Do you might have Modern Treasure hiding in your storage or loft?

Let’s face it, the current economical climate is still tricky with higher costs for all of life’s essentials meaning we have less disposable income for the pleasures we all deserve. 

That said, it doesn’t really matter what financial status the world is in because the truth is, we could always benefit from some extra cash.

In my book, Money Maker, I discuss how households up and down the country are potentially sitting on thousands of pounds. 

This could be due to the fact people don’t know the intrinsic value of unused items because they now view them as trash, or that they don’t have the know-how or confidence to extract the value from these items as efficiently and lucratively as possible.

Broadly speaking, most of us don’t like to do big clear outs, especially when you might have collected so much stuff (that you deem useless), which could fill an entire room. 

I have fallen foul of this a number of times because I’m a magpie. 

As a jeweller, it’s in my nature to be inquisitive about things which leads me to collect an array of some of the most unusual items you could ever find. 

But my problem was that I collected so much of it that I had to rename my home office, the room of doom, because it was filled to the rafters with objects I never used.

Thankfully, after many stern words from my husband and actually listening to my own advice, I’ve cleared out all my trinkets and collections and sold them for cash I can put to better use. 

It also means I can write this article in there without the worry Aladdin’s cave would come crashing down on me.

One area which if often overlooked but could be holding a pot of gold is the garage. It’s one of the first places us Britons pile up all the old stuff we don’t want – out of sight, out of mind.

Did you know we have 11.4million garages in the UK but it’s been reported that only half of them are used to park a car in, the rest are like an extension of the garden shed – a place where we store stuff we just don’t use or know what to do with.

This means there are 5.7 million garages probably filled to the brim with items we could sell on (and as I mentioned sheds – there are 9.6 million of these in the UK probably storing treasures too). 

So now is the ultimate time to get sorting out these spaces and securing some extra cash to line your pockets with. With the second hand market exceeding £10billion this year, the demand for pre-loved has never been greater.

So, what sort of items can you sell on and for how much, I hear you ask. 

Well, if recent research is to be believed, these spaces could be holding an impressive £2,600 per household so you’d be pretty daft not to follow my handy guide on the sort of things that could release some of this value into your own bank account.

Sports and hobby equipment

A recent study found that most adults stop a hobby after only 16 months. 

There will be various life factors that give good reasons for this, but if correct, we could with confidence, assume that most households will have hobby items collecting dust when they could be bringing in the cash.

Sport and gym equipment is a particular big earner as us Britons have an estimated £1.5billion of this stuff laying unused which averages at about £200 per household not being fully realised. 

I’m a prime example of this as my golf clubs have been in the garage for nearly a decade when I could sell them for anything between £150 to £1,000.

We often store bigger sporting equipment in the garage like running machines, exercise bikes and weight sets. 

All of which will be in high demand on the second hand market. Smaller items such a tennis racquets, roller blades/skates, fishing equipment, painting equipment and sewing machines are also in high demand and can make you anything from tens to hundreds of pounds. 

Even your old for berth tent can sell for £200 if still in great condition.

Another piece of sporting equipment that can make you a nice little profit is bikes. 

Research from the bike club concluded that roughly 34 per cent of the adult population have one or more unused bike and 15 per cent of households have one or more unused childs bike. 

Depending on the condition, make and model, the average adult bike can sell for a decent £200 and some children’s bikes can secure £80 to £130. 

I find that community marketplaces like Gumtree and Facebook are great sites for selling unwanted bikes.

Tools

We spend £20billion on tools a year and research suggests that at least £2billion of these are unused and 10 per cent haven’t even been opened. 

Power tools and even hand held tools are a massive market, so a thorough clear-out can make you a lots of money quickly.

There are loads of places you can sell tools like cash4tools.co.uk and the toolsquirrel.co.uk as well as your usual e-commerce sites.

Old magazines, Newspapers and their supplements

After the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, newspapers depicting this historical event were being listed and sometimes selling for hundreds of pounds. 

Big headlines can often mean big money but I find it best to sell these papers straight away to maximise on your money making potential. 

For example, newspapers that covered the Queens passing were changing hands for £200 in the early hours after publication but now sell for only £3 to £5.

Even at the lower end, making a couple of quid for an old newspaper because someone wants to own a piece of history, isn’t a hard days work. 

However, if you have stacks of old newspapers that are still in great condition, they could earn you a decent sum but rummage through them to check you don’t batch sell a pile with one of the following headlines. As one of these headlines could make you a mint:

The Cuban missile crisis – £500

The death of Elvis Presley – £300

The great Train Robbery – £200

Prince Charles and lady Diana wedding – £200

Death of Princess Diana – £100

CDs, cassette tapes and Vinyl

You might think that these old methods of listening to music are a thing of the past but the digital age has actually fuelled a nostalgic love for going back to how we used to enjoy it. 

In 2022 there were 19 per cent more tapes sold than in the previous year and overall, there has been a 94.7 per cent increase in cassette tapes popularity since 2020. 

Vinyl is also currently enjoying a 30 year high in popularity and even mass produced copies of certain records can sell for around £12 each. Rare vinyl editions can earn you thousands:

An original David Bowie 1969 Australian pressing sold for £7,100.

The very first copy of Kate Bush’s the sensational world sold for £2,200.

There are various factors that affect how much you can charge for your old CD’s, cassettes and records, like the artists popularity and the condition of the item but as I mentioned, even mass produced can make you some money – I find selling them in bundles often secures a sale quickly.

Old furniture

To you it might be trash but to many others these items can be an absolute treasure especially with the upcycling industry be worth a phenomenal £160billion per year. 

Last year alone the term ‘upcycling’ was searched online 3million times. Further research shows us that around 44 per cent of the population have attempted it and that it has fast become one of the nations most popular hobbies (let’s just hope that in 16 months people aren’t bored of it). 

So you can really cash in on this trend by flogging your old furniture to someone who wants to give it a new lease of life. 

As always, remember to research your items first – you don’t want to be selling a Chippendale for pounds when it’s actually worth thousands.

There are hundreds of other items you can sell on for a profit especially as we all become more climate aware and try to be more sustainable. 

With various factors affecting everyone’s purse strings, buying things you need second hand is cost effective and helps the planet so everyone wins. 

I strongly advise that you search through your storage spaces and have a healthy de-clutter, not only could you regain the use of your garage or shed but you could make yourself enough money for a holiday or something you’ve been longing to treat your family too for a long time.