The United Arab Emirates is a great country to live in. From security to peace, very rarely does one find a place like it. But the transient life in the UAE is quite well known among the expatriates who comprise 88% of the UAE population. With rents dropping from time to time, there is a lot of movement of people between the emirates or countries. Moreover, due to the changing economic situations, many lose jobs and move back home.
Hence all of this becomes quite stressful. So picture this. You begin the dreaded task of sorting and packing. Unfortunately, you have very few days and the items only keep piling up. That beautiful bed-side drawers you bought can no longer fit at your new place. The number of pots and pans in the kitchen seem too large. That cute coffee table sadly feels like an unnecessary purchase. Sounds all too familiar, doesn\’t it?
So what do you do with all this extra junk? Give it away? But shifting isn\’t cheap! A little extra money would definitely ease the crunch you feel while moving. That\’s where the following options come handy. You can make money out of your \”junk\”, to say so loosely. So we\’ve compiled some suitable options that can help you earn a little moolah, along with its pros and cons
Dubizzle: The ever-popular website for selling and buying. Dubizzle has a convenient method of putting up your items on their website after signing up with a new account. The listed item then goes live and potential buyers contact you and it\’s your responsibility there onwards to get your items sold.
Pros:
One can sell from the comfort of their own place.
Interested buyers quickly pick up your item.
Except for posting pictures, no other extra effort is required by the seller.
Cons:
Idea of entertaining unknown visitors.
Ridiculous offers.
Lots of calls from non-serious buyers.
Yard Sale: Now, here in UAE, many of us do not live in houses called Villas. Rather, a large number of us live in apartments. Ads can be posted on personal social media pages and a little setup of your junk items can be put on sale in your living hall or a garage if you have one. The flea market is held every once a while in Sharjah and Dubai.
Pros:
Great chance to socialise.
Most of the items are sold off in just a day, if successful.
One can find lots of valuable items/hidden gems that they’ve always wanted.
Cons:
Unknown visitors.
Keeping a tab on the accounts.
Many items may be left unsold.
Used Furniture Shops: There are quite a few used furniture shops all over UAE. Either they will come to your place to check the items or they may ask you to send pictures (usually through WhatsApp) and according to the quality of the item, they will pay you. Mostly they will even arrange transport to pick your junk items. Few places worth mentioning are Abu Shaghara (Sharjah), Rashidiya (Ajman), Naif Area (Deira, Dubai).
Pros:
You might get lucky in getting rid of your things in a reasonable price
You can schedule on the day when you want it.
Big and bulky items can easily be given here.
Cons:
Extra charges for getting your items picked up.
Bargaining with the shopkeeper to give you a better price for your item.
Repair and refurbishment may have to be done from your own pocket.
Facebook groups: With social media being used by a high number of people, Facebook groups have really been of help to sell your junk. Some note-worthy mentions are: Buy & Sell Dubai UAE New & Use items, Pre-loved Dubai, Garage Sale Dubai, etc.
Pros:
Can be done from the comfort of your own house.
No extra account is needed as almost everyone has a Facebook account.
Cons:
Continuous need to be on Facebook to get your item sold.
Unknown buyers.
Many times, the item isn’t sold.
Yalla Junk It: YallaJunkIt.com is a Free Junk Collection service of Think upcycle where they collect your goods, upcycle it to make it sellable, photograph them, advertise, list them on their online marketplace and place it in their physical showroom and do the selling, all for free. Once your item has been sold, you get 20% of the earnings, straight up.
Pros:
They come and take your items, free of cost and no hassle.
Your item is restored or revamped, if required, giving second life to things.
Used clean clothes can be given which they’ll giveaway free of cost to support the community.
Cons:
They have busy schedules hence you may need to call and book early.
That’s all, folks! Gone are the sulking days and “what to do with all of this!?” moments. Happy decluttering!