Everyone knows you can sell a bunch of things online to make a few bucks, but most people don’t realize that you can sell a lot of broken crap for a few bucks as well.

I’ve been shocked that some of the stuff that I thought I would have to pay someone to take away actually retained value when I tried to sell it.  The secret is knowing where to sell it and how to list it… generally speaking something cheaper should go on the online “garage sale sites” like Craig’s List, Offer Up, and Let Go.  For fancier or more specialized things eBay or Amazon tend to work best.  Below are 5 things that you may not have know that you could sell broken.

1. BROKEN APPLIANCES – a little while back our refrigerator quit working.  Unfortunately we had the repair guy come out and quote us a price to fix it that would basically buy us a new one.  We decided to scrap the original and get a new one, but I worried about how to get rid of the old one.  Thankfully on a whim I posted it on Craig’s List with a description of the problem for $50.  I immediately had texts, calls, and emails from people competing for it.  I legitimately could have had a bidding war.  Turns out there are a lot of handy people out there who make a few bucks by fixing them up themselves and reselling. Good for them!  I’ve also successfully repeated this process with a dryer, and just had a neighbor sell her coffee maker.
2. BROKEN CELL PHONES  – who hasn’t dropped their phone in the hot tub or just had one crap out on them?  Sometimes you can trade a broken cell phone in to your carrier, but for the most part they just want you to buy an overpriced new one.  Don’t do it!  Sell it on eBay! Even broken phones retain a lot of value for repair shops, especially if your screen isn’t cracked.  I was just able to sell my drowned phone for $75 when I was ready to toss it in the trash.  Remember, the quicker you sell your phone the more likely it is to have value.
3. BROKEN SNOWBOARD (sports equipment) – I like to think I’m a much better snowboarder than I actually am.  If I was better I wouldn’t save so many broken ones.  Previously I would make benches and shelves out of broken boards, but after learning that there was a market for broken boards on garage sale sites I immediately list them.  Evidently repairs on snowboards are getting better and better.  Also works for lots of other sports equipment.
4. BROKEN FURNITURE – with DIY culture being what it is today I am shocked at how much absolutely disgusting furniture will sell for.  Some enterprising young DIYer craves your old chipped dresser missing its hardware.  It’s almost as if the uglier the starting point the better they feel about the end result.
5. BROKEN VACUUMS – seriously, a broken vacuum.  For this one to work your vacuum needs to be a little bit nicer than the $25 Wal-Mart special though.

Now go ahead and sell that crap, make a few bucks while de-cluttering your house at the same time.