Do you have a wardrobe full of clothes you never wear, and shelves lined with books you’ll never read again? If so, the good news is that you can make money from all this stuff, and not just via ebay, Gumtree or Amazon Marketplace (although all three can be excellent sources of extra income). If the time has come for a clear-out, make maximum profit from your junk by checking out some of these options:

Make money from your old clothes

It helps if they’re designer, since the market for pre-loved Primark is far from huge. The obvious place to head is a dress agency. There are too many to list here, but Sign of the Times in Chelsea and Bang Bang in Goodge Street are two of London’s best. Most take 50% of the sale price, but for that you avoid having to think about boring things like postage and packing. Like their high-street equivalents, dress agencies sell seasonal stock, so now’s the time to take in winter coats and boots, rather than that sundress you’re sick of the sight of.

If you want increase your margins by selling online, try Instant Luxe, a French resale site selling old-school designer classics at fixed prices. Think the big names – Gucci, Dior, Fendi, Louis Vuitton. Prices start at about £50 for a Balmain wallet, but can increase to thousands for the right Hermes or Chanel handbag.

Alternatively, the Rag Trade Pre-Loved Designer Sale is a regular event held in and around London where you can buy and sell designer clothes. Again the organisers take 50% of the sale price and you’ll need to take your clothes in for inspection first. Sales will be held during September in Kingston and Brighton.

Make money from your books

Green Metropolis is an online bookseller that allows you to feel good about recycling your old books while still turning a profit – sellers pocket £3 from every book sale. If you’re reluctant to sacrifice the warm glow won by giving books to the charity shop, you can nominate a charity to receive £1 from each of your sales, while Green Metropolis gives 5p to the Woodland Trust for every book sold.

Hold a garage sale

Living in LA I’d always see signs around town for yard or garage sales, and found them a fun, affordable way of furnishing my house. And when the time came to leave, holding one was an easy way to get shot of the stuff I’d accumulated.

Elika Gibbs has lots of advice for getting the most out of your yard sale in her book, Practical Princess Perfect Wardrobe. Her tips include putting prime items onto hangers and placing bags, shoes and toys in plastic tubs. She also advises being realistic with your pricing (you’re there to sell, remember – not to bring things back home) and taking all unsold goods straight to the charity shop. Make sure you publicise it well – after all, you’re only as good as the crowd you draw. Stick posters around your neighbourhood, and use Twitter, Facebook and other social media, as well as plain old word-of-mouth. Rope a friend in to help and you should find it’s an enjoyable, as well as profitable, morning.

Have you made money from your clutter? How did you manage it? Share it with us in the comments.

{Photo: Wokka}