Cash in your attic

by Maya Driver on Oct 10th 2009 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Money, October 2009

It's a tough time financially for most people at the moment so any extra ways of making cash are very welcome. Television programmes about making money from hidden treasures found in your house are still popular and it's no surprise since it's just possible that you could make a lot of money from your home. The BBC's 'Cash in the attic' experts claim that, "Anywhere between £100 and £500 worth of junk is stored in the average three-bedroom semi-detached attic." The secret to making money is recognising items of value and selling them in the right places. Check out our top related web searches.

Top cash in your attic searches:
  1. Antique appraisers
  2. Old book values
  3. Internet auctions
  4. Sell your jewellery
  5. Declutter my home
  6. Selling collectibles
  7. LP record value
  8. Auction website
  9. Sell your stuff
  10. Value of collectibles

If your home is packed to the rafters with stuff, there's a chance that something of value will be lurking there so the first thing you have to do is declutter and sort. Separating items into boxes labelled 'keep', 'car boot' and 'auction' will make the process more organised. Items that belong in the 'auction' box will be things like ceramics - brands like Royal Doulton, books - although they need to be rare or first editions, comics - anything old and in good condition, old toys especially things like Thunderbirds and Star Wars, figurines made by Beswick are highly collectable, rare records and computers, such as 1970s games consoles like Sinclairs and Ataris. Everything has to be in excellent condition and being boxed will make them worth between 20% and 50% more.

To value items you can look on online auction sites and compare what similar items are selling for. At the same time you could list your item for sale. If you want to have your items valued professionally, this will cost you so make sure the item's value will cover your loss.

Next you need a place to sell your stuff. The best place is probably an online auction because you can set a reserve so you don't let your figurine go for a pittance. Car boot sales are also a great place to get rid of lots of stuff but be prepared for some hardened hagglers to batter down your prices. Also bring plenty of change with you. If you have an item which is of real value you may want to take it to an auction house. These places often offer free appraisals and have specialist sales for furniture or toys and will have very particular buyers.

Do you think you have cash in your attic? Ever found something valuable in your home?Leave a comment and share your experiences.

    Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

    Add your comments

    Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

    When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

    To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

    Hot Searches Back to School 2009

    Hot Searches’ back to school survival guide will prepare you for the new term and avert the tears and tantrums of kids, teens … and parents.

    Top Searches

    Most Commented On

    Top Celebrity Searches

    Top Gadget Searches

    Comment of the Week

    • "Some of these were mildy scary but the scariest film I ever saw was called "Satan's triangle" and starred Doug McClure. It was on the box late one night in about 1975 and when it finished I was shakey. About 5 mins later the phone rang (it was one o'clock in the morning), on the other end was my brother-in-law, he had watched it too and was too scared to go to bed."

      by RonP about the post
      What's your favourite scary movie?


    Recent Comments

    Top Television

    Top Music

    Top Health

    Top Sport