How did you downsize??

[dotti105]

As we look around our house we realize that most of what we have, we will not want to take with us when we move to the villages.

I don't mind cleaning out closets, the garage, giving away, donating and throwing away things no longer needed.

BUT, how do I get rid of valuables? Like sterling flatware, trays etc, china, crystal, a mink jacket I wore twice and will never wear again, valuable antique furniture etc.??

I don't want to just give them away, I'd like to sell them to individuals who would find them valuable. But how do you find buyers, and how do you find out the true value of these types of things?

I'm sure many of you had to face these situations too.

Please post and let us newbies know what you got rid of, how you did it, and what you wish you had gotten rid of, that perhaps you didn't?

Thanks in Advance!!!!

[graciegirl]

As we look around our house we realize that most of what we have, we will not want to take with us when we move to the villages.

I don't mind cleaning out closets, the garage, giving away, donating and throwing away things no longer needed.

BUT, how do I get rid of valuables? Like sterling flatware, trays etc, china, crystal, a mink jacket I wore twice and will never wear again, valuable antique furniture etc.??

I don't want to just give them away, I'd like to sell them to individuals who would find them valuable. But how do you find buyers, and how do you find out the true value of these types of things?

I'm sure many of you had to face these situations too.

Please post and let us newbies know what you got rid of, how you did it, and what you wish you had gotten rid of, that perhaps you didn't?

Thanks in Advance!!!!

Learn how to sell stuff on ebay.....as soon as you can.

Bring your sterling with you. If you entertain there, you will here.

Have garage sales, guilt trip your kids to take stuff, and in the end....

Goodwill pulled away with a huge truck full of our furniture.

I am the opposite of a hoarder, but that was TOUGH.

[Quixote]

As we look around our house we realize that most of what we have, we will not want to take with us when we move to the villages.

I don't mind cleaning out closets, the garage, giving away, donating and throwing away things no longer needed.

BUT, how do I get rid of valuables? Like sterling flatware, trays etc, china, crystal, a mink jacket I wore twice and will never wear again, valuable antique furniture etc.??

I don't want to just give them away, I'd like to sell them to individuals who would find them valuable. But how do you find buyers, and how do you find out the true value of these types of things?

I'm sure many of you had to face these situations too.

Please post and let us newbies know what you got rid of, how you did it, and what you wish you had gotten rid of, that perhaps you didn't?

Thanks in Advance!!!!

For valuables, you might want to try selling them on ebay. There you get a huge audience, so your potential buyers can be literally anywhere in the world. This is far better than a local auction house which, unless very high end, will not do well nowadays. I speak from personal experience.... If you've never sold on ebay and are disinclined to start now, there are places all over the country where you can bring your items on consignment, and they will do the ebay thing for you for a percentage of sale.

Specifically for sterling silver, like the flatware and other silver pieces you mention, there are buyers of sterling in every community; you might want to check with them who's offering the highest price and sell it to them. There are several right here in the area of TV; you can do a search on TOTV to get recommendations which are the most fair in terms of pricing and dealing.

And things like china, crystal, and fine decorative pieces can be taken to consignment shops here around TV; the one most commonly mentioned is Bargains & Treasures on CR 466 near the railroad tracks. They too take a percentage (45%, I think); they have a large local following, and you might do well there.

I was given the suggestion recently that for everything else in the house that there is no place to donate or that can be recycled, it would be necessary to hire a 40 yard dumpster and to be dispassionate about everything that will have to go into it. I understand.... Can I bring myself to do it? Hmmm....

[jblum315]

I had a big tag sale - I think it was advertised as an estate sale - run by a professional who got a percent of the sales. Lots of furniture, some antiques and collectibles.Proceeds totaled about $11K.
Many donations to Salvation Army. Other stuff I sold to a junk dealer. I still have too much stuff!

[Cedwards38]

The reality is that hardly anyone values your stuff as much as you do, so donating it to Goodwill and taking a tax deduction might be the easiest, fastest, and most economical thing to do. True you won't know who got your stuff, but in the long run it won't matter.

[Portia]

Call a reputable estate sale company.. we did and sold everything..down to the bare walls..

[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[asianthree]

my kid are going to de junk our house that way not one of them can say i wanted that...what i don't know won't hurt me

[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[senior citizen]

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[skip0358]

Most furniture went to my kids, clothes etc. had a big yard sale. and did quite well. Sold out 90% the first day. As for deciding what to sell or bring we gave it the 60 second rule. What am I going to use it for and do I need it in Florida. Most of my power tools went at the yard sale, winter clothes except for a coat gone.I've seen people pay to ship way to much then when they get here have a yard sale to get rid of it. We moved here to start new and that's what we did. Big screen TV,computers,curio cabinet and TV stand were the extent of our furniture. It all fit in 1 pod with room to spare.

[senior citizen]

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[George Bieniaszek]

We have a CYV in The Villages and a big Colonial in CT. We furnished the CYV will all new furniture and have older furniture in CT. The standard joke here is that when we sell the CT home, we will sell it for $380K furnished and $400K unfurnished :)

[queasy27]

The standard joke here is that when we sell the CT home, we will sell it for $380K furnished and $400K unfurnished.

Love that!

I will second the caution against auction houses. Their fees add up quickly -- they may charge to add items to their catalog, photograph them, transport them, etc. -- and odds are you won't get as much as you would on eBay because the buyer population there is so much bigger. Also, if items don't sell at auction, you're either stuck with them again or have to pay the auction house to store them until their next auction. Ugh, never again.

Big pieces can't easily go on eBay, but I had good luck with selling furniture via Craigs List. The downside is scheduling all the individual buyer vists and whatnot, then helping them haul it away. (Nobody brings the appropriate size truck!) If I was doing it again, I'd go the estate sale route.

[senior citizen]

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[ilovetv]

Call a furniture consignment or home-furnishings consignment store to come and pick it up. The "home furnishing" consignment stores like to sell smaller items that are antiques, collectibles, etc., as well as major furniture. Resale businesses are popping up all over, and they are interesting. Many have a decorator's touch in displaying the merchandise....key to making your wares look attractive.

[CFrance]

Call a reputable estate sale company.. we did and sold everything..down to the bare walls..

But you must do this last and be prepared to leave, because they sell all, don!t they? You're left with bare walls.

My suggestion about consignment shops--use one up north, not down in TV, because everyone down here is downsizing too and is trying to get rid of the same stuff you are.

[NotGolfer]

I would imagine it depends "where" in the country you now live. Where we came from folks were no longer interested in collectibles and antiques as they once were. Found what used to be "valuable" weren't considered such anymore.

We had two huge garage sales, plus gave to our kids, plus gave away, plus donated--still brought way too much with us so called Goodwill to haul away. We didn't mess with consignment shops but maybe should have.

It's a huge job for sure to get rid of items and down-size BUT we found that we didn't "need" as much anymore.

[jblum315]

Yes, by all means do your unloading up North. Don't pay movers to bring it all down here and then try to get rid of it

[jebartle]

When the house was FULL, we piled it up in the driveway and had someone haul it away....No kidding.....I still have nightmares about this!!!!

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I sold nine of my twelve guitars, P.A, system, five amplifiers a drum set and most of my other stuff in eBay.
I am now down to three guitars, (soon to be four) one drum set, a ukulele and a small acoustic guitar amp that also serves as a smallPA system.

[MSG@TV]

We're going through the process right now. I made up my mind that if I rarely used my wedding gifts because I didn't feel like polishing, I was certainly not going to polish silver when I entertained in TV. As much as it kills me, we are donating our sterling silver for the most part. My husband researched on-line and found that unless it was truly sterling and had a certain symbol (?), it was not worth the hassle for what we would get.

[MSG@TV]

I sold nine of my twelve guitars, P.A, system, five amplifiers a drum set and most of my other stuff in eBay.
I am now down to three guitars, (soon to be four) one drum set, a ukulele and a small acoustic guitar amp that also serves as a smallPA system.

Doc-one of the few things that went fast in our yard sell was a bass guitar. It was bought before we even officially opened by what I think was a dealer. He knew a good deal when he saw it.

[rubicon]

Downsizing was very painful for my wife. She is a saver and she really gets attached to things. (Lucky for me). It was an eye opener to see that what you paid top dollar for no one else wanted to buy. We gave away some top quality stuff.

I do not have faith in any internet auction site. I think what you buy is overpriced in most cases. We have given most of our stuff to charity or neighbors.

[Bavarian]

Before trying to sell anything on EBAY check for similar items. If any are listed, are they getting any bids and for how much. Then you know if it is worth selling or donating.

My problem is trying to bring myself to get rid of old letters, postcards, etc from my parents. Souveniers from previous trips, books, magazines with good articles, etc. Old tools, power and manual, screws, nails. Gave a lot a way to friends, but many of them are looking to downsize also.

[patfla06]

For me this has been the most painful part of the moving process.

Our hard part is our Son lives in N.Y.C. and we still have ALL of his
stuff moving with us. He has NO room in a 1 bedroom apartment.

I cannot wait until he gets a home - he'll be shocked how much room his "STUFF" takes up!

:ohdear:

[manaboutown]

If you have a lot of time and depending upon where you live and your personality, eBay and Craig's List can work. An over 60 friend of mine remarried and she and her new husband have been taking their time downsizing. She has sold expensive fur coats, fine crystal, sterling silverware, St. John knits, paintings, fine furniture and more on both. She meets people in hotel lobbies, and parking lots at shopping centers, etc., with her husband and gets cash. To get rid of her old not-worth-much furniture and other items she posted on the "curb" part of Craig's List, put the old whatever out on the curb and it was always gone within a couple of hours.

When my aunt passed away I had to clean out her apartment fast. I found a local charity which sold used clothing and took a Ryder truckful there. I was told it sold within a few days. The Salvation Army, Goodwill and other charities will take the decent stuff.

Having moved many times once we did not want to move much furniture so we called a Catholic Church in a nearby town. Sure enough, some family's mobile home burned down and they got it all, beds, TV, etc. straightaway.

I have moved all over the country and have found, for example, what I had back east does not work out west or in the southwest. It has been fun buying locally appropriate furniture and redecorating wherever I went.

[Patty55]

Before trying to sell anything on EBAY check for similar items. If any are listed, are they getting any bids and for how much. Then you know if it is worth selling or donating.

My problem is trying to bring myself to get rid of old letters, postcards, etc from my parents. Souveniers from previous trips, books, magazines with good articles, etc. Old tools, power and manual, screws, nails. Gave a lot a way to friends, but many of them are looking to downsize also.

Old tools can be worth serious money.

On ebay go into the completed listings, you can see the starting bid and what it actually sold for. I've found with ebay it's all about condition and researching the piece. I've sold china, but found it's better to break down the set, sometimes people need to replace just one piece, not the whole set, packing and shipping an entire set is a killer and the heavier it is the more likely it will break. Ebay shoppers need to know the manufacturer and pattern name. replacements.com can help research. Ebayers love a good story.

The neighbor across the street from me owned one of those "We buy/sell silver, coins and gold" places. I sold him sterling pieces that had dings.

I had never ending yard sales, sent stuff to a country auction type place (this was in upstate NY). IIRC the auction place only charged me 15%.

[drritaw]

If it is something valuable, memorable to you, then take a picture of it. Then get rid of it.

[T-325]

As newlyweds in 1985 we moved right into a house. My wife and I are sorta pack rats and my wife loves to shop. If it was on sale so much much the better.. she would buy 4 years worth of holiday paper plates etc at 80% off after the holiday pointing out how it will save us next year. Slightly used clothes, pocket books etc we'd save them to reuse at the right moment.

And so it went until we were up in New Hampshire camping last summer and I mentioned to her that with the kids long gone out of the house that we should downsize and get ready for the next adventure.

So after we got home, I went to Home Depot and bought a large box of the 42 gallon 3 mil thick trash bags. From that point on I got to work in the garage attic and then the basement sorting thru everything and filling up and disposing about 3 to 6 bags a week. I told her not to worry and put aside many of her treasures as if I got caught throwing them away (or giving them to Good Will) without permission there was H*LL to pay.

Anyways it took from Sept to the week before the closing in May to get thru it all.

She stil loves me but the tension was high at several points... anyways when my friends ask me how I did it, I tell them to just get started now and do a little each week. Start in one area and slowly work through the entire house (and hide any questionable treasures at the bottom of the bag as you fill it up ;) )

[OldManTime]

As we look around our house we realize that most of what we have, we will not want to take with us when we move to the villages.

I don't mind cleaning out closets, the garage, giving away, donating and throwing away things no longer needed.

BUT, how do I get rid of valuables? Like sterling flatware, trays etc, china, crystal, a mink jacket I wore twice and will never wear again, valuable antique furniture etc.??

I don't want to just give them away, I'd like to sell them to individuals who would find them valuable. But how do you find buyers, and how do you find out the true value of these types of things?

I'm sure many of you had to face these situations too.

Please post and let us newbies know what you got rid of, how you did it, and what you wish you had gotten rid of, that perhaps you didn't?

Thanks in Advance!!!!



Pack it all up, and ship it to your children, or younger cousins, thats what I did

[senior citizen]

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[Patty55]

I found getting rid of almost everything strangely liberating.

[Bavarian]

Old tools can be worth serious money.

On ebay go into the completed listings, you can see the starting bid and what it actually sold for. I've found with ebay it's all about condition and researching the piece. I've sold china, but found it's better to break down the set, sometimes people need to replace just one piece, not the whole set, packing and shipping an entire set is a killer and the heavier it is the more likely it will break. Ebay shoppers need to know the manufacturer and pattern name. replacements.com can help research. Ebayers love a good story.

The neighbor across the street from me owned one of those "We buy/sell silver, coins and gold" places. I sold him sterling pieces that had dings.

I had never ending yard sales, sent stuff to a country auction type place (this was in upstate NY). IIRC the auction place only charged me 15%.

We have not yet started on garage attic. I tell my Lovely Lady we need a garage sale a week, but she keeps putting it off. When we moved to this house, my Mother had just past, so we had to epty her house, took a lot with us. St, Vincent de Paul came and took excess furniture to people who needed it. The person taking it was good friend of ours and a Brother Knight. Thought Habit for Humanity would want building material, but they only want uopened boxes, I would take anything in their business.
Speaking of Mink Jacket, tried to give to my Mother's niece's only fit one who would not take it, so stayed in cellar, now gave to Realtor.

[DougB]

We downsized by leaving behind just two large items. Our two grown adult sons still living at home. (Failure to Launch!)

[batman911]

I found getting rid of almost everything strangely liberating.

We are packing what we will ship to TV now. Down to 2 of each (plates, bowls, cups, etc) and life is so much easier by not having to sort through drawers and cabinets to find what you need. Time is also valuable, so unless it will sell for a lot, it goes in the donate or trash pile. Lots of items are just not worth the time it takes to market them when you are trying to move. Word to the wise; start the thinning out process as soon as you even think you are going to retire in a different location. Packing, sorting and fixing takes more time than you think.

[MSG@TV]

We downsized by leaving behind just two large items. Our two grown adult sons still living at home. (Failure to Launch!)

Moving to TV will do it!! You made me LOL!:pepper2:

[senior citizen]

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[al & jane]

We moved into 50% less space here so Craigslist was a great tool for us to sell our excess stuff. The unusual thing we found was that most people bought what they came to look at but also bought other things while they were at our house. The things that didn't sell went to Goodwill and other charities.