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Close Friend Passed Away... Best Way To Sell Stuff

collegefbfan

collegefbfan

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Long story short, a great friend of my wife and mine passed away at 55 a couple of weeks ago. His dad and brother are from Kentucky (about 7 hours from us). The friend told us to take all of his stuff (artwork, vintage Fiestaware, Radko Christmas ornaments, etc.) and keep what we wanted and sell the rest. The dad and brother don't have any room for it and no need for these things. We took what he wanted us to take. We had to have the stuff out of the house ASAP due to it being a rental property even though the landlord is being an ass about it. His dad and brother are leaving a nice washer, dryer, and dishwasher in hopes of another month. Nope. So, we had an auction company come in and clear all the remaining stuff out for one money. Now, question is how do I sell the stuff we don't want? Am I going to list each item on eBay? Is that my only option? I am a frequent seller and know the ins and outs of selling there. I have a 100% feedback score. However, I am not a fan of selling fragile items on eBay. Anyone ever been in this situation before? Any suggestions are appreciated. Many thanks.
 
FB marketplace would be another option. Sorry for your loss
 
I’m sorry for your loss. I agree that Facebook marketplace might be an option. When my grandma passed away last September, we ended up donating a lot to charities because it was too much to try to sell for us. We use a lot of marketplace for items the kids have outgrown.
 
Is there really a market on FB for artwork, vintage dishes, vintage figurines?
 
One option is to put it all in a storage unit and call one of those companies like on "Storage Wars" that just bid on the entire unit. We got rid of a bunch of stuff that way after our last move that we didn't want to deal with selling individually. They actually made a killing for what they paid us, but we were just glad to be rid of it all. Don't do it if you care at all about getting what the things are actually worth though, because you won't.
 
Do you have a local thrift store you can donate to? Or maybe a small shop that does consignment?
 
Old dishes and figurines can fetch an amazing amount of money.
 
Yard Sale maybe?

Then anything not sold in a timely manor, donate to a worthy cause, get a receipt, put a legit price on the receipt and use it for a tax write off.
 
I’m sorry to hear about your loss.

When my dad passed, we pretty much just gave away stuff, and the rest we donated. I know that when my wife’s grandmother passed, my ex brother-in-law sold a lot of her Hummels on eBay. Those were definitely fragile, but he did a good job packing them up. Well, supposedly. This is also the same idiot who convinced his wife he needed five grand in order to open up a “baseball card store” on eBay, so…
 
So sorry for your loss.
As for selling... I do a lot of it. I've found success with a few platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, and Ebay. I use each depending on what I'm selling.

Facebook Marketplace seems to only work for either very large things (furniture) or lots. I've easily sold sets of dishes, and pans on FB, and usually get the price I want. Collectibles can sell there, but it usually takes longer since there may not be a lot of demand for a particular item in the local community. Once I start selling items individually, then it gets more complicated, and I hear from a lot of spammers or people offering half the price listed. And then of course there is the awkwardness of figuring out where to meet the person for the handoff.

Ebay is fantastic for collectibles. Again... depending on how fast I want to sell something is how I list it. With collectible name brand items I've sold both individually and as collections easily. Yes it takes a lot of bubble wrap, sturdy boxes and shipping tape but since I usually don't offer free shipping... it's worth it. I think ebay is the place where collectors go first. I just make sure my photos are great and that both the photos and listing leave little room for questions on condition. And usually I'll pay for the shipping insurance just to make sure I'm covered should something go wrong.
 
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