By Jean Chatzky – May 31, 2017
One-quarter of Americans cop to having a “clutter problem.”
Hardly surprising then, that the average home contains 300,000 items. And there’s an emotional cost to that. Research conducted for the Huffington Post showed that 84 percent of Americans worry that their homes aren’t organized (or clean) enough — and 55 percent of those folks say it’s a big cause of stress.
The other toll is financial. All that stuff that’s eating up space and energy could actually be translated into more money in your pockets. So what’s the best way to pare your surroundings down while simultaneously fattening up your wallets?
We’re not talking about having a tag sale, or listing on eBay. There are now apps and websites that allow you to sell specific items in a very targeted way. For example:
The New eBay/Amazon
If you’re selling something unusual — or quirky — Bonanza is the place. You’ll find rocks and fossils, Elvis platinum records, vintage lunchboxes, and just about everything else. Sellers love it because the ratio of people shopping to people selling is exceptionally high.
The New Craigslist
LetGo, OfferUp, Close5, and Facebook Marketplace are all focused on helping you sell in your local area. Both LetGo and OfferUp have raised considerable money from venture capitalists. LetGo says it has more than 20 million active monthly users.
Analysis – A related subject on the topic of Access vs. Ownership, is the idea of clutter, and the negative side effects that come with an individualistic ownership model. When your first instinct is to go out and purchase the thing you may only need to use once, you fail to consider the physical burden that comes with needing to store that thing, along with the psychological and financial sacrifices that come with it as well. This article brings into question some of the potential motivating factors for switching to an access-based consumption behavior.
