Cash in your Clutter on Ebay

Cash in your clutter to beat the credit crunch on eBay

The average Australian could be more than $3,000 better off, according to a recent survey1 conducted by eBay.

Sitting on a potential fortune of unused and unwanted goods, 37% of Aussies stash their clutter and potential dollars under the bed and in drawers, cupboards, and garages, while 11% of people put their unwanted items out on the curb for council collection.

Of those surveyed, 71% of people could immediately name at least one unwanted item of value that they could sell on eBay. Electronics, fashion, furniture, and toys are just some of the best selling items on eBay, yet 30% of people admit to throwing these items away when de-cluttering their homes, believing the items to be worthless.

"Now more than ever, people need to be resourceful to meet their growing financial demands. The message is simple: don't throw good money away or keep it in the closet or garage gathering dust. Instead, you could sell your unwanted goods on eBay and reap the rewards," said eBay spokesperson, Sian Gipslis.

eBay's survey found that the value and number of unused household items have significantly increased over the past three years - a potential lucrative cash boost for every household in tough economic times.

"You can sell practically anything on eBay and use the extra cash to help pay the bills or mortgage, save for that special treat, or trade up to buy something that you really want or need," said Gipslis.

eBay Top money makers on sitting unwanted in Australian homes include:
· Electronics: 29% of Australians said they have unwanted electronic items such as stereos, videos, televisions, desktop computers, and monitors. In the portable electronics category, respondents have superfluous mobile phones (15%), portable CD players (9%), MP3 players (6%), and PDAs (3%).
· Clothing and accessories: 20% of Australians have jeans they no longer wear, 21% of people have a jumper they don't need, 19% have boots or shoes they don't wear, 20% of women own handbags they no longer want, and 23% have at least one watch lying in a drawer.
· Household: 24% of respondents have unwanted furniture, 22% have unwanted kitchen or home décor items, and 18% have unwanted collectables cluttering valuable cupboard space.
· Toys and baby items: 23% of Australians said they have children's toys that are unwanted; with 14% of respondents having baby items they no longer use.

State by state comparison from eBay's research shows that:
· 46% of Victorian respondents have electrical goods they no longer use
· 42% of West Australian residents have toys their children no longer play with
· 46% of ACT residents have unwanted kitchen and home décor items
· Almost 30% of Queenslanders have unused sporting goods they could turn into extra cash
· Tasmania is the collectibles capital with 44% of respondents claiming to have unwanted items in their collection
· 44% of respondents from South Australia have electrical goods they no longer use
· 38% of respondents from New South Wales have furniture collecting dust
· Northern Territorians are clothes and accessories hoarders with 58% of respondents admitting to keeping unwanted items in their cupboards

People interested in finding out how much their unwanted items could be worth can visit www.ebay.com.au/education/ebay-house.html. You can view different rooms online, discover the range of items that are available on eBay.com.au and see how much items that you may have around your home are selling for.

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