When it is time to move, you have four choices available for your belongings.

• You can move the items to your new location using a DIY truck or professional movers.
• It is possible to sell some of your items on platforms like Mercari or eBay if it doesn’t make sense to move them.
• You can donate your items to charity so that others can use those belongings.
• Temporary or permanent storage solutions can keep your items safe until you’re ready to use them.

Some people might ask, “What about taking unwanted items to a landfill or dumpster?”

Although that option exists, we highly recommend against using it. With so many recycling opportunities available in NYC (or near where you live), there is almost no reason at all to throw unwanted items away.

What to Sell When Moving to Make Some Money

Anything that offers sentimental value is something to consider keeping in storage. These items might include antique furniture, collectibles, and artwork.

When something doesn’t hold any personal meaning to you, the next decision involves the product’s usable value. Do you need to have this item in your new home or office?

If you use it at some point in the next six months, professional storage solutions are a reasonable investment to consider. A desk for your home office might fall into this category. However, when it could be a year or more before you “might” come back to this asset, it is probably better to sell it now to get some money.

When you’re unsure what to keep or sell, these items usually bring in the most cash you can use for this transition.

1. Old Toys

Consignment shops are in almost every neighborhood today. If you have more oversized items, you might find a decent price waiting for you online. Anything in reasonably good shape has collecting value or is in its original box is worth reviewing.

2. Clothing

If you have designer clothing at home, you could sell a few pieces to potentially pay for all of the professional moving services you need. Even if you don’t have expensive labels in your closet, most people are surprised by how much value the old stuff they have in drawers can put into their bank account.

3. Entertainment Products

If you’ve collected many movies, books, and CDs in your current home, anything you aren’t using or don’t hold personal value can go to secondhand stores or be sold to others directly. Although you won’t get much cash for the items, rare products can often fetch a significant price. These boxes also tend to be heavy, which means you’re saving a little on your moving costs simultaneously.

4. Tools

You don’t need to be a DIY specialist to have a few valuable tools at home that get used infrequently. Anything for the yard, fixing up your property, or hobbies you pursue can often get up to 50% of the original retail price. If you don’t think you’ll be needing some of the items at your new home, it might be worth getting some money for that stuff right now.

5. Furniture

When you think about selling or storing furniture, you must look at its current value, future pricing, and the cost of moving it to a new home. If you have a worn-out couch, it won’t provide much in cash, and it’ll be expensive to transport. That means a charitable donation might be the best option. When you have a gorgeous 18th-century antique vanity with marble inlay that takes up space, sell it if you don’t have space or an emotional attachment to it.

When you move furniture, the cost should make sense. If it’ll be cheaper to buy something new when you arrive at your new home or office, get rid of the old items before hiring movers or doing the work yourself. It’ll save you time and money from a long-term perspective.

6. Old Electronics

You’d be surprised by how much your old cell phones can fetch on the open market. If you haven’t traded in an older model iPhone or Samsung Galaxy for a newer model, some consignment machines pay you on the spot. You could also sell older computers, printers, and anything else that takes up space.

Anything that you might use in the next few months is a potential contender for storage. When you can’t remember the last time that you used something in one of the categories above, it’s probably better to sell the item instead.