One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure
03 Dec 2023
T’is the season and all that. The most wonderful time of the year where we feed capitalism until it’s forced to loosen 2 notches on its belt. Your national and local news are just now sending their reporters out to local malls for “person on the street” interviews about people and their spending habits this year. LFG, consumer spending! 📈 Buy, buy, buy!
Of course, I am not exempt. A trip to Newbury Comics last night ended with me walking out with new kitschy socks, 2 records, a comic book, and for my son, a manga book and a single pack of Pokemon cards. Retail therapy is real. While my tone may be sarcastic and somewhat (read: entirely) cynical, I am self-aware. I admit: I enjoy giving and receiving gifts. At the same time, maybe there’s an opportunity to stem the tide of further dumping cheap plastics into our landfills? (I promise. I can be fun at parties.)
So here’s a thought: make a few trips around your home, grab anything and everything taking up space, anything you no longer need or want or have given thought to in months, if not years, and ask yourself “would someone else want or use this”. If the answer is “yes”, then put that thing up on CraigsList, Facebook Marketplace, or Ebay. Or all three. Get it in the hands of someone who wants it, for less money than on Amazon, and get it out of your house. You make some money in the process, and make some further space in your home. Win, win, and win.
For the past month I’ve gotten rid of unused video games, comic books, electronics, toys, and sneakers. Somewhere there’s someone receiving those packages in the mail, happy to have them, while I’m happy to NOT have them. The funds from these sales have gone towards my ability to purchase a new iPad, something I use every single day for entertainment and productivity. No wasted space or unused utility there.
Seriously, there’s just so much crap everywhere! 😩
Last thought: selling on eBay has improved considerably over the years. I’m genuinely surprised at how quick and easy it is these days to get something up there and ready to go. The “use AI to write a description” feature, while obvious and transparent as to the results’ origins, is SUPER helpful. I always disliked that step in the process, but also did not want to lazily write “just look at the damn photos” for all listings. I consider this generated content a reasonable middle ground.
