back, reinforces a more intentional mentality, and is better for the environment. For more ideas on what to do with your unwanted items, check us out at www.LoverAntiques.com or call 518-944-0256. Thank You!

​Hi Everyone, See us at www.LoverAntiques.com or call/text 518-944-0256. Why Are Your Items Not Selling- I know many people (including myself) are in a purging mood. Gearing up for spring and all its glory. Maybe its the items that don't have homes or the family accumulation, but whatever the case, it is so nice to PURGE! So I put together a staging area- keep - sell - donate areas. We sell items and within a couple of hours, we sold this and then we sold that. It's very exhilarating. But generally, if it's not sold in a week, I'll reduce the price systematically to see where it adjusts too. If you've been struggling to sell your unneeded items, my guess is that it's because of one of the 3 reasons below... 1. Your prices are too high. This is BY FAR the biggest problem when it comes to people trying to sell their stuff — no matter where they are trying to sell it. I'm not trying to sound rude... but no one is going to buy your "excellent condition" stuff or "like new" stuff or "still in the box" stuff unless they feel they are getting a REALLY good deal. And they are definitely not going to buy your "well used" stuff or anything with any sort of issue or stain or problem unless it's almost free. Yes, you might find an exception to the rule every now and then, but for the most part, there are too many other people out there who just want to get rid of their things ASAP so they set their prices really low in order to sell quickly. Unless you set your prices very close to what others are selling similar items for, you probably aren't going to sell your items very quickly (if at all). You will most likely get the most money for your items on Ebay. Craigslist and Facebook garage sales will usually get you the second highest price. And traditional garage sales or yard sales will require rock bottom prices to sell. 1- If your items aren't selling, lower your prices significantly. After all, if the point of your sale is to clear out your house, wouldn't you rather have a clutter-free house and a little extra spending money versus sitting and waiting while all your stuff sits piled up in your home? 2- If stuff isn't nicely organized, displayed, or described. Similarly, I've seen HUNDREDS of horrible Craigslist ads with dark, blurry pictures and almost no description. No measurements of furniture, no brand names. In those situations, even if it is something I'm remotely interested in, I usually don't even bother sending an email because I figure if they can't take 5 extra minutes to get a good quality photo and share a few more details, then it's not worth my time to email you asking for all the information. While I do try to set my Craigslist prices reasonably, I know for a fact that one of the main reasons my stuff sells so quickly is because I ALWAYS provide a very detailed description and multiple pictures of every item I sell. Over and over again, I get emails from people saying "we're buying from you because your ad was so informative and your pictures were worth a thousand words. So yes, how your things are presented makes a HUGE difference in how quickly your items will sell. And to be perfectly honest, if you're willing to take a few extra minutes to get high-quality photos and provide an excellent description, you will get too results. 3. Your stuff doesn't have enough buyer demand. Sometimes, even if you have a competitive price point and display/describe your items nicely, they just don't sell. In these situations, it's almost always because there isn't enough buyer demand. Maybe it's a very rare antique that only the "right" collector would be interested in. Or maybe you live in a more remote location so garage sales and Craigslist pick-ups are tricky since no one wants to drive out to your house. In these situations, Ebay or Etsy is often the best option for selling and shipping these types of items —but it's almost like a full time job. Over and over and again, I get emails from discouraged individuals who have been purging and hoping to make a few extra bucks by selling their castoffs with little luck. After a couple emails back and forth, I can usually pinpoint their selling troubles to one of the 3 things listed above. Yay for less clutter and more cash! If your sole purpose for selling your unneeded items is because you simply don't want them taking up space in your home (which is usually the case in my experience), then why not lower the price and add a few extra pictures (or a nice garage sale presentation) to increase the chances they sell ASAP?? Reach out if you have any questions. Happy Selling!