How to make extra cash before Christmas by selling your junk

Old jam jars, empty perfume bottles, outdated technology and even coat hangers are being sold for up to £1,550 online – and it could help you feel less cash-strapped this Christmas.

Christmas can be a stressful time of year as it puts a huge financial strain on families.

Last year, 36 per cent of Brits carried Christmas debt into 2018, with a quarter starting the new year with credit card debt, according to research by MoneySuperMarket.com.

But there is a way to ease the burden by selling your unwanted clutter – and some of it could be worth hundreds.

There's a market for everything on re-selling websites such as eBay and Compare and Recycle, from old mobile phones, outdated tech such as CD and MP3 players, and even empty jam jars and perfume bottles.

Some will only earn you a bit of pocket money, but some items could be worth up to £1,550.

Matthew Moreton, managing director at Compare and Recycle, said: “Clearing out your old tech can really spread some Christmas cheer by helping to cover the costs of the festive season.

"If you’re not sure what tech should go, the rule of thumb is: if you’ve not used it for over a year, should you really keep it?

"Just a small selection of old tech can go a long way in helping to cover the costs this Christmas.”

Here's our guide to some of the most profitable old junk and clutter you might have lying around.

1. Old phones – Up to £1,550

Still got your old phone lying in a drawer somewhere? It could be worth hundreds – and possibly up to £1,550.

How much it's worth depends entirely on what condition it's in, and what make and model it is.

As a general rule of thumb, the better the condition and the newer the model and make, then the more money you will get for it.

iPhones are particularly popular, with an iPhone-related item selling on eBay every second in November, according to the auction website.

A used iPhone 7 Plus with 128GB of storage recently fetched £1,550 after 21 bids on eBay.

To get the best price possible for your old phone, you should ideally keep the original box, charger and any other accessories.

It may also be worth replacing the battery.

How to make the most money from your old tech

1. Find the original chargers – If you have the original charger or power cable, you are bound to earn more money.

2. Make sure it works – If it doesn’t work, you might not be able to sell it for anything, so pull out the charger and find out whether the item actually works. If it doesn’t show any signs of life, try a different power cable first. If that still doesn’t work, then recycling companies will still be able to recycle the device responsibly.

3. Wipe the device – Protect your personal data and it will help your offer price if you restore to factory settings before you sell it.

4. Replace the battery – If you remember the device having a problem with holding its charge, then replacing the battery with another one can be a good way of keeping its value. Find any official new batteries on eBay and you might just find that for as little as a fiver, your device will hold charge and work much better.

5. Give it a clean – Get some tech wipes for a couple of pounds and scrub away all the grime. A clean and working device will be more valuable. Get in the cracks and crevices with some folded card or a toothpick and really clear the device. A compressed air cannister is a great household item that can also prolong the life of PCs and consoles.

2. CD players – Up to £900

CD players are fast becoming a relic of the past, even though you can still buy them new from some retailers.
You might not think they would be worth much anymore, but they can still fetch surprisingly high prices on eBay.

As with all tech, you'll get a better price for your CD player if it's in really good condition, or if it's a newer model.

A used DENON DCD-2500NE CD Player – which is still on sale for £1,499 new – recently sold for £900 on eBay.

But even if you have an old model that's been lying around for a few years, you could still earn some money from it.

A Samsung HT-Q100 Home Cinema System Kit recently sold for £18 on eBay despite being made in 2006 – so selling your old gadget could give you some extra pocket money this Christmas.

3. MP3 Players – Up to £132

There are more than 9,000 MP3 players listed on eBay, and they could earn you serious money despite being outdated in the age of smartphones.

In fact, they're one of the most searched-for items on eBay, according to the auction website.

We found that the most valuable MP3 player selling on eBay was the Sony Walkman NWZ-ZX1 Hi Res Android Music Player 128GB which was only released in 2014.

A recent sale saw it fetch £132.

What you need to look out for when selling things on eBay

Always set a reserve price – Starting with a low price will attract bidders but you don't want to accidentally sell your item for less than it's worth.

Watch out for seller's fees – You can list up to 20 things for free every month but there is a 10 per cent charge if you sell – including postage and packaging.

Set the right amount for postage and packaging – The auction site offers set postage fees based on what sellers with similar products charged but these might not be the best option for you. Use the Royal Mail price finder to get an idea of what it will cost you.

Close your auction on Sunday – According to eBay, the website is at its busiest on Sunday evenings so try to end your auction then to get the best price.

Sell stuff for free on other sites – You can avoid eBay's fees altogether by selling your things on classified sites, like Gumtree, Preloved or Facebook Marketplace.

4. Empty perfume bottles – Up to £67

You might not expect your empty perfume bottles to be worth much, but surprisingly there is a market for them.

The average price for them is about £3 to £8 but some designer bottles can fetch higher prices, particularly if they're in the original box.

An empty Tom Ford 250ml decanter bottle with its box recently sold for £67 on eBay after 10 bids.

The fragrance sells for £395 at Harrods.

5. Coat hangers – Up to £62

If your wardrobe is cluttered up with coat hangers, then don't just chuck them out as they could be worth something.

They sell for about £2 on average on eBay, but if you collect a huge pile of them, they could earn you much more.

One seller managed to flog a huge job lot of wooden coat hangers for £62 on eBay recently.

That was for 750 coat hangers though, which works out at just 8p per coat hanger.

So you will need to collect quite a few if you want to make any significant amount of money.

Where can I sell my secondhand goods?

eBay – You can list up to 20 things a month for free on the auction site but they do charge 10 per cent if you manage to sell the item, including postage and packaging. Laura Rose made a whopping £30,000 selling her old clothes on eBay.

Gumtree – You can list jobs, property, clothes and even pets on Gumtree for free but you'll have to pay a fee of you're a business, agent, dealer or landlord.

Preloved – Similar to Gumtree, you can list things for free. It works best when the seller can meet up with the buyer.

Facebook Marketplace – The social media site offers a sellers service, Marketplace, which allows you to get rid of your unwanted things for free to sellers in your local area. It's cash in hand and there are no postage costs.

Depop – The app helps you sell your clothes. Take a photo on your phone, list it on Depop, share it on social media, and wait for someone to make the purchase.

Compare and Recycle – The recycling comparison website shows you the highest price you can get for your old tech. It can saves time searching for the best deals.

6. Empty jam jars – up to £35

Surely empty jam jars can't be worth anything, you might think.

But there is a market for them, with empty jars regularly listed on eBay.

They don't even need to be fancy ones, as one seller recently managed to sell a batch of cleaned out Bonne Maman jam jars for £35.

You will probably need to collect a few before you can make that kind of money from selling them though, as there were 35 jars in the job lot.

An IT consultant from Swindon recently revealed he'd made £2,500 in a year by flogging his old phones, tablets and CDs online.

And Warehouse worker Joe Kadomrezz, 30, made £3,858.16 from selling old CDs, DVDs and games to pay off his bills – and he even got enough to go on holiday with his best mate.

If you're feeling the squeeze this month then here are some ways you can make some extra cash from home.

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