[Rajesh Kainth]

VALUABLE JUNK : Don’t throw that junk yet? It could be worth money

Toronto: If you lament the clutter in your home, take heart, your junk could be valuable. Canadians could be sitting on clutter worth $1,216, according to the results of “Clutter Calculator”, a survey by eBay Canada and Leger Marketing.
“The thing is, virtually everything has monetary value,” said Harry Rinker, a professional appraiser and author of “Sell, Keep or Toss?”.
About half of Canadians admit to throwing away items that would now be collectibles or worth money. More than a quarter also admit to secretly throwing out a family member’s item without their knowledge.
Canadians clutter up their attics, closets, basements, garages, their parents’ home or even their cars. A mere 3% bother to rent a storage facility, the online survey of 1,536 showed. Old books, magazines and files are the biggest source of valuable clutter and could be worth $263, according to the survey. “If you go up to old attics, old newspapers, magazines — National Geographic — you name it, they’re up there by the ton,” said Rinker.

Rounding out the top five are knickknacks and souvenirs, old electronics, DVDs and CDs and children’s toys, worth over $800.
Clutter is a source of stress for many Canadians, but a combination of sentimental attachment, guilt for not recycling, or thinking they may need it someday, keep them from tossing things out, according to the survey. When Canadians do purge, they do not always capitalize properly on the process.
“A garage sale is a recycling center for new products that are in boxes that still have a useful life,” said Rinker.
Family heirlooms, children’s toys, and items that predate 1960 are popular and should be on auction sites or flea markets, not in a garage sale, he added.
“Heck, if it predates 1980, it probably has collectible value at this point,” said Rinker. “People today, especially the younger generation, buy back their childhood, the things they remember. Childhood items really have a nostalgic value that transcends garage sale stuff.” REUTERS