Sell or Donate? Making A Decision You Can be Proud Of

There is a dilemma that pops up time and time again when minimising what you own.  “Shall I donate by virtue of giving away my things for free, or sell them and make a tidy little sum of money?”

Minimising what you own takes a long time.  It can take months or even years.  It took me 10 years!

Many people procrastinate and avoid the time, effort and cost of getting rid of their stuff, instead lingering amidst their accumulation of possessions, justifying why they are still holding onto things.

If you have ever moved home, you will remember the vast number of things you own and the hassle of moving them… even when you didn’t think you had that much stuff at all!

When you sell, particularly online, it all takes time, effort and money.

You have to:

• Clean the item or possibly even repair it a little

• Take decent photos

• Possibly set up an account if you haven’t already done so

• Prepare a title and an ad

• Research how others are selling the same item

• Decide you price and postage promise

• Pay the selling fee

• Secure the item in packaging

• Get to the post office or wait for it to be collected at an arranged time

Typically, we don’t receive the amount of money we think the item is worth.  Often an item sells for a half to a quarter of the value we thought, so something we valued at $99 typically sells for $25 to $50.

There is a better, ethical way to get rid of your items that will contribute to your society in a positive way and will give you a feeling of pride.

Why donating is better than selling

If you can afford to donate your item to someone in need, then you are doing the world a favour by:

1.    Helping others, and

2.    Helping the environment by not disposing of your item in landfill.

Donating quickly provides you the instant space you are seeking as you declutter.  You benefit from an unburdening of your physical load, and a sense that your item will be going to a good home to be used and valued more than you currently are.

You see, the value of stuff is subjective.  Companies use marketing to make big profits by angling to convince you that you need their product to improve your life.  However, if an item doesn’t improve your life in any significant way, dispossess it.

One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

By knowing that someone else could benefit from something we own but no longer use, demonstrates you level of empathy for others.  Holding on to things that are gathering dust, are under-used and under-appreciated does a disservice to the item and a disservice to someone out there in the world who could make better use of it.

Donations help charities to raise funds for those less fortunate than ourselves.

I have been in some tight financial spots in my life, and I am sure many of you have as well.  Sometimes we need to sell our things to raise the money to get by, and for many people this unfortunately happens more often than not.

When you are doing financially well, it is your turn to contribute to others and help them get through their tight spot.

A key question to ask yourself when you are deciding whether to donate or sell is:

“Who will currently benefit greater from this thing, me or someone in need?”

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