Cash in the attic

Posted on 17 Sep 2009 at 10:45

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Is your loft full of old or rare items that you think are worth a fortune? With Mel Croucher's help, you can use your PC to help turn a tidy profit.

Getting rid of material possessions is a cathartic process. Perhaps you need more space because you're expecting a bouncing baby, or an aged aunt, or a fresh au pair, or a litter of labradors, and you need to convert the attic into an escape pod. Or maybe you're being evicted from your hovel, getting divorced or emigrating to Croatia. Of course, your motivation could be completely mercenary, and it's likely in these troubled times that you want sell some of your excess baggage because you're strapped for cash.

Only a couple of years ago, it was boom time and getting rid of stuff was straightforward. You could offload everything into the omnivorous maw of a charity shop doorway, or trot off to wrestle with a trestle at a car boot sale, or dump your junk at the municipal tip. But we are now in the days of bust, and the rules have changed. We're in a siege economy, cash is king and there is money to be made from our unwanted chattels. What a difference two years makes. In 2007, the good citizens of the UK threw away over £5.6 billion of usable items. These included 914,000 working PCs, 320,000 games consoles, 204,000 iPods, seven million frocks, eight million books, a million bikes and two million sex toys; a profound insight into our pre-credit crunch society if ever there was one.

Assuming you've decided to turn your unwanted presents, inherited treasures and piles of possessions into hard cash, but have no idea what they're worth, the need for a realistic valuation is obvious. You won't want to waste time trying to flog worthless items, and you don't want to undersell anything that may be more valuable than you think. Luckily, there has never been a better time to benefit from expert advice, and the most accessible resources are all to be found on the internet. This feature is designed to help you as the private seller, so you can avoid the pitfalls and exploit the potential of what's available online when it comes to finding out what your second-hand stuff is really worth.

Prints charming

Let's start with all things printed, including books, comics, magazines, posters and memorabilia. Unwanted books weigh a ton and occupy a lot of space, and although the second-hand book market is active at the moment, prices are very low. Hardbacks are worth more than paperbacks and first editions will almost always command a premium. Specialist modern textbooks hold their price well, and vintage children's story books and picture books are increasing in value. Don't bother trawling though Amazon's second-hand maze, but make your way to Biblion Ltd (http://biblion.co.uk) or Biblio (www.biblio.com) and use their free databases to check out the current market price of over 50 million used books.

Ancient newspapers are generally worthless unless they mark pivotal events such as the sinking of the Titanic, but the market for classic magazines is surprisingly robust - particularly vintage fashion magazines and superhero comics from the pre-1950 golden age, and the silver age up to 1970. ComicSeeker (www.comicseeker.com) is as good a place as any to start. Simply key in the title and issue number of a huge range of comics; just bear in mind that prices are given in US dollars only. To get a free valuation of sporting memorabilia, including cup-final programs, motor sports, tennis, cricket and even the Olympics, contact Football Sports Auctions (www.footballsportsauctions.co.uk), which runs a reputable email service for serious enquiries.