I no longer mess with Ebay. They started out where the sellers could screw the buyers at the drop of a hat (so to speak!). The ‘fix’ was the opposite…the buyers can hold the sellers for ransom with the threat of negative feedback. Not to mention that, as a new seller, you’d have to practically give away 10–50 items just to get enough positive feedback for the longer-term users the take you seriously. That’s a lot of work to establish cred.
I have an auction house and most of my customers that sell online are doing so on…drum roll please…Facebook. There are on-line selling groups you can join, and it is still currently fee-free. It meets all of @jaytkay‘s Craig’s List pluses above with as much danger of running into a looney or having someone hijack your email or other personal ID. Craig’s list has basically become a Phishing pond, IMO, and it’s hard for a newbie to protect themselves.
The biggest drawback to using Facebook is you have to be a Facebook user, and you have to set your price (unlike bidding on eBay). You can search for like items on eBay under sold items and get a decent idea of market value there. And if you stay local, there’s no packing and no shipping fees.
Then again, depending on where you live, you might consider unloading all the sellable stuff with a couple set-ups at a local flea market. Or you could take a spot in an ‘Antique Mall’. I have one I pay $40 a month for. I’ve always made rent and have gotten checks as high as $280 after rent. Another place I have a spot takes things on consignment, where you just take the stuff in and they price and sell it for a percentage, cut you a check.
Or just find a reputable local auction house, consign the stuff, and collect a check.
Explore your options, in other words.