When my kids were still “kids”, our house was full to the brim with toys- everything you can imagine, and more. I guess you could say I was one of those parents who struggled to say no at times (pester power is a real thing, don’t judge).
Now my children are all grown up and have flown the coop, and judging from the mountains of toys and gadgets left behind from their childhood, maybe that pester power was even more potent than I realized at the time. It has only been since they have gone to college that I have found the headspace to start attacking the boxes in the basement.
As soon as I opened box number 4, I knew I had to do something about all of this stuff; so I set up an eBay account and started selling. Let me tell you; this was the single best decision I have made in a long time! Here’s why you should consider selling your kids toys once they’re grown up.
1. Earn Some Money
Cat your mind back to all the money you spent on toys for your kids over the years; I’m not talking about essential things like diapers or clothes- just toys. What are we looking at- hundreds? More like thousands? Tens of thousands?
It can be a frightening figure to assess, but by selling toys after the kids are grown up, you can finally start to recoup some of that money you initially spent. And who knows, maybe now you have a little more time on your hands you might find yourself with a bit of extra cash to treat yourself to a nice haircut, or a romantic dinner.
Whether you’re selling old dolls in an online marketplaces like eBay, or second hand RC boats or RC trucks on a specialised website, online reselling is pretty simple. The benefit of selling online is that you have an audience of millions, even billions of people at your feet- you just need to post a couple of pics, set a fair price, and strike a bargain. You can also always go the traditional route and do a garage sale, which can be a great laugh as well as a good money maker.
As your kids grow up, their interest in toys will gradually change along with their age. Selling their old toys means you’ll have more money to invest in new toys that best suit their age and interests. A really useful and modern gift you can get your child is a smartwatch. That way you can keep tabs on your kid’s location and make sure their safe while teaching them the responsibility of owning their first gadget. The best smartwatch for children available in the market right now is the Safekid SAFE 4G watch. These watches include a camera, calendar, phonebook, geofence and many more features that kids can easily enjoy and parents can trust.
2. Get Rid of Clutter
Getting rid of clutter is just as high on my list of motivations as money. I recently read a fantastic book on the subject of minimalism, and it inspired me to take a closer look at the objects that are filling my house, and ask myself “what value do these things bring to my life?”. Needless to say, I couldn’t think of an answer when it came to the dozens of boxes of unused toys in the basement.
Coming to terms with the fact that these things were not bringing anything of benefit to my life made the decision to sell them on much easier. At first, I found it difficult to think of parting with them (purely for sentimental reasons- what if one of the girls wanted something back when they get older? What about their future children?), but once I went through everything and pulled out one or two of the most cherished things, I was more than happy to let the rest go.
3. Find it a New Loving Home
At the end of the day, there isn’t much use in something pushed away in a box in the basement; finding them a new loving home is enough motivation in itself.