Getting out of resale, how to sell off inventory quickly?

[khakigirl]

I am getting out of the resale business (at least for awhile). Due to circumstances beyond our control (job loss, illness, etc), we're downsizing. There is absolutely no way I can store our inventory in our new apartment - it's only 550 square feet with only 2 closets (yikes!).

I have a huge surplus of inventory, mostly used items that I bought at thrift stores and yard sales for the purpose of reselling. I have collectible toys (Tickle Me Elmos, Troll dolls), craft kits, video games, vintage sewing patterns, board games (hard to find/vintage), vintage cameras, tarot cards and all kinds of other random items I picked up.

I don't want to just do a yard sale because I'll have to price everything really low and probably lose a LOT of money. I'd rather sell to someone who recognizes the value of the items and can use them for their resale business. So any ideas on how to find someone like that?

I've been trying to sell as many items as possible on Craigslist. I also posted an ad on Craigslist in the business section basically explaining my situation and seeing if anyone was interested in checking my stuff out. I've received a total of ONE email and it was just an eBay trading assistant who wanted to sell my stuff for me. Is that my only option at this point?

[theauctionmoms]

First off, I'm sorry for your recent situation and hope that it gets better.

I saw that you mentioned Craigslist. Have you tried searching through the "Wanted" section of your local Craigslist? We often buy "lots" of items off our Craigslist through an ad that we renew often placed in the "Wanted" section. Our ad basically offers cash paid for leftover garage sale items and garage or storage clean outs. We rarely search through the Craigslist ads to find items on our own, we prefer that the seller contact us. You might not get the most money for your items, but you'd be able to clear them out quickly, so you can focus on the move.

Best of luck!

[khakigirl]

Originally Posted by theauctionmoms

First off, I'm sorry for your recent situation and hope that it gets better.

I saw that you mentioned Craigslist. Have you tried searching through the "Wanted" section of your local Craigslist? We often buy "lots" of items off our Craigslist through an ad that we renew often placed in the "Wanted" section. Our ad basically offers cash paid for leftover garage sale items and garage or storage clean outs. We rarely search through the Craigslist ads to find items on our own, we prefer that the seller contact us. You might not get the most money for your items, but you'd be able to clear them out quickly, so you can focus on the move.

Best of luck!

I actually have done that but the only ones I see are people wanting stuff for free. People here are cheap, I guess.

EDIT: Oops, I found some and I'm bookmarking them to call tonight. Apparently I hadn't gone far enough back.

[nbfbaw]

Are there any resale shops in your area that carries the things that you have? If so see if they can do a cosignment for you.

[theauctionmoms]

Originally Posted by khakigirl

EDIT: Oops, I found some and I'm bookmarking them to call tonight. Apparently I hadn't gone far enough back.

Awesome! Hope it works out for you!