Did you do your best to go through your clothes, furniture, and appliances before you moved, but still moved things you wish you hadn’t? Was there just no time to go through everything before moving? Whichever situation you find yourself in one thing is certain, you have items you wished you hadn’t moved and you now need to get rid of them.
Apartment Living Tips #1: We know that you just moved, but we promise that you will be happy you took this step now instead of waiting and forgetting what you wanted to give away. If you wait too long you risk once again moving things you don’t need.
What’s the best way to get rid of unwanted items? Donating and selling are the most popular ways people choose to get rid of their items, but where do they go? Don’t worry. As a resident in Chico, California we have listed out some of the best places and ways to go about this process.
Selling in Stores
If you want to bring your items to a local store and get a little bit of money or store credit check out these places:
- Labelz - an upscale women’s consignment boutique located at 974 Mangrove Ave that accepts clothes, shoes, handbags, and jewelry. This place only accepts high-end items and gives you store credit, no cash. They also require you to bring your clothes on hangers (bags are a no-no here).
- Broadway Pawn – located at 534 Broadway St. they will accept items such as gold, diamonds, musical instruments, home entertainment, etc.
Apartment Living Tips #2: In all of the above places you are not guaranteed to sell all or any of your items, but it doesn’t hurt to try.
Selling it Online
Stores can be picky about taking items and most of them don’t take big furniture. When stores give you a no, it’s time to take your items online and see if anyone in your area has been looking to purchase exactly what you are selling.
- Craigslist and eBay are by far the most popular ways to post your items for sale. The great thing about both sites is that they accept almost anything.
- Facebook’s Marketplace is also another option that is quickly becoming the popular way to sell possessions.
Apartment Living Tips #3: If your item(s) stays up for more than a couple of days it’s safe to say you either have it listed too high or no one is interested. Try dropping the price to see if anyone bites, if not you should probably go ahead and donate it.
Have a Virtual Yard Sale
Selling your items online is basically a virtual yard sale, but this gives you a more specific list of sites or apps you can sell your items on.
Facebook has a billion (okay maybe not that many, but it’s a lot) different groups that their sole purpose is to sell, trade, auction, buy or advertise your items. Most of them are public groups you can just “join” and begin posting the items you want to sell. Chico Needs and 530 Buy, Sell, Trade, Auction and Advertise (No Rules) are a few that you can join if you are in the local area. There are also certain groups that are private and you either need someone to invite you or you can ask to join.
You can also try selling your items on these “garage sale apps” which allow you to sell your items via a mobile device. These apps also have a website where you can read about how to buy and sell:
Community Yard Sale
Check to see if your new place hosts community yard sales during the year. If they don’t, you might want to see if you can borrow a friend’s yard to set up an actual yard sale.
Apartment Living Tips #4: If you end up using a friend’s yard, post the dates and times of when you are going to have it in your local newspaper’s classifieds. Make sure to have signs up from the main road directing people.
Donation
This is one of the fastest ways of getting rid of your items that are just taking up space. It’s especially good for the items that you know won’t sell well or if you just don’t want to go through the hassle that selling them takes.
- Find your local Salvation Army and you can either drop it off yourself or schedule a free pick up! They will take almost anything you want to give them.
- The Arc Store has two locations, one in Chico and one in Oroville. They won’t always take your things, but they do have a list of what you can and cannot donate to them.
- Goodwill is also a good option if you so choose, you can either find a store or a donation bin.
- Or donate locally to the Esplanade House. They accept mainly items that “help families ‘set-up house,’” they also provide you a list in case you aren’t sure.
No matter how you decided to get rid of your unwanted items, everyone at Hignell Rentals wishes you luck! Before you begin thinking "maybe I should just keep it," just know that getting rid of that item now is the best idea. You'll end up with more room to roam, decorate, or update your current furniture leaving your new apartment to be the best looking apartment.
Moving into your new apartment is both exciting and exhausting, sometimes you'll even find yourself forgetting the simplest of move-in things. That's why we created an eBook just for you all about moving in! Download your list of 13 Things To-Do Immediately After Move-In and make sure that your new apartment becomes home sooner rather than later.
