Declutter69

Paper Back Swap is a book exchange website, so it won’t necessarily help you get rid of all your books, but it can help you save some money on books, and you could always contribute “sales” to the site, and then “cash out” by getting books in the future.

I’m just starting my journey on this site, and will share the results on this page, in the future.

I had a lot of cheap stuff, and items that might have gone into the trash, but I managed to get rid of over half the stuff by crafting an online ad, posting it to Craigslist and Facebook, and waiting. This article goes step-by-step through the process of decluttering or eliminating low-cost things.

It took ages to get rid of these. I thought I had some really nice bags, but there’s just no shortage of book bags or luggage, and they’re pretty cheap. What it took, for me, was patience, and finding the right mix of products. Maybe this story of failure will help.

Simbi is a “alternative currency” website where people buy and sell goods and services; it has the feel of a “time dollar” or “time bank” community, with a lot of people offering spiritual advice. I used it to sell stuff, and also to buy some things.

What I bought were DVDs, a couple Zippo lighters, and a broken iPod, which I have yet to repair. I also bought some “digital products”, aka “blog posts.”

Lista is an unusual selling site, similar to Ebay, except no money changes hands. You get “rewards points”, and can buy things with “rewards points”. It’s basically “funny money”. (They also let you accumulate points by filling out surveys.)

These kinds of sites are funny. I was on Simbi before, and I could tell you stories. The basic problem is that without a reference price, or price competition, you just don’t get useful prices.