Most of us have gathered a lot of stuff in our homes over the years, much of which we don’t even use anymore. These amassed things are often forgotten about and left to collect dust. And yet, many could be sitting on a fortune as a lot of this supposed ‘clutter’ could be worth a significant amount of money on online resale websites according to Dan Hatfield, pawnbroker and This Morning’s resident money-making expert. And he’s shared with us the top things from around the house to turn into profit.
Selling unwanted and unused objects from your house to give them a new lease of life while making some extra cash is one of the best decluttering tips you could ever receive. And if you’ve owned a house for some time or have access to your parents’ abode that has ample storage space like an attic that hasn’t been touched for a while, then it’s more likely that some of the treasures as discussed by Dan below are hiding in there.
But unless you’re Marie Kondo, we understand it’s difficult to part with your belongings and make time for getting rid of stuff. So let this be something of a motivation or a decluttering checklist for you.
Dan Hatfield shares 5 items to make money from
‘The stats go that there's £48 billion-worth of unwanted items in our homes that we don't realise the value of, and these items are everywhere and anywhere around us,’ Dan Hatfield starts. ‘We've got a vast amount of items that equate to each household as roughly about £3,000-worth of items that they could be selling, which would make a massive difference in most people's lives.’
And finding a better home for your things through selling them on rather than throwing them away is a form of sustainable decluttering after all. So everybody wins!
Selling online is the easiest way to do this as you can list everything from clothing to selling furniture second-hand. But choosing the right platform or app for specific items is crucial to making the most money as you can.
‘The difference between one app and another could mean doubling your money,’ Dan says. ‘There are so many apps out there that you can pick, you just have to tailor it to the right app.’
The kitchen, for example, is a place where a lot of unused equipment lives. ‘In the kitchen, we have £822-worth of gadgets that we just are not utilising, they're just sitting in the cupboards.’
So let’s start looking there.
1. Pyrex dishes
‘I know that some people are aware that Pyrex dishes are worth money, but Pyrex dishes right now are so popular. You can get lots of money for your Pyrex dishes, particularly the 1960s versions and the pastel colours. At the moment, we're seeing some of the vintage ones go for thousands,’ Dan exclaims.
So if you, your parents or even grandparents have some old Pyrex dishes lying around, then start listing them asap. Etsy is the best place for selling them as per Dan’s recommendation.
2. Quality Street tins
While you may have heard about the recent rise in popularity of Pyrex dishes, not many know that something as simple as a Quality Street tin could make you money.
‘Then there's the little bits and bobs at home that we just collect that we never throw away - like Quality Street tins. Some of those from the 60s and 70s can raise £200. Even the ones from the 1980s and 90s can reach £50. And these are things that lots of us have in our home that we might put our sewing kits in or our plasters for a makeshift first aid kit, but actually, you could be sitting on £200.’
But having a scroll through eBay, the recommended platform by Dan for selling these tins, even some more recent designs can go for as much as £25 which is not bad at all.
3. Newspapers
‘A lot of us have old newspapers, in our homes and in our attics, that are just collecting dust. Some of those with big headlines can make big money. So for example, the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, that's going for £200. Death of Princess Diana is going for £200. The Cuban Missile Crisis which is quite far back but some people might have a copy of that for about £50,’ Dan explains.
These amounts aren’t guaranteed every time, of course. But having a look on Etsy, which is your best bet for selling old newspapers, some of the editions with big Princess Diana stories currently sell for about £125 which is not far off.
4. Barbies
‘The interesting thing about what's happening in our lifetime is that we are curating our own collectibles and antiques. During our grandparents era, this nostalgia did not exist, we wouldn’t be able to sell things from 30 years ago and make big profits out of it. And that's because things go up in value over time, maybe 100-250 years after it has been created. Because it goes through a cycle and eventually becomes popular again. But we're now seeing that cycle go down to 20 to 30 years. So what we're seeing is things that we bought 20 or 30 years ago, things like 80s and 90s toys that a lot of us have in our attic, you could be looking at silly prices for that,’ Dan explains.
One such example are Barbie dolls from the 1980s and 90s. And their popularity has gone up even before the Barbie movie was released, causing the Barbiecore trend to take over home decor.
‘A lot of people that had Barbies in the 80s and 90s became massive Barbie collectors and Cindy collectors,’ Dan says. ‘Prices for Barbies increased in price by about eight or nine times. And that's because nostalgia is in at the moment. And I think we're only going to see this trend continue as the world develops.’
And so if you have your old Barbies knocking about, join fan groups on Facebook to advertise on there.
5. Lego
And perhaps the best one we saved for last. Loved by children and adults alike, Lego is pretty much everywhere. Which is perhaps why its value goes up so exponentially.
‘We all wish that we kept our old toys,’ Dan starts before turning to Lego specifically. ‘Lego increases in value by 11% per year on average, which is more than gold. So a £45 Lego set might be worth £90 to £100 now.’
And while the big money lies in complete sets with the original box included, even loose bricks sell through various auctions, which is the best place for them to be listed.
‘I can't give a list of absolutely everything that's worth money, but I want people to understand that there is treasure in all of our lives. It is just about doing our research, understanding the intrinsic value, and then working out how best to sell it. You've got to be a detective, you've got to put your home through a sieve. And then work out the values and you'll be shocked at the amount of money that you can make,’ Dan concludes.
We couldn’t have said it any better than that.
