How to disperse of household items for donation or money properly?
by
Martha A
+1
I am trying to clear items from a deceased family member's home. There are items to discard and donate but Also, I have items or collections of items that need to be sold or donated to specific places or people such as art books, cook books, coins, furniture. Where do I go or who do I call?
4 answers
-
Here in OR, there are steps that have to be taken before you can disperse an estate. Are you working with an atty? Are you working with a Will or Trust? You have to be appointed Personal Representative(Will) or Successor Trustee (Trust) before you can distribute anything from an estate. Once you are appointed you can get those items to the designated parties. The things that are not specifically "gift" can be sold at an estate sale/auction/garage sale.
Carroll A
on Aug 13, 2012
-
The biggest thing is if you are going to sell something and want to make as much money as possible ...DON'T BE IN A HURRY...Take you time research the going price for the items you have to sell. Don't sell or throw away an item and not know what it is or what it is worth. I once almost threw away a political button that I thought was just junk and in fact it was worth over $200.00. Everything has value to someone. As for places to check you can try online at craigslist.com, or my favorite is an off shut of Yahoo Groups . It is called Freecycle ( if you want to donate to someone that could use the item) or Cafe ( if you want to offer something for sale). Go to Yahoo Groups and look for them. They have very simple instructions and anyone can sell online to local people. Lots of instructions also. If you have collections then it is best to find a dealer and find out what they will give you for the complete collection. But keep in mind that they will not give you top dollar as they want to make a profit. Or have them sell it on a commission basis. And by all means don't have a garage sale unless you know what you have to sell and you have the time and the patience to put up with people that only want to give you $0.10 (10 cents) for a 100 year old doily that you have $2.00 price tag on. Good Luck and have fun....It is plenty of hard work ahead.
Warren G.
on Aug 13, 2012
-
I've used Ebay both as a barometer to "value" things and to sell some stuff. As warren mentioned...take your time to ensure you are getting proper value from the items.
KMS Woodworks
on Aug 15, 2012
-
If you have a high volume of items, you could hire a reputable estate sale company. Just be careful about the terms. If they have to price, clean and set up everything, they will charge you by the hour. Their commission is normally 30-35%, which is worth it if you have a lot of stuff to get rid of. Just make sure you talk to several folks who have used them in the past. There are some rip-off estate sale companies who will sell your stuff for next to nothing just to get their commission, and once they add up all the prep hours, commission, etc., you will be the one left with nothing. KMS is correct...Ebay is a great source to find the true value of an item. You could hold your own estate sale...just make sure you price correctly and recruit lots of friends to help with security...you would be surprised at what people try to steal. Good luck!
Leslie D
on Aug 15, 2012
Sign Up to Answer
Suggested Project Book
