If you’re like most people, you probably have a closet full of stuff that may not get a lot of use anymore but is still in pretty good shape. Parents run into this problem a lot — outgrown clothes and toys are common culprits — but it’s not unusual even without kids. Maybe you’ve been waiting until you get enough built up for a garage sale or maybe you’re debating taking it all down to a local charity. But there’s another option: you can trade what you’ve got for what you want. There are many websites that offer a way to trade things like clothes, toys, books and DVDs. Zwaggle, for instance, focuses on giving parents a way to pass on a whole list of items, while BookMooch offers a way to swap books easily. In order to get the best deal, there are a few tips you should consider.

1. Know your mailing options: Media mail is the cheapest way to ship books and other media, but many post offices won’t offer you that option unless you specifically ask about it. There are other options for other items, so you should take the time to take a look at the U.S. Post Office’s services. 
2. If you have any question about condition, ask!: While most sites expect users to describe the condition of whatever they’re trading, many users just leave on the default condition setting. It’s worthwhile to ask questions about anything where condition could be an issue — after all, this isn’t a situation where you can make returns.
3. Share info about previous environments: With all the allergies out there, it’s just common sense to share information about whether you have pets in your home or it’s a smoking environment. You should also ask for the same courtesy in return, especially if your allergies are a concern.
4. Keep a look out for things to give: You can declutter your own home with the idea of putting up items for trade, but you can also find other sources of stuff to put up — especially if you’re after something particular. Helping someone else declutter can often provide a great source.
5. Ship on a regular basis: If you trade something online, you probably aren’t in an absolute rush to get the item in question. That means that you don’t necessarily have to go to the post office to ship stuff out immediately after you get a request. Rather, one trip to the post office a week is probably reasonable — or you can find another way to schedule your trips.

Trading your stuff can be a great way to eliminate clutter from your home, pick up some new stuff and entirely avoid laying out any cash beyond postage. If you’re a heavy reader, for instance, trading books through sites like BookMooch means that your getting books for the cost of mailing them out — about $2 for the average paperback. That’s actually cheaper than most used bookstores these days — and far less expensive than buying new. It’s just a matter of finding a site that will accept the stuff you have and offers the stuff you want.

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