Tips for Selling on Facebook Marketplace

Lately I’ve been on a huge decluttering kick. I really want to pare down what we have in our home so we only have stuff we love, use, or is sentimental/important to us. Everything else can go. I’ve been taking my time with this process but it’s been really freeing to open up some space in our home. I try to throw away as little as possible and have been either donating items locally or selling them on Facebook Marketplace. Read on for my tips on how to sell your unwanted items on Facebook.
| Disclaimer: These are suggestions. Sell/buy on Facebook at your own risk. |

| Disclaimer: These are suggestions. Sell/buy on Facebook at your own risk. |

Tips for Selling on Facebook Marketplace

Clean Your Items Before Taking Photograpshs

Oh my gosh - this is the most obvious one that I feel like so many people neglect to do. They will post a picture of a table for example, still covered with magazines and cups - or the table will be filthy with dust. Kids’ shoes is another big example - make sure to take a little time and clean kids’ shoes. Get any stains/dirt you can off up the uppers and take an old toothbrush and clean the mud out of the treads. No one is interested in your dirty items - clean them up!

Consider the Backdrop of Your Photos

Don’t take photos somewhere messy or that looks unclean (like a basement or garage - unless you’re selling something that really belongs there like sports equipment or tools). For example, if you’re selling a nice piece of furniture, dress, kids’ toys, etc make sure the backdrop is somewhere clean and nice inside your home - don’t take a sketchy looking photo in a dirty/damp-looking basement because that implies the items weren’t well-cared for.

Price Your Items Well

Keep in mind this is a “yard sale.” And while things are typically priced a little higher than they would be at an actual yard sale, don’t be unreasonable. I usually price my items at the higher-end of reasonable, and then decrease my price periodically. If it doesn’t sell in a few weeks, it typically gets donated.

Be Safe

Be really wary with selling/buying on Facebook. Always check out the profile of who’s interested in the item to make sure it looks like it’s a real account with some history (it wasn’t just made in the last few months). Also never give out your phone number.. a lot of scammers will send you a message that says something like “I’m working, what’s your phone number so I can text you about this item? -or- Here’s my number, please text me.” Always decline to give out your number and say you only do correspondence through Facebook Messenger. It’s also a good idea to never accept electronic payments (Venmo, PayPal, etc) - stick to cash-only. (And if you’re a buyer never send an electronic payment as a “deposit to hold an item” - that’s a very common scam and a big red flag.)

And the biggest one - ALWAYS MEET IN A PUBLIC PLACE THAT ISN’T YOUR HOUSE. I strictly will only meet at local Police Department parking lots. Our surrounding town police departments all have designated parking spots under video surveillance that are meant for online sale exchanges. Several times someone has messaged me asking to meet for an item but instantly declined once they found out I only meet at the Police Station - that’s a huge red flag if they won’t meet at the Police Station and you want nothing to do with that person.. block them and move on.

Send a Reminder Message about an Hour Before the Meet

No-shows are the worst, and unfortunately fairly common. To help reduce no-shows, send a one-line reminder message about an hour before you’re supposed to meet the person.. something like “See you at XXX Police Department at 3PM.” Most of the time if they forgot or weren’t going to show up they will message you back and say “whoops, I won’t be there” and you’ll save yourself the trip. I also try really hard to line up my yard sale meets with other errands so I’m in that area anyways and it’s not as much of an inconvenience if I get stood up.

What Generally Sells Really Well:

• Kids’ toys

• Kids’ shoes & clothing (clothing typically sells better in big lots by size)

• Sporting equipment

• Tools

• Furniture

• Garden Items

I’ve found that some items in particular (like books and women’s clothing) do not generally sell well. Also make sure to try to sell items seasonally - don’t list snow pants for sale in April, they probably won’t sell. List them for sale in Fall when people are looking for them.

And always - make sure to follow Facebook guidelines on what is allowed for sale or not.

Good luck with your decluttering journey!

Going “KonMari” on my Daughter’s Bureau

Our daughter’s bureau was a train wreck and I just couldn’t take it anymore. She’s been very much into picking out her own clothes lately and tends to dig around in her drawers until she finds what she wants, without putting anything back the way it was. Today I finally decided to tackle the disaster and emptied her bureau, folded everything in the “KonMari” style, and put it back with order.

BEFORE

What’s the KonMari style? Well, technically the first step is to only keep what you truly love or use, and purge the rest (I pulled out a few items that she was starting to outgrow, but most of her clothes stayed). Then you fold everything uniformly so it can stand up in the drawers and be “filed,” allowing you to see everything at once. This is a great way to fold your clothes as you can see everything all at once and keeps you from falling into the rut of constantly wearing just what’s on top.

AFTER

As you can see I came up with a basic system for the drawer too - I grouped all her t-shirts together, then long-sleeve shirts, then sweatshirts and tank tops. (This folding technique also seems to be a lot more efficient as there’s even some empty space now!) I also tackled her other drawers too and tidied up her jeans, pants, and PJs. Overall I think it looks great and should help make getting ready for school in the morning a breeze.

How I organized it:

I already had my own drawers folded in the KonMari style and love it - it’s so nice being able to see all your options at once when you’re getting dressed in the morning. As for our daughter, I explained the new setup to her and she understands it (she was honestly really excited about her neat drawers when I first showed them to her) - but the reality is she’s five years old and there’s no way it’s going to stay this organized on it’s own. I also don’t think it’s worth nagging her over it to keep it this way, it’s really not a fair expectation for a five year old. So, we’ll see how long this lasts… I’ll do my best to tidy it up when I can and try to keep some semblance of order but it won’t always be picture-perfect and that’s okay. That’s life ;)

One Week Update: She actually kept the system perfectly! Just a few things had fallen over and one item was crumpled up and put back, but 95% of it was still perfect. I’m super impressed that an almost 5-year-old can keep the system that neat. But it goes to show, that if she can do it - so can you!

Related Post:

How "Clean Kitchen at Night" Changed my Life

Okay, okay - so saying a hashtag "changed my life" is a bit dramatic, but let me explain...

As a Mom, you spend your entire day cleaning up after others... toys, food, diapers, everything - and at the end of the day the last thing you want to do is clean up more. Before kids I used to be good about keeping an empty sink and clean counters, but these days once the kids were in bed I just wanted to be done and the kitchen was left in disarray almost every night. However after seeing An Organized Life's Instagram hashtag #cleankitchenatnight, I was inspired and had to try it!
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The whole point of "clean kitchen at night" is that it's a great motivator.  Having a clean kitchen and clean slate to wake up to in the morning helps set a less-stressful and more motivated tone for the rest of your day, in all aspects of your life. It's so refreshing to see clean counters and an empty sink.  Making meals throughout the day is so much easier too when all of the dishes, pans, and silverware are ready to go!  I don't know how many times before I would go to make a meal, only to realize a specific pan, measuring cup, or casserole dish I needed was still dirty from the day before. Now meal prep is so much easier and quicker, simply because everything is already clean.

| Keurig Coffee Maker | Large Glass Jar | Similar Set of Glass Canisters | Similar Set of Bamboo Utensils |

Now, we don’t have an “Instagram-worthy” kitchen… it still has the honey-colored maple cabinets and green (yes, green) builder-grade laminate counters. But trust me in that you don’t need a picture-perfect kitchen to feel the sense of accomplishment and motivation in leaving everything in a clean and organized state each and every night.

As cheesy as it sounds, having a clean kitchen really does reduce stress and brings some peace to normally chaotic mornings. And I’ve found this motivation snowballs into all other areas of my life too - I feel so much more productive in work and efficient in accomplishing my to-do list every day. There's a saying that goes something like "cluttered house, cluttered mind" - and it's true... if you surround yourself with messes and clutter you feel it. If you have a sense of control over your house, even if it's just the kitchen, it makes you feel like you have life together (even if you don't, haha).

Don’t believe me that “Clean Kitchen at Night” really makes a difference?

I challenge you to give it a try! For the next week, I challenge you to make a point to clear out the sink, clean the clutter off the countertops, and wipe down your whole kitchen every night. It can be hard work at first, but once you get in the rhythm it goes quick - especially when you’re only picking up that day’s mess and not messes from previous days too. Try it for a week and let me know if you feel less stressed and more motivated across all aspects of your life - I hope you do!

#cleankitchenatnight #resetyourspace #progressnotperfection

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Goals for 2018

Every New Year, there's an inspiring urge to finally accomplish all that you've been meaning to do.  As someone who tends to get caught up in the everyday, I love this motivation to see the big picture and write down what I'd like to accomplish the coming year.  

First, lets look back at all the great things that 2017 brought! 

The biggest blessing of 2017 was definitely adding to our family with the birth of our second daughter at the end of the summer.  The pregnancy and new baby stage kept me pretty busy throughout the whole year, and so Birch Landing Home took a bit of a backseat for 2017.  Nevertheless, highlights for BLH this year have included being quoted in Parenting New Hampshire Magazine and adding another wholesale account to our roster.  I also got the opportunity to work with some of my favorite international brands including L.L. Bean, Nûby, and Safety 1st as well as many wonderful New England-based companies including Hills & Trails, Woodboogah, and Cobalt Sky Studio.  

Goals for 2018

I have a lot of professional and personal things I'd like to accomplish or improve for 2018 - here are some of them:  

Grow Birch Landing Home More

This past year, Birch Landing Home was put on the back burner while I focused on family.  Family always comes first, but this year I want to get back into the working groove and grow BLH more.  I have some great ideas for new products to add to the Etsy Shop and DIY projects to share on the blog.  I'd also love to do more work with both international brands and New England-based buisnesses. 
(I also have an incredibly exciting collaboration lined up for the spring that I can't wait to share with you all!)  

Get Back into Running

While I ran throughout my first pregnancy, this time around I just couldn't so I stopped running and haven't gotten back into it since.  I don't know if another Half is on the books for this year with the new baby, but I'd love to at least get back into a regular running routine and do a few fun 5Ks.  

Clean House

Going through the house and systematically purging everything in the beginning of the year is something I really look forward to.  It's so refreshing to go through everything and donate or sell whatever you haven't been using for the past year.  Now that we have two kids the amount of "stuff" has exploded and I'm looking forward to getting it under control.  

Make More Time for Family and Friends

We've been so busy with work and our own family we haven't had the chance to visit enough with family and close friends this past year.  We're way overdue to visit some great friends and you can never spend enough time with your family.  This is an important priority for us in the new year.  

Get Up Early

Getting up early before the rest of the house really helps me get a jump on my day.  This was something that had been part of my routine but has fallen by the wayside over the last few months.  There's just something so motivating about getting up before everyone else, enjoying a cup of coffee in the peace and quiet, planning out your day, and getting a jump start on your to-do list.  Days when I get up early are so much more productive and let me focus more on the kids and other important tasks the rest of the day.  

Get Outside More

I'm really looking forward to more hiking and camping trips with family and friends this year.  There have been a couple of hikes that have been on our "to-do list" forever and it's high time we finally do them!  There's nothing better than getting outside to recharge. 

Explore New England! 

One of our favorite things to do as a family is day trips and weekend trips around New England to explore all the great things this area has to offer.  Usually we do a couple trips every year and this year I'd love to do even more if we can - especially in Maine and Vermont.  I'd also like to share our knowledge and put together more New England Travel Guides for the blog.  

What are some of your goals for the New Year? 

Photo from Free Nature Stock