6 Tips for Cleaning out Your Closets and Cupboards and Making Money on eBay!

By Lynn Dralle, The Queen of Auctions

1. Look for anything that still has the tags (NWT) or is mint in box (MIB). My daughter and I just cleaned out her closet and found that she had outgrown many of her clothes. We spotted a Mary Kate and Ashley green hoodie and skirt. She had worn the hoodie but the skirt was brand new with tags. We listed them both together on eBay for $9.99 and were very pleased when the outfit sold.

2. Check your kid’s rooms for costumes, toys, plush stuffed animals and used sporting goods. Costumes tend to sell year round. Many smaller children like to dress up all the time. I know mine did when they were little. Toys can be great but make sure you check eBay's Recalled Items Policy pages for updated information on recalled items. Plush toys are also a hot item on eBay. I sold a Vermont Teddy Bear recently for $41.05.

Also, used sporting equipment like worn in baseball gloves and used cleats can bring in big bucks. Many young athletes grow too quickly and they don’t have time to break in a glove or cleats. I sold 3 used catcher’s baseball gloves for charity last year and they brought in over $80.00 for the three! Just last month, I sold a pair of my son’s used baseball cleats for $9.99. Don’t throw anything away!

3. Look in your kitchen cupboards and drawers for dinnerware/flatware that you don’t use anymore. My grandmother had given me a set of vintage sterling silver flatware when I got married. I found it in a plastic bag wrapped up in the back of one of my utensil drawers. We never used it except for maybe once or twice for Christmas! I listed it on eBay and it sold at auction and out of my eBay store for about $1200.00. Who needs that in the back of their utensil drawer?

4. Don’t forget to look in your kitchen cupboards for coffee mugs. Yes, I said coffee mugs. I think every interesting coffee mug is worth at least $9.99. If it does not sell at auction, it will eventually sell out of your eBay store. I have sold some coffee mugs for over $30.00. Mugs to look for are Starbucks, Taylor & Ng, Advertising mugs and anything with cute subject matter.
Check out this Iams coffee mug that sold out of my eBay store and this Starbucks mug also sold from my eBay store for $9.99. The Starbucks mug was in my eBay store for less than 30 days!

5. Go through your bookcase. Books are easy to sell and even easier to ship. Recently I sold a book about predicting the stock market based on ancient Japanese charting techniques for $41.01. I had bought it at a garage sale for 25 cents. This one I did not find on my book shelf, but it just shows you that books can sell for big bucks!


6. Don’t throw away anything before trying it on eBay.
My mom was cleaning out my kitchen cupboards, and she put a salt and pepper shaker in the throw away pile, because the base of the pepper was broken off. I said “Are you crazy? Those are Quimper Faience”. I put them on eBay and got $27.52 for them.





The bottom line is that “stuff” you find around your house will sell. Before you throw anything away, look at the item and ask yourself, “Is this worth $10 to someone on eBay”? If the answer is yes, get it listed! In this economy, everyone is looking for a bargain, and eBay is where they are going for those bargains. More eyes than ever are looking for your household discards. Remember, your trash, is probably someone else’s treasure and that sometimes “worn in” can be better than new.

Lynn Dralle, The Queen of Auctions , is an eBay Certified Consultant, Certified Service Provider, eBay PowerSeller and published author of the "100 Best Things I've Sold on eBay" book series. Lynn assists new eBay sellers, part-time sellers and even experienced sellers seeking additional advice on how to grow their eBay business.