Records – Old and rare records in good condition can earn you a few dollars, if you are old enough to remember what records are!

Toys and games – Old and rare toys and games are a particular collector’s favorite, as are newer ones that are connected with popular films and TV series. The latter need to be in really good condition. 20 years ago, as a kid in his mid-teens, my cousin was buying Star Wars figures and keeping them sealed in their packets. They are now worth up to 250 dollars each! You can still get around 20 dollars for figures that are no longer boxed but are in good condition.

As you can see, phrase “in good condition” keeps coming up and this is key to making money from your unwanted belongings. A damaged item will sell for far less than one that is in good condition and may not even make you any money at all.

How and where can I sell?

Once you have something that you want to sell, there are many ways of doing it. The following are just a few ideas. To start with you could ask your friends, neighbours and work colleagues if they are interested in what you have. Many companies have an internal newsletter or Intranet where “items for sale” can be advertised for free. You could use classified ads in local newspapers and on Internet – many of these are also free. Garage sales and car boot sales are other options if you have quite a few things to sell. You may also wish to consider using Internet auction web sites such as Ebay. These are now hugely popular with millions of items being bought and sold at any one time, all over world. You are certain to find that items similar to that which you intend to sell are already being sold by someone else on Internet, so you can see what sort of purchase values they attract. This will help you decide on a suitable starting price for your own items. Sites like Ebay make their money by charging you a small listing fee and by taking a small percentage of final selling price.

The best way of reducing risk of being classed as a bad debtor, is to improve your credit score and to ensure that a good record does not go wrong. For people who have been refused credit, or offered loans at atypically expensive rates, here are a few basics on how can you keep your credit file in good shape:

* Immediately register on Electoral Roll when you move house. * Pay all bills on time; it's recorded even if you're only a few days late. * Keep credit card balances low. * Pay off debt rather than moving it around. * Only apply for new credit when you need it. * Build up your credit history slowly, don't open lots of new accounts rapidly. * Check your own credit file to make sure it is correct.

Source: credit reference agency MyCallcredit (http://www.mycallcredit.com/)

However, should worst happen it is always best to immediately seek qualified help from free debt counselling services available including:

* The Citizen's Advice Bureau (http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/getadvice.htm), * Citizen's Advice Scotland (www.cas.org.uk), * National Debtline (http://www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/) * Consumer Credit Counselling Service (http://www.cccs.co.uk/).