I love to refresh my home with every season, but as each year passes I find that I simplify my seasonal decorating more and more. Having a more minimal look is prettier to me and really suits me at this time of my life, and bonus, transitioning my home from summer to fall takes less than a half hour. All of the decor I use now was purchased several years ago at either Target or Amazon, and when they come out in September, it's like welcoming an old friend.

A few pumpkins for the family room mantel.

And a few for the living room mantel.

Some black pumpkins for the dining room.

And my favorite orange pomegranates from Amazon. These always get so many compliments. I also have them in red for December.

• But first, I want to share the mantra I repeat when I'm decluttering:
• I want the item out of my house.
• I want to save it from the landfill.
• I will help it find a new, loving home.

It would be great if I lived on an active street where I could put my things in front of the house with a FREE sign. However, I live at the end of a quiet street in a quiet neighborhood and we get no traffic except our neighbors. A garage sale is another option, but I couldn't find anyone in my family willing to give up their weekend and help me, so online selling it had to be. There are many options for online donations and selling; different apps are best for different things, and this is what I use:

DONATE BULKY ITEMS: If I have something bulky that I want to donate, or really anything that I don't want to take to the charity shop for one reason or another, I use one or more of these free apps: Trash Nothing, Buy Nothing, Offer Up and FaceBook Marketplace. First, download the free app you prefer. Take good pictures of your item and write a detailed description including the age, any broken/missing parts or scratches, provenance, etc.  The app will guide you through the listing and it's easy. Also, go to your settings and allow the app to ping you when you receive a response. When I'm actively selling or giving away something, I check my apps a few times a day. We communicate through the app only, no phone numbers or emails are exchanged. If I have multiple requests, I usually pick the first person, or sometimes I'll look at their profile and decide from there. For the exchange, you can meet at a public area such as a parking lot, but I feel comfortable giving my address. I will put the item on my front porch or at the end of the driveway; they drive up and take it away. I've never had a problem. They message me when they've got it and always thank me. It's been a good experience so far and I've had no problems, but you have decide if someone coming to your home is right for you. When the item has been picked up, delete the listing.

Decluttering can get ugly and gets worse before it gets better. This trash is all gone now.

I have had friends who say that the items you give away for free on these apps are taken to the flea market and sold. To that, I repeat my mantra, It is out of my house, It is saved from the landfill, I have helped it find a new loving home, and if someone makes some money along the way, I'm happy. 

SELL BULKY ITEMS: If I have something bulky I'd like to sell, not donate, and don't want to pack up for shipping, I sell on either Offer Up or FaceBook Marketplace. If you already have a FB account, you can sell on FB Marketplace. When you are on FB (on your phone) you'll see a little shop icon at the bottom of your screen, click on it. Click "sell", then "create listing" and follow the prompts. Price it at $0 if it is free. You can put up to 10 pictures per listing and even make a short video. Good pictures and a good description are essential. If there is interest in the item, I choose someone, and we pick a time. All communication is done through the app, no emails or phone numbers are exchanged. I tell them my general location but usually don't reveal my address until until they tell my they are on their way. If there is a lot of interest I will ask for a PayPay or Venmo deposit to hold it which gives them some skin in the game. It's less likely they'll forget or change their mind if they've paid a deposit. I ask them to leave the cash under the doormat. Again, I've never had a problem and every experience has been pleasant, but you have to do what you are comfortable with.

When I sell on eBay, I'm reaching across the entire USA, so it's pretty certain I'll have to ship my item, so I save boxes and packaging material. I have mine oh so cleverly hidden behind the sofa. When selling a good amount of items, just resign to the fact that your house will be a bit of a mess.  I keep it to one room only, the living room, and what doesn't sell in a month is going to be donated and then I'll have my house back again.

SELL ON eBAY: I consider selling on eBay to be more of the big leagues. It's not hard, but it does take some managing and is a more professional setup than FB Marketplace or OfferUp. I sell on eBay if I need to reach a large audience for an unusual item (my quilting stencils), or if it is expensive (my mother's Herend china pieces) or if it is a collectible (a signed artist's folk art jug), AND if I don't mind shipping it. I'm not an eBay expert by any means, but I do have good luck, so for what's it worth, here's my eBay step by step:

I have set up this super professional photography station on a table in my living room. Butcher paper to the rescue! This spot has good natural light and with the white background, there are no distractions and I can get good close-ups. Seriously, some pictures you'll see a basket of dirty laundry behind the item. Please, it takes just a moment to set up something to take a halfway decent photo. I keep my eBay photos in a special folder and delete them as I sell them.

• Sign up for an eBay account. It's free. You will have to give them a bank account where they can send the funds once you've sold your item.
• You''ll be shipping things and you'll need to know the size and weight of your box and item before you list, so start saving boxes and bubble wrap now. Ask your neighbors too. They are usually happy to get rid of that stuff. If you need an unusual size box for your item, go to your downtown or shopping mall and snoop around the back door or near the recycling bins. I always use recycled stuff. 
• Do a price research. Ignore the price others are selling for the exact item. Some sellers are just not realistic and we want to be realistic, so instead look for what a similar item recently sold for. That will be a more accurate price and what you can likely expect. Price low! My feeling about selling is this, I'm not trying to bankroll a trip to Paris, I just want a little cash for by once beloved item. My main goal is to get it out of the house and into the hands of its new rightful owner. Repeat the mantra above.
• Take excellent pictures, I can't stress this enough! eBay allows 20 pictures per item. Take close ups from all angles, but especially show any flaws. For the most part I will not sell anything with a flaw in china or porcelain, but some items you may be forgiven a loose thread or a missing piece, you'll have to decide, but do photograph any flaws clearly. Also, clearly photograph any hallmarks, labels, etc. 

• Write an awesome description. Include what it is, the exact dimensions, how it's used, how you used it, who has owned it, and any kitschy provenance that might be interesting to a future owner. Give a detailed account of any flaw in the item. If people are going to shell out money for something over the internet, they want to know all about it, so share details.
• Sell your item at the right time. Begin selling Christmas items in the fall. Sell that fancy silver bar set you inherited from your uncle in May, and say, "GREAT Father's Day gift" for June. Timing is everything.
• Before you list, get a box for your item and mock wrap it up with wrapping, etc. so you can weigh and measure the item in the box for shipping costs. eBay will charge the buyer for the shipping, unless you offer free shipping. Once eBay knows your zip code and the buyer's zip code, and they know the size and weight of the box, they will calculate the cost of shipping for you and charge the buyer. Once the item has sold and eBay has secured the money from the buyer, they will send you a printable label. You will only send your item once eBay has tells you to. eBay's communication is excellent. You usually have a week or two to ship your item, but I tend to get it out the next day. In the listing process, you will choose how you want to ship. I almost always choose the USPS option as it's easiest for me. I go to the PO and place my labeled box on the counter specified for pre-labeled boxes. No waiting in line! Remember, you DO NOT pay for shipping unless you specify free shipping. 
• You will communicate with potential buyers through the site only. No exchange of phone numbers or emails are encouraged or even allowed. You might contact each other through the site to clarify or give out more info on your item, but if you've covered all the details in your description, there will be little if any exchange between you and the buyer. eBay will email you when there is a detail to attend to, but when I am selling, I go onto the site twice a day to check the status of things.
• You've done the hard work, now you're ready to list, and this is easy. (I do this on my desktop computer, so the info I'm giving is for that, but I'm sure the eBay app would be just as easy.) The listing is free, and eBay will take a small percentage of your sale only if and when it sells.
• Sign in, then click on "sell" in the top right hand corner, then click on "list an item". A new page will appear and a place for you to put a title, detailed is best. Next it will ask you to assign it a category to which I ignore, I'll do that later, and now click on "continue without a match" or "continue to listing".
• Add your pictures and a detailed description. Take pictures from every angle, and of hallmarks and labels and any flaws. Your description should have as much detail as you dare, the more the better. Follow the eBay prompts to add more details, such as manufacturer, material, color, etc. eBay will prompt you with different options after they know what you are selling.
• Next, you have two pricing options. One is a "buy now" option where you will set the price and once a buyer purchases it for that price, it is sold. This listing will last for 30 days and you will have the option of relisting for free if it does not sell in the 30 days.
• The second pricing option is the one I use, and that is the "auction" option, which lasts for 7 days. In an auction-style listing, sellers name a starting price and buyers bid against other buyers. When the listing ends, the highest bidder wins the auction and pays for the item. The item will not sell for lower than the starting price, unless you approve.  eBay automatically rejects a low bid unless you accept it. The auction will be automatically renewed if there were no bids. It happens!
• Shipping is next. Write in the weight and size of your boxed item. Choose your shipping service, I use USPS. Next, choose one of three shipping options, I use "buyer" pay estimated cost. This means that when the buyer looks at your item, he also sees the shipping cost. eBay has calculated that by your zip code and the potential buyer's zip code.
• Click on "list it". It's live now although you can go back and make edits, just not to the price. During the week it's on auction, I do check on the listings during the week to see if there's any interest.

Lastly, let's talk about collectables. My mother had a lovely collection of Department 56 Snow Village, and Hummel and Lladro figurines. As much as I loved them, it was not practical for me to keep any of it since I'm at a time in my life when I'm trying to downsize, still, it fell upon me to parcel out her things after she passed away. After the kids took what they wanted, which was very little, and after I gave a few pieces to her close friends, and that was not much either, I was left with quite a lot. I was realistic knowing these items, while darling, are not collectable anymore, and their monetary value can be low. Unless your item is quite rare, you can expect to get $15-$20 for a small piece, and a little more for larger pieces. I priced things low to MOVE and I sold them in lots of 3 or more to make it easier on me. I'm happy to report that all her lovely collectables have found new homes. For myself, I kept this darling boy and bunnies Hummel figurine and it sits on my desktop--I see him now! I also kept 3 tiny Snow Village snowmen that I love to put out at Christmas. The kids kept some Snow Village pieces that were meaningful to them, and I like to think that every Christmas, mom will help us decorate a bit. Moral of the Story--Things go in and out of fashion and we need to stay realistic. It's best not to get emotionally involved with a loved ones collectables.  I'm sure mother would not want me to feel burdened by holding onto her belongings. After all, I have my own.

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