Sell vs Donate Calculator

Enter the pile size, average resale value and minutes to list each item. The calculator returns the real hourly rate - after the 60 percent sell-through and platform fees - and the honest cutoff where donating wins.

Declutter content loves the gross number: twenty items at fifteen dollars is three hundred dollars! The real math carries a 60 percent sell-through, 13 percent platform fees, and your Saturday afternoon of photographing and messaging. Price it as a job and some piles pay 40 an hour - and some pay 6, which is a donation with extra steps.

–effective hourly rate for selling
–gross if it all sold
–realistic after fees and flops
–total hours of listing work
Below about 15 dollars of effective hourly rate, the donation bin wins - not because giving is bad, but because the Saturday has better uses and the shelf space is already free.
The money needs a job: the savings goal math turns the cash-out into a plan.

How to use

  1. Count the items honestly - the broken lamp is not an item, it is trash.
  2. Average realistic resale value: check sold listings, not asking prices.
  3. Minutes per listing including photos and the messaging marathon. The verdict updates live.

Frequently asked questions

Is it worth selling stuff on Facebook Marketplace?

It is worth it as a job that pays: above about 25 dollars an hour of effective rate after fees and unsold flops, sell; below 15, donate and take the Saturday back. The calculator prices your specific pile - bulky furniture tends to sell (high value, local pickup), fast fashion rarely does.

What percentage of listed items actually sell?

Expect around 60 percent on general marketplaces - the good-condition, priced-to-move items go; aspirational pricing sits for months. Price at 70 percent of the lowest comparable listing and both the sell-through and your effective hourly rate jump. The calculator bakes 60 percent into the honest number.

Can I deduct donated items on my taxes?

Only if you itemize deductions, which about 90 percent of filers no longer do after the standard deduction rose - and the deduction is worth your marginal rate times fair value, not the price you imagine. Donate for the closet space and the charity, and let the calculator show what selling would have paid instead.

What sells best when decluttering?

Brand-name small appliances, tools, baby gear in current safety standards, electronics under five years old, and furniture with local pickup - anything where shipping is the buyer problem. Clothing under 30 dollars retail and anything scuffed, stained or dated is a donation: the hourly rate on those is coffee money.

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