As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to sweep across the world, families have to tighten up their budgets. With unprecedented job losses and quarantine restrictions happening in every country, it’s no surprise that people are having a hard time paying their bills.
One advantage of the quarantines is having more time to look around your home for hidden gems that may be worth some money. We all have boxed items just lying around in the attic or garage that are just gathering dust. Use some of your time to explore your storage space and see if you may be able to sell some things for a neat profit.
Now is the time to make sacrifices that will help you to keep your head above water. The pandemic financial crisis has affected families from all backgrounds. When you think outside the box, you may be surprised what you may find right in your own home that could be worth money.
You can sell a variety of household items online or at a garage sale. Look into RV title loans from sites like montanacapital.com and get rid of the rig in your garage that you don’t use anymore and take a look around for these valuable items in your home that can help you make ends meet during the pandemic.
1. Clothes
Every one of us could benefit from taking a few minutes to clean out our closets. Purging your old clothes can be liberating and profitable. Items that you don’t wear that don’t fit and are in good condition could be sold at an online consignment site like Poshmark. There’s no reason to let your designer clothes just hang in your closet when you could be making money from selling them.
Don’t forget about your hats, belts, shoes, and bags. You may be surprised at how much money you can make on these accessories when you sell them online.
2. Gym Equipment
It’s not uncommon to see a treadmill or a personal gym gathering dust in the corner of your home. If you are tired of using your athletic equipment as a clothes hanger, you can list them on auction sites like Letgo or eBay for a nice profit.
Check through your basement and garage for sports equipment that your kids have outgrown. Sporting pads, cleated shoes, and hockey skates are all in high demand online.
3. Books
Dedicated readers may be hesitant to part with any of their books unless they are making money. Book collections in good shape, signed copies of popular novels, and first edition classics can all be worth a bundle on sites like eBay.
Take a look through your bookshelves and consider which volumes you can bear to part with. Keep a few of your favorites that you plan to read again and list the rest to make a bit of money.
4. Toys
Most households that have ever had children living in them probably have a box full of old toys lying around. Some of these classic toys can be worth a surprising amount of money. American Girl dolls from the mid-1980s have sold for more than $4,000.
Figurine toys from the 1980s are incredibly popular with collectors right now. Items from the Transformer, He-man, Ninja Turtles or G.I. Joe collections can be worth a fortune. Sort through your old toy boxes and see if you have any hidden gems in your collection.
The Star Wars franchise continues to be profitable even 40 years following its premiere. A Luke Skywalker figurine sold on auction for $25,000. The various Star Wars vehicles, from an X-Wing Starfighter to the Millenium Falcon, can make you a tidy bundle if they are in good condition.
5. Jewelry
Items of fine jewelry that are no longer worn or are broken can be sold for their material value. Although it may be tough to part with some of your more personal items, if you aren’t getting any use out of them anymore, why not make a bit of money? There are places such as Watchlink where you can sell your jewelry at the best price in the market. Items made from 14K gold can sell for a tidy $50 per gram. Jewelry with diamonds and other gemstones can sell for up to 70% of their appraisal value.
6. Collectibles
The Polly Pocket craze of the late 1990s has made a profitable comeback. If you have any of these tiny figurines lying around your home from the pre-Mattel collection, you could have a cash cow on your hands. Just one Peter Pan Polly Pocket set recently sold on eBay for over $300.
Do you remember Pokemon cards? Back in the ’90s and 2000s, this unique game was all the rage with kids trading and playing with these cards. If you have some of these card sets lying around your home, you could be sitting on a fortune. Like baseball or other sporting cards, your Pokemon cards’ condition will be a large factor in their value.
Limited edition or rare cards like the holographic Charizard card sold for almost $12,000. Complete sets in good condition can sell for several thousand dollars.
7. Records
Before iTunes and CDs, if you wanted to rock out to your favorite tunes, you had to listen to records. These vintage recordings are highly collectible around the world. A whole new generation has become fascinated with these vintage recordings and is willing to pay a small fortune for some of these hard to find albums.
- Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin (1969)
- Nirvana – Bleach (1989)
- David Bowie – The Prettiest Star (1973)
- ABBA – Hovas Vittne (1981)
- The Quarrymen – That’ll Be The Day (1981)
- Cherry Five – Cherry Five (1975)
- The Beatles – Abbey Road (1969)
- Elvis Presley – Speedway (1968)
- U2 – Pride (1984)
- Bob Dylon – The Freewheeling Bob Dylon (1963)
There’s no telling what kind of treasures you may have just lying around your house. With the extra time you have on your hands during the pandemic, search through your old boxes and storage space to see what you can find. No one knows how long the pandemic will last, so it’s up to you to get creative with your efforts to make ends meet. You might just get lucky and find an item that will bring you a tidy profit.
Rhydian Choi 
Kim Marks