Nobody likes an emergency loan and if you have another way to get money, you should do it. Most people have something that they can sell to get the money that they need in an emergency. Here are 5 simple things that you can sell to raise a few hundred dollars to solve your problem.
1. Sell an old phone.
A used iPhone or high end Android can easily get 200 dollars ASAP. Luckily, you also have several outlets to sell it both in person and online.
If you like to do things online, go with Gazelle. Just head over to their website and get a quick quote. In a matter of minutes, you can be staring at your offer. If you decide to accept it, they will send you a box to use to return the phone. Once they have your phone, they will send you the money. Pretty simple and straight forward.
Need the money quicker than that, look for one of the many cell phone kiosks like Eco ATM. They allow you to sell your phone and get your money immediately. Just take the device to the self serve kiosk and get your money. It is as easy as that.
Finally, if you want to get top dollar for that phone, you can sell it yourself. eBay offers you the opportunity to go right to the final buyer to get the most money. Of course, this process is more involved and you have to deal with shipping, it is worth it if you want to get the most money.
2. Sell your blood.
Specifically your plasma which is a bit different than selling blood.
Plasma is in high demand because it is used in all sorts of life saving procedures. When you donate plasma, the process is very similar to blood donation. The difference is that your red blood cells are returned to you. Because you keep your red blood cells, you can donate much more, up to twice a week.
Because you can donate multiple times a week and get up to $50 per donation, you can earn hundreds of dollars in a month. If you can deal with a needle, it is an easy way to avoid a 300 dollar loan and all of the fees and interest that come with it.
3. Sell some electronics.
Most of us have electronics in our home that we rarely if ever use. These are things that are only losing value, so why not get rid of them and get the several hundred dollars that you need right now.
So, what do you have to sell? Is it a flat-screen television in the guest room, an iPad that is collecting dust or maybe a laptop that is a bit outdated. Take whatever you have and get the money that you need. Here is how to sell it.
With the larger items, a local app like LetGo is the way to go. Price that television right and you should be able to sell it in a matter of hours. For laptops, it is hard to beat eBay, they go rather quickly. Just be sure to get proper insurance on the package when you ship it. As for the old iPad, once again check out Gazelle or EcoATM. They will both purchase your device from your.
4. Sell some scrap metal.
If you are in or near a major city, there is probably a scrapyard around. These scrapyards make money by recycling metal and they do not go out and get it themselves. For that, they depend on people like you.
Make hundreds of dollars in short order by selling old metal to them by the pound.
The first thing that probably comes to mind here is aluminum cans and yes, they will buy it. If you want to make more money, you need to thing bigger though. Stainless steel, aluminum plate, copper, etc. This stuff and more can sell for a high rate and you can find it for free. You just have to do a little leg work.
Just driving through a neighborhood, you will probably see scrap just waiting on the curb for the trash man. Pick it up and take it to be recycled instead. Help save the environment from waste and make money at the same time.
5. Sell your CD’s, DVD’s and books.
You probably converted over to digital a long time ago but you still might have all of those old forms of media just taking up space. Believe it or not, some people actually use these ancient forms of entertainment. When they listen to music they but one of those ancient shiny disks in and when they want to read, they somehow find the energy to flip an actual page. The point is, these things actually still have some value.
Gather everything up into a box and take it to your local used book store. They will be happy to take them off your hands and give you money in exchange. If you have enough stuff, you might even be able to come up with a few hundred dollars. As a side benefit, you will free up a lot of space in your home.
To Wrap Things Up
There are a lot of ways to get emergency money if you need it that do not involve taking out a loan. If I need money now, the methods above are my go to ones. Sure, they take a bit of work but the effort is well worth it to avoid interest and fees.
