You may remember my frustration in trying to sell stuff for some extra cash: Once you’ve decided to get rid of something, and you list it on eBay or Facebook Marketplace or wherever, there’s no guarantee that you’re actually going to sell it. So you may be holding on to this thing you don’t want any more for quite some time.
So I was delighted to learn about Decluttr, which makes it super easy to sell your unwanted CDs, DVDs, and video games.
Here’s how it works: You download the Decluttr app onto your phone. The app allows you to scan the barcodes of CDs, DVDs, and video games and it tells you immediately how much Decluttr will pay you for it. (You’ll also have stuff that Decluttr doesn’t want and the app will clearly tell you that too.) For most of your collection, it’s going to be a pittance—I mean, like 27¢ or 5¢ pittance—for each one, but I had a couple of DVDs that were valued over $3 and one Xbox game that was worth over $11 (Alice: Madness Returns). So for 10 DVDs, four games, and 32 CDs, Decluttr is going to pay me $49 and change. That works for me.
Alice: Madness Returns was one of several curious discoveries during this process—stuff I didn’t know we had and have no recollection of acquiring. Like a CD of John Philip Sousa’s Greatest Hits played by the United States Marine Band. It was hard to let go of that, and I’m not kidding.
You need to open an account with Decluttr. After you do that and scan all your items, Decluttr makes a Welcome Pack for you that they’ll either email or you’ll download directly after logging in to your account. The Welcome Pack includes a packing list with all the titles that you’re selling. You print that out and include it in the box with the movies, music discs, and games. Decluttr stresses that you can use any kind of box to pack up your media and your packing list.
Honestly, that was the major sticking point for me in this whole process. We didn’t have a box in the house that was big enough to accommodate this stuff, so I had to scrounge one up at work. But I kept forgetting, so it ended up taking a couple of weeks for me to move past this step. However, I thought I had saved the info about the items I had scanned, but I hadn’t. So, before packing the box, I had to scan everything again (which is not a big deal because it’s very fast). But when I did rescan, there were a couple of DVDs and about half a dozen CDs that Decluttr didn’t want any more. So I assume that what they accept changes all the time. It’s probably best to be ready to send the goods out as soon after you scan as possible.
Anyway, the Decluttr Welcome Pack also includes a mailing label, so they pay the postage. Mine was for UPS, so I dropped the box off at the UPS store.
They say they issue payment—you choose whether you want to receive it via PayPal, direct deposit, or check—the day after your box arrives at their address (my box is going to Kennesaw, Georgia).
Big advantages of this system: You don’t need to take and upload photos of your stuff, or write alluring descriptions of it. You’re guaranteed to get what they tell you you’re going to get (unless some of your CDs are too destroyed or have water-damaged covers or something), so you don’t have to negotiate with people online that want to nickel and dime you to death. You get rid of your stuff as soon as you’ve decided you don’t want it and you take the time to scan it (and you locate a box that’s going to fit the bill). AND, as stated above, they pay the postage.
Throughout the scanning process, as the app identified what it didn’t want, I loaded the rejects into a couple of bags for easy drop-off at Ecothrift. So even though Decluttr didn’t take everything, I still easily and efficiently got rid of everything (in this media category) that I no longer want.
I wish more middlemen or resellers (or whatever exactly Decluttr is) would pop up to buy used clothing, books, and kitchenware using the same painless model.
Decluttr also buys back old cell phones and other tech items, but I have no experience with that. Yet.