I made $250 through a Facebook 'closet cleanout'
How to sell stuff online in Charlotte, easily, to make a few extra bucks
The following article appeared in the July 29, 2023, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Needing to purge in preparation for a move to NYC, I turned to social media to get rid of belongings and make some money. Here are some tips if you want to try it.
My process involves determining if an item “sparks joy” for me (as inspired by author and organization guru Marie Kondo), like I’m doing here with this sweatshirt. I take clothes and books from my closet one section at a time, and those I want to sell will be photographed, inventoried on a spreadsheet and put in bins until someone claims them. Then they’ll move into a third bin for items that have sold. (Photo courtesy of Genna Contino)
by Genna Contino
I’m getting ready to move from Charlotte to New York City for grad school next month, and hidden fees and surprise expenses keep popping up.
I’ve done a ton of research and budgeting, but moving always ends up being more expensive than you think. The cost of a U-Haul or movers makes my jaw drop. I realized that buying a new bed might be smarter than putting my Walmart-chic frame in a truck for the third time, and I know I’m headed to a shoebox-sized apartment in New York.
If I want to fit everything I own into an apartment I can afford, I have to turn my shopping addiction into a minimalist lifestyle — stat. So I decided to sell most of my clothes, books and furniture through Facebook.
I used the same plan I’d turn to in college when I needed some extra cash: I would do what other college kids called a “closet cleanout” — where you give first dibs on stuff you want to sell to people you know well enough to be friends with on Facebook.
To make the Facebook “closet cleanout” easier for you, your “customers” can come to your porch to pick up items so you don’t even have to leave your doorstep.
A great side benefit of the Facebook closet cleanout: It can give you an excuse to catch up with old friends. Exchange a Michael Kors purse you never carry anymore for a free cocktail and a crisp $20 from that friend from college you’ve been meaning to get a drink with for the past five years.
As I’m writing this, I’m about halfway through my purge. I had to take a break from photographing and posting inventory because I have an embarrassing amount of stuff and got a little burnt out.
So far, I’ve made $257. (And yes, I keep a spreadsheet.) Not too shabby! Here’s what I learned from it and what I’m going to do differently once I work up the mental energy to finish going through my closet.
🛍️Sell cheap items in the comment section on your own Facebook post.
Weird — I know! But it works.
People are nosy and they’ll doom scroll through anything — even a long comment thread of photos of your items for sale. They’re more likely to do that than open up a link or go through a separate Facebook group or app.
After a former coworker sees the bestselling novel that you raved about at work listed, they can easily reply to the comment with the picture of the book and its price. The satisfying “cha-ching” of your Venmo account signifies the sweet sound of a new sale.
Photos of the items you’re selling should be well-lit and clear, but don’t worry too much about setting up the perfect photoshoot area. If you’re selling a lot of stuff, you don’t want to waste time snapping photos, and it can take up space on your phone. Make sure you delete them all after posting.
As for the information I would include for each item in the comment, I’d keep it simple.
For example: White Aritzia button-down shirt, size large, $10, slight pilling on sleeve
If people have additional questions or want to see more pictures, they can ask in the comment reply.
🛍️Try selling your electronics on Facebook Marketplace first. If no one bites, GameStop might take them.
Here’s where you can learn from my mistake:
I took my Nintendo 2DS game system and game from 2013 to GameStop, even though in the past, the store offered me pennies for the DS game cartridges I treasured in my childhood.
The clerk looked surprised after he scanned my now-ancient game console and the system gave him a green light.
“I’ll give you $46 cash or $60 in game credit,” he said. I walked out with the cash.
Looking at Facebook Marketplace prices now, I know I could’ve made more selling it there, with some going for upwards of $100.
So my advice is to base your Facebook Marketplace listing prices around what similar items or models are selling for on Facebook, eBay, GameStop or Amazon. I sold a Polaroid camera I never use anymore on Facebook Marketplace for $20, but everything else I sold through my personal Facebook feed.
🛍️If you’ve got a ton of stuff to sell, price the items a little lower than you think you should.
I know, it’ll break your heart to get just $5 for the novel you swore was life-changing, but books are heavy to pack. Those obscure boutique brand TJ Maxx leggings aren’t worth the $25 you originally paid for them.
People are likely to buy more if they feel like they’re getting a steal on a bunch of items. It also helps you get things out of your house fast.
🛍️Avoid resale stores like Plato’s Closet or Clothes Mentor unless you have what they’re specifically looking for.
I brought in four boxes of clothes to sell at Plato’s Closet, a second-hand store for in-style gently used clothes. The cooler-than-me Gen-Z salesperson decided to take:
My astronaut Halloween costume which was purchased on Amazon in 2021.
An NYU T-shirt that didn’t fit me anymore from a college visit in high school.
They paid me a whopping $4.
I’m not even sure it covered the gas money to get there. Going forward, I plan to bring these types of stores only the kinds of clothes, shoes and accessories that I know they’re specifically looking for. (For example, when I went to local stores in July, they were eager to pay cash for Lululemon workout attire.)
Resale stores usually make clear on social media or their websites what specific items they buy so you come prepared. Then you can avoid leaving the store with most of your clothes, a small handful of dollar bills and crushing defeat like I did.
The takeaway: Was doing all of this worth my time? If I was working full-time right now, I would probably not be going crazy with the spreadsheets like I did. I waited to do my purge until I’d quit my job and was in serious downsizing-packing mode.
But yes, I think it was worth it, and I’m planning on selling even more. As an unexpected plus, I’m connecting and catching up with friends and acquaintances who I wouldn’t have reached out to otherwise.
Genna Contino is a freelance writer who most recently covered government for the Charlotte Observer. Her work has also appeared in USA Today, the Post and Courier, Greenville News and the Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Reach her at gennac07@gmail.com.
Other options: If you want to go beyond your personal Facebook feed and market your belongings to a wider audience, you can join one of the local Facebook resell pages and post items there. Many are private and require you to answer a few questions and agree to their rules before you join. Here are a few in the Charlotte area:
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