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This past weekend I did a mini “Fall cleaning” around my apartment and was able to part with two items. One was a coat that I hadn’t worn in forever and the other was my beloved bike AKA “Betty the Blue Bike.” While the coat was somewhat insignificant, Betty the Blue Bike was not.
To give you a little background, two years ago I purchased Betty at the Central Park Bike Shop for $250.00. Betty is a pretty, blue and red, Single Speed Fixie Bike that has a shiny red bell and water bottle holder to match. Top of the line if I do say so myself. If you didn’t know, bikes are a pretty BIG deal in NYC. The flashier and cooler looking the bike, the better! As you can see, Betty was my pride and joy for the summer of 2015. I rode Betty everywhere I could. From riding up and down the West Side Highway, through Central Park, and all over the city with friends, Betty gave me one of the best summers of my life.
Once the glory of summer was over and I had to move, I always found a way to keep Betty with me. I figured I would eventually hit the streets with her again when the time was right. Fast forward two years and the right time never came. My fiancé and I moved in together and while Betty was my pride and joy one summer, the next, she just sat in the corner collecting dust. Over time, I started to entertain the idea of getting rid of her but never really got around to doing it because part of me was holding onto memories of an epic summer that were long gone. I realized that I wasn’t quick to sell her because I felt that in some way, if i sold her, it would be like selling out my best buddy.
Inevitably, she continued to sit in the corner, collecting dust, until last weekend when I finally came to terms with how much space she was taking up in our 750 sq ft. NYC apartment. That’s when I downloaded the app “Let Go.” To be transparent, I have used Let Go in the past to sell a few things but none of those items ever meant much to me. I’ve sold a bookshelf, a portable A/C, a chair, and even a small TV. It’s actually a pretty easy app to use if you ever want to go on a cleaning binge, selling spree, or just want to make a few extra bucks off some old stuff you aren’t using.
All you have to do is download the app, sign up, take a few pictures of the things you would like to sell, write up a short description of the item, and hit POST. Its even easier than creating an AD on Craigslist but of course, you still need to be mindful of scammers and creeps because like all things on social media, nothing is bullet proof.
Once you’ve posted a few things, you will start to get messages about your item(s). People will try to haggle and even barter with you. Here is a very funny example of exactly what I mean.
Like the saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed with offering a red windbreaker, offer a gucci wallet instead. Eventually it just gets to the point where you may need to block a few people but there are legitimate buyers on the app. Within a few hours I had some pretty serious inquiries because again, bikes are a big deal in NYC and my post was an amazing offer. Who could resist buying a lightly used bike, helmet, and bike lock all for $125?
Betty was sold within 8 hours of posting her. I like it think it’s because she’s an awesome bike but I’m sure she sold so fast because of the price. All and all it was a win win for me and while I didn’t actually sell her through Let Go this time, a friend saw my post on Facebook and jumped on it.
While items we possess may seem like they hold a ton of sentimental value, a lot of “things” in our lives actually do not. In fact, majority of these items, start collecting dust because we are too scared to part with them. Maybe we are just afraid of the unknown, maybe we have a fear of change, or maybe it’s just plain laziness.
Whatever it is for you, I do believe letting go is an art form. First there is the newness phase of it all, when we absolutely are obsessed with our new “toy”, then there is the “every once in awhile” phase, and then it finally reaches the ““I am comfortable with it sitting in that spot, not being used, taking up space, forever” phase. As strongly as I felt about Betty (I know it’s an inanimate object) and how tough it was for me to finally let her go, I barely think about her now. I mean, on occasion, I look over at the empty space she once filled and think it’s weird to have this new space, but I realized that I don’t her as much as I dreaded.
In short, I encourage you to take inventory of the stuff you’ve been holding onto that wont matter a year from now and literally LET IT GO. Download, sign up, and sell that $hit to make room for bigger and better things.
Oh and word to the wise- please use common sense when selling things on any forum like a craigslist or Let Go. Always meet in a public place (corner of your street etc.), never give out your cell phone or address, and always try to have someone accompany with you on the sell. Be smart and Let Go!
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ShaDor40 says
Great read! Time to do some fall cleaning and LET GO!
Carmen says
I need to find a few more things to sell!