Give it away at Freecycle.org, a loose national alliance dedicated to the maxim that one person’s junk is another’s treasure. If you’re in a big city, you’ll get replies fast. A recently listed weight bench in Washington, D.C., had five takers in two hours.
Get someone else to sell it for you. EBay has spawned drop shops that photograph, post, sell and ship your items for a cut of the purchase price (usually 30 percent). See auctiondrop.com and i-soldit.com for details.
Hire an eBay-savvy neighbor. Go to eBay.com and use your ZIP code to find a “trading assistant”–someone who’s sold so much of his own stuff on–line, he’s now willing to help you out. You’ll have to dish out a cut, but at least your stuff won’t be gathering dust in the garage any longer.
