Move it or sell it ? (fuel, furniture, cost, insurance)

[SoHoVe]

If your furniture is in good condition you could also try using a consignment shop. So of them will even come and pick up your items for you. Explore your options and decide what makes the most economic sense and will work best for you.

[stormchaser9878]

If you move a truck load from coast to coast it will cost you at least $3,000. If you have junky furniture it would make a lot more sense to sell it. You have to consider your dressers and appliances will be dented scratched and beat to crap.

If you go to move yourself you'll save a little money, but it would cost you maybe $1,500 to rent a U-haul. Then figure the fuel cost. Then you'll need to pay people to help you load. Then you've got to drive the truck five days to get there. Then when you get there you'll have to pay to unload.

It's a huge undertaking. I've moved 7 people and I despised it. All of them had dented and scratched stuff.

Let's say you sold all your furniture for $1,000. You saved the moving expense. You move and buy used stuff on the other end for $2,000 to replace the stuff. You're ahead of the ball game. The problem is the distance. If you moved across town no, but could you imagine the cost if you moved your furniture to Japan?



I would just take the stuff to an auction. If it's decent things a yard sale might make sense. But advertise well in advance.

[pluto1]

You have ample amount of time before your actual move. I 'd categorize all the stuff that I think I wouldn't need, search all the free local classifieds in the area (craigslist.com and khrido.com are some good ones), post ad for each item individually in relevant categories. Let people respond to those ads and be open to negotiation. Believe me, I was able to downsize my apartment while moving across states. It was good to see one less item to pack.

[mnanda]

Thanks Coldjensens!

I'm organizing a BIG MOVE and I have a lot of stuff and have been really torn about finding the balance between buying new things or bringing my stuff. My inclination was to bring a lot, and you've just confirmed what I was worried about - not being able to find stuff as good, and selling etc. not being worth the hassle... espec. when weighed against the hassle of finding new things.

Thanks again!

[msgsing]

I moved from the midwest to San Diego. Sold app 95% of my furniture and bought new stuff. Wasn't worth the expense of shipping. Pretty easy to sell our old stuff to neighbors, former co workers.

[roadfamily6now]

sell it

[kygman]

We were making two moves in one. For the first 6 years of our marriage we lived 70 miles apart. When I retired and moved down here, I moved what I could into her mobile home and we started house looking. We put ads in the paper and sold quite a bit. Then we had a different type yard sale. I advertised a free yard sale. If you see it and want it, take it! First come first served. I unlocked the door at 7 AM (already 6 cars waiting for me) and locked up the empty place at 9. When you have a yard sale, there are always things that don't sell, so we thought we would try the free sale. Everybody has things that another person wouldn't buy but would take it if it was free.

[sterlinggirl]

Originally Posted by pitroad

I would be downsizing (just me left) from a 4 bedroom home to a apartment for a year at least to learn the area. My question is what would be the best way to sell a 'lot' of stuff. Is there some company that does this type of thing.

With that much stuff, it would make sense to call an auctioneer.

[wigirl920]

I was in this exact same predicament......

When you're trying to figure out whether or not it makes good economical sense, be sure to factor in EVERY cost associated with moving your things, not just the rental truck. The rental fee, fuel, meals, hotels, snacks & other little things along the way. Will you also be bringing your own vehicle? Then be sure to factor in additional fuel costs...either way you're going to have them; extra fuel if someone else is driving it or extra fuel for the rental truck if you're pulling it behind (because pulling thousands of pounds of extra weight will sure impact your mileage). And if you have someone come along with you, be sure to factor in additional costs for them as well, including a plane ticket back home.

Using this method, I determined that it made absolutely no sense for me to drag my stuff across a few states. None of the larger items were going to lose me any sleep if I got rid of them. I sat down and figured out exactly what I wanted to keep. I sent several packages via UPS and everything else was packed in my car.

Something to keep in mind if you ship: package books, CDs, DVDs, etc. separately and send through the post office's media mail...it's much cheaper. Check their website at usps.gov for the things you can ship media mail and the costs. For the rest, use fewer and bigger boxes versus more and smaller boxes because the rates will be much cheaper. UPS and USPS had comparable rates.

Anyway, I started out by putting ads in the paper and posting to a local "yard sale" message board. Next, I held a garage sale. Doing it in this order was the best thing I could have done; getting ready for a garage sale is a pain so selling other ways first meant less I had to worry about for the sale. Once that was done I used Craigslist to sell the remainder (I used this as a last resort because I am not a fan of CL whatsoever). My son also just happened to be moving into his first apartment at the same time, so I was able to provide him with a VERY good start to his new place (the way I looked at it..either I give him some stuff or he calls and asks to borrow money to get the stuff. I was going to be impacted either way!) Whatever was left at the very end went to Goodwill.

The money I made from selling things was used to buy new or gently used stuff when I moved.

The key, for me anyway, was starting all of this early enough. Moving is stressful enough and I didn't want to be trying to sell things at the last minute. Granted, I was using a Rubbermaid container for an end table, paper plates and plastic silverware at the end...but it was well worth it for me and I have absolutely no regrets.

Best of luck!

[kodaka]

You might consider just donating everything to charity. This assumes you've got enough deductions to itemize, but....

Donating means you deduct the estimated resale value of an item. Because a thrift store can leave an item on the sales floor for months or longer and wait for a buyer willing to pay for the true value of an item. And its quick--you can drop off a truckload of things in an afternoon and you are free of it.

Selling means you've got to sell at a price the market will bear. If there are other sellers with the same or similar item, you will either have to wait them out or undercut their price to move your items. And you've got to invest the time and effort to advertise, reply to inquiries, and receive buyers. I would say 9 out of 10 buyers won't show up after scheduling an appointment. Some people may have better luck but I know many people haven't.

Long-distance moves and job searches are also itemized deductions so it would be a good time to make a charitable donation.