So you’re leaving Beijing! We’re sorry to see you go, pal.

Moving home is right up there among life’s most stressful events, largely because you have to pack up all your belongings, and divesting yourself of items you no longer want or need. To avoid a last-minute panic that will result in you dumping all your unwanted objects on the street corner (not a good look), we’ve compiled this guide to help you through the process.

Luckily, with all the people coming and going in Beijing, there is a thriving second-hand scene, so you are sure to find a loving home for your pre-owned goods. Here’s how:

Ask around for buy-and-sell groups

There are hundreds of buy-and-sell groups on WeChat, concentrating in different geographic areas, languages, and price ranges. As well as the general everything-including-the-kitchen-sink groups, there are specific groups for things like scooters, baby clothes, bikes, and kitchenware. Ask around in your community and among friends for somebody to add you. Be wary of scammers, and don’t send an item by kuadi before you’ve received payment unless you absolutely trust the buyer. If you’re new to getting goods delivered, check our handy guide to Shansong here.

Include as much info as necessary in your ad

Check the Beijinger Classifieds

In the age of WeChat, our Classifieds section may feel a little old-fashioned, but there are still huge advantages to using it: it’s free, our average classifieds posts get hundreds of views, you can add more photos and details than you would on WeChat, and your item remains visible for weeks on end. To increase your chances of making a sale, include as much detail about the item as possible, and be clear on what conditions of sale (such as delivery) and prices you will and won’t accept – this will cut down on a lot of repetitive and time-wasting exchanges later on. Click here to advertise an item.

Talk to your landlord

If you’ve invested in quality furniture or homewares, your landlord may be interested in buying them from you and keeping them in the home, as this can increase the value of the rental for future tenants.

Arrange items as attractively as possible during your ‘yard sale’

Hold a ‘house-emptying’ party

Think of it as a yard-sale, but for your apartment. Invite people over during a designated period of time (weekends are best) to browse through your home. Here are our tips for running it smoothly:

• Advertise the sale in your building, and on any buy-and-sell groups you are active in.
• Be mindful of security. Don’t host an open-house alone, and keep any non-sale valuables in a secure area. Consider designating a room or space as “off limits” to make this easier.
• Lay out your items on available surfaces as attractively as possible, to make it easy for people to browse.
• Create ‘value packs’ for small, low-value items like spices and kitchen utensils. A sign saying something like “10 items for RMB 100” will encourage people to take small-value items in bulk.
• Put prices on everything, or make a price list, so you don’t have to think them up on the spot.
• Decide in advance which items you just want to get rid of, and will accept lowball prices for. And, more importantly, which items you won’t.
• If you are hosting with a partner or friend, get on the same page about prices and procedures before the buyers arrive.

Offer it to your ayi

Remember to be respectful and ask her first: don’t just assume that your ayi wants your leftovers.

Donate to Roundabout

Roundabout is a social enterprise and community boutique which opened way back in 2008 as the first charity store in mainland China. These days, it is run by volunteers and has a donation and distribution center, as well as a retail store in Shunyi. Any items that you donate will either be passed on directly to those in need, or sold in their retail store to raise funds for charity. Roundabout will accept most goods that are in good, clean, working order. You can arrange for them to pick up items directly from your home, or drop them off at one of the many drop-off locations around the city, such as Zarah Cafe and the British Embassy. Click here for more details about how to donate.

Clothing swaps, and clothing auctions are great ways to give new life to your clothes

Give away clothes via the Clothes Auction Network

Clothes Auction Network is a local English-language WeChat group that hosts regular used-clothes auctions in private homes around the city. Group members bring a plate of food or drinks to share, along with their old clothes and bid on clothes and items in RMB 10 increments. Bidding tends to get rowdier as the wine bottles are emptied, and because participants range from high-powered executives to interns and everything in between, fantastic bargains can be had, so go easy and remember that you’re trying to get rid of stuff, not accumulate more. All funds raised from the sales are donated to a charity (nominated beforehand by the auction host) at the end of the swap, and leftover clothes are donated to Roundabout. Right now, the group only caters to women’s clothing, however, men are welcome to join the group, and encouraged to create a men’s clothing or unisex event! To join, add admin Rebecca Archer on Wechat (ID: Becstarnz).

Give away items in the ‘Reduce to Relive’ group

Reduce to Relive is a WeChat group set up to serve people who wish to exchange, transfer and receive secondhand goods in Beijing. All items posted in the group must be free, although the receiver may pay delivery fees if convenient. The group is run by zero-waste store The Bulk House, who also organizes periodic Reduce to Relive events. To join, add WeChat ID: The_Bulk_House_1.

General Tips and Advice for a smooth de-cluttering

1. Start early. The more time you give yourself to divest items, the less stressful it will be, and the more likely that you can do it in a responsible manner.
2. Start close. Advertise items for sale in your immediate circle first: among colleagues, and neighbors. It’s much easier to organize pickups when people live around the corner or in the building.
3. Sell in advance. Don’t be shy to say “item available from September” if you want to secure a buyer for an item, but still need it right now. This works well for seasonal items, for example, selling an air conditioner in winter.
4. Be precise. When creating ‘for-sale’ images to share on WeChat, include all relevant information on the picture itself so it can easily be forwarded around. Include the general location of pickup, size of object, condition, and price. Location is more important than you think: many people will not bother asking about an item if the location isn’t listed because it may be very far away.

And most importantly of all, don’t panic! You’ve got this.

READ: Why I’m (Not) Leaving Beijing

Images: the Beijinger, Pixabay, Money Crashers

I have been living here for two years, and accumulated many belongings. Many things I won’t be taking along with me when I move away from Beijing. Unfortunately there is no use shipping your IKEA stuff. I have made this mistake before – let’s just say, it would have been cheaper to get rid of it and buy new.

If you are a seasoned expat, you know not to move your plates and cutlery as that will be the first thing you need when you arrive at your next location, while waiting on your shipment. I have been looking around and thinking what I would do with all the things that are making my home so comfortable now. If you want to move don’t worry about moving companies, Fox Removals is the greatest in town, so your belongings can be handled with care.

But where do you get rid of all the things you don’t want to ship?

Sell and Buy groups on WeChat
There are several groups specifically for the purpose of selling and buying secondhand things. Take some neat pictures of your stuff, and sell away. Air purifiers are an especially exciting thing to get rid of when you leave Beijing.

Yahoo Groups
Many new expats in Beijing won’t have WeChat yet, and will try to connect through Yahoo Groups. I did so, and that’s how I found out about WeChat. It can be worth the effort to post your belongings there.

Garage Sale
Holding a sale can help get rid of the stuff you don’t want to take along. Pick a time and date, and make a nice poster to market your sale. Spread the word – and don’t forget to hide the things in your home you don’t want to sell.

Apps
There are several Chinese apps that are similar to Ebay. I won’t be using them, as I don’t speak Chinese, but if you are handy or have Chinese friends that can help you, you can advertise your belongings on there.

Roundabout
There are some things not worth selling, like your spatulas for example. Donate these to Roundabout. They have a home pick up service. Consider donating the stuff you can’t sell too, it’s all for a good cause.

Give It Away
I call it the expat inheritance: opened spices, and medication that you don’t want to pack up. Give it to your friends who are not leaving Beijing. Many people are very grateful for a half-used bottle of soy sauce.

Trash
Some things can’t be given away or reused. Nobody wants your old underwear. Or broken dog bed. Consider trashing it. If you are not sure, leave it next to the trash and it will be picked up.

Sometimes trying to part with things proves challenging. The kids didn’t really like the idea of getting rid of toys and books that they might still play with. Mom and Dad might even have all manner of weird things lurking in the back of the closet – like a hundred-year-old camera or an old slide projector. Still, once a level of detachment was reached and we decided what to get rid of, that didn’t necessarily make the process easier.

There are a few ways that I am aware of to move things out of our lives in Beijing. Initially, we let friends and neighbors know what we didn’t plan to keep. Surprisingly this led to a number of large items – bookshelves and the like – being sold. People also wanted books and kitchen appliances and other paraphernalia. Still, we had more to part with.

Next, we posted items on discussion groups like Beijing Mamas. This seems like a great idea, but it comes with drawbacks. People want to buy things, but then there is the scheduling of pickups, giving directions, helping carry things out, and no-shows. Nothing dashes the hopes of trying to get something out of the way like promising it to someone who doesn’t show up. Fortunately, this isn’t our first move and we began the process early.

Of course there is the old garage sale/yard sale method so popular in the USA. We could advertise something like that, but then we need to hang out and let people mill through our home while looking over our stuff. That works well if you have a garage or a yard to put things in, but not so great if you are still living in the space where people are shopping.

One of our ayis surprised us by requesting to purchase a large number of items. Some she will use in her small apartment, some in her new home in Inner Mongolia, and some she is sourcing for friends. Still, it won’t take care of everything.

Another great option we use is to donate things to charity. Our favorite in Beijing is Roundabout. All year I have been culling clothes, toys, and household goods and making periodic donations that they graciously pick up. I suspect we will still have one or two more large donations for this move since we are leaving most household items behind.

Ironically, when we arrive at our new apartment in the USA, we will only have a few suitcases with us and I will be looking for all sorts of quick ways to outfit a new home with furniture and household goods. I foresee hitting more than a few weekend garage sales with the kids as we look for toys, books, and old camera gear.

Photo: Courtesy of Roundabout