10 Common Household Items You Should Sell First During A Recession

According to a July 2024 Affirm study, roughly three out of five Americans surveyed believe the United States has already entered a recession. Although other publications were quick to call respondents incorrect in their thinking, in a K-shaped economy, it can certainly be worth considering the outlooks expressed by those who are most likely to be impacted by rising costs, stagnant wages, and the seemingly endless threat of layoffs.

During tough economic times like these, it's not uncommon for Americans to offload things around the house in order to generate quick cash. This may be done in person at garage or yard sales, or through digital platforms such as eBay and Facebook Marketplace. In fact, ThredUp reports that Facebook Marketplace and similar reselling websites are expected to generate over $350 billion in sales by 2027.

Whether it's gold jewelry or old baby strollers, you may be surprised what things around your home could earn extra money immediately. In some cases, you may find selling a household belonging could boost your emergency savings or cover a surprise bill in the event of a recession. If you're worried about withstanding 2026's economic climate and want a way to bring in funds fast, these are the items you'll want to sell first.

One set of items that you can sell quickly during a recession would be your old and gently used power tools. This is especially ideal if you have already purchased a new set of tools and have no real use for the old ones, or if you aren't planning any new projects for the foreseeable future. 

Americans coping with recession prices may sometimes save money by engaging in do-it-yourself projects around the home. According to a 2025 study Talker Research conducted in partnership with Lemi Shine, 80% of Americans are likely to engage in DIY projects to feel more in control when faced with financially uncertain times. Should the economic outlook continue to darken, you could take advantage of this by putting your own power tools on the market.

Much like with gardening equipment, what buyers are willing to pay for a power tool can vary pretty widely. Some people will undoubtedly be hunting for bargains, and it's common for both individuals and retailers to list items at low prices simply to get rid of them. So, you may find certain tools or components put up for sale for as low as $10, but you might see similar products listed for ten times that or more. Tools from major brands like DeWalt may prove especially profitable if brand-loyal buyers are specifically seeking them out. So, it couldn't hurt to do a little research on a specific piece's value if you're dead set on making some cash for it.

Better Home & Gardens refers to gardening as "recession-proof," noting that growing your own produce could potentially save you hundreds of dollars a year while helping you avoid spending more than average on groceries. As such, some Americans may be on the lookout for budget-friendly gardening equipment, and looking into the pre-owned tool market may be one of the most effective ways for them to reduce the overhead required for this pursuit. If you find that you're not really using or needing some of your own gardening equipment, putting it up for sale could be a quick way to bring in some extra cash if you experience financial complications during a recession — and you might even help someone else cut down on their living costs in the process!

Some smaller gardening tools might only sell for between $5 to $10, but it really depends on what you have. Vintage gardening tools might net you as much as $50 if they're being sought out by collectors. While this isn't quite as much money as some larger household items like furniture or appliances, these lower price tags might also make finding a buyer more straightforward. That also means that, if you wind up missing an item you sell, replacing it might not prove the most expensive task, either.

A YouGov study found 37% of Americans prefer to save money by not going out to eat. This can be a sensible decision, especially since fast food chains often trick customers into spending more money than they need to. This figure would suggest that a recession would see an uptick in homemade meals as households move to cut costs, which will likely coincide with an increased need for good-quality kitchen appliances. Economic factors like tariffs are already informing a rise in appliance costs, and an increased demand will likely see retail prices on kitchen gear go up as well. However, this also means the market will be ripe for good-quality, pre-owned appliances.

When looking for places to sell your kitchen appliances, one unexpected option is Poshmark, which is often more readily associated with fashionable clothes. There's also OfferUp, Nextdoor, and eBay. As for what you'll get for your used appliances, earnings will range based on each item's size, condition, and brand. For example, pre-owned KitchenAid mixers often list on eBay for about $250 — considerably less than what you'll find them for new. Moreover, you might be able to sell a larger, high-end appliance like a refrigerator for hundreds or even thousands of dollars depending on its condition.

If you're someone who's built up a solid collection of video games and related consoles over the years, you might be unknowingly sitting on a lot of extra money. It was once a common practice to sell games in person to stores like GameStop, but many popular retailers like that are closing locations left and right. As always, online marketplaces like eBay and Craigslist are one option for selling, and there are even websites like DKOldies specifically dedicated to buying and selling used games and consoles. Of course, the items you're selling and where you choose to sell them will ultimately impact how much you get back in cash.

For example, BuyBackTronics gave us a quote of around $300 for a near-mint condition PlayStation 5 with games included. Meanwhile, an old Nintendo 64 console would sell for about $45 on DKOldies and maybe even less at a local pawnshop or used games store. However, some retro video games can be extremely valuable to collectors — especially if they're unopened or in mint condition — and could yield sellers a small fortune.

New consoles and games are getting more and more expensive, so should there be a recession, many people may try turning to the used game market for some low-cost fun or embrace outdated platforms for nostalgia's sake. In that case, older-generation video games and equipment could transform the plastic boxes collecting dust in your closet into a potential goldmine.

While Statista reports there were 1.26 billion smartphones shipped in 2025, top brands like Samsung and Apple are likely to experience a sharp decline in sales during a recession. Researchers at the International Data Corporation already predict that the market for cell phones will shrink by almost 13% in 2026. With the demand for brand new phones down, it might be an opportune time to make money by offering up a pre-owned phone for sale. Americans go years without upgrading their phones, and a growing number of people are looking to buy used or refurbished devices to avoid paying the rising prices for a brand new model. If these trends continue and the economy worsens, more of the population than ever might not even consider buying new phones to be an option.

Used and refurbished phones are a common sight on platforms like eBay, and there are also services like Swappa and ecoATM that specifically deal in used devices. The amount of money you'll get for your phone will vary according to factors like brand, model, size, storage, and overall condition. You can find more recent iPhones for $700 or more on Swappa, while certain Androids list for a fraction of that price. But even if your old phone is only worth $100 or less, the cash you'd get for it might still be more useful to you than what would otherwise be a fancy-looking brick taking up space in your junk drawer.

You might be surprised by how much demand there is for used baby gear. One explanation for this might be the fact that, as a 2023 survey by Theirworld and Hall & Partners revealed, upwards of 64% of Americans are struggling to pay for childcare and associated services. Baby formula is so expensive that many stores now keep it behind glass and locks to evade shoplifters. Taking these things into consideration, it only makes sense that some parents feel forced to turn to previously owned baby gear in order to cut costs.

If your child has long outgrown their stroller, crib, or baby toys, selling them online, through your local paper, or at a yard sale could be a worthwhile effort. Baby List suggests pricing whatever you're looking to sell for between roughly 20% and 30% of its original value. When browsing the parenting-focused used equipment website GoodBuy Gear, we found pre-owned baby items for sale with prices ranging from $20 to upwards of $1,000. 

While people around the world are having fewer children, the demand for baby gear will never fully go away so long as kids are being born. During a recession, new parents will likely be looking to cut costs wherever possible. With much of this equipment already at an inaccessible price point for many, new families may be even more likely to settle for preowned childcare products should employment opportunities become scarce and the cost of even basic necessities starts to feel out of reach.

Every year, Americans invest in all kinds of home gym equipment. There's a booming market for everything from dumbbells to treadmills to entire fitness systems — especially at the beginning of each new year — but much of it goes completely unused. According to a survey by Strava, around 25% of people drop off their New Year's fitness resolutions by mid-February (via 123Junk). If you fall into this category, selling your unused gym gear could earn you a pretty penny. Like with many of these items, online platforms like Facebook Marketplace are a great place to list fitness equipment, and there are also websites like Buy & Sell Fitness specifically designed for selling used exercise gear.

There are a couple of good reasons to sell your old gym equipment during a recession. For one, if you have no real intention of making use of your gym gear, odds are it's taking up valuable space in your home at a time when paying rent is only getting harder for many Americans. Additionally, gym equipment gets pretty expensive: Depending on the item, you could potentially make anywhere from $20 to $300 for weights or smaller pieces of equipment, while larger gear like treadmills or rowing machines sometimes sell for thousands. Gyms may struggle to stay open during a recession, and their customers may cancel their memberships to cut costs. If times get hard, many people may look for used workout equipment to bolster their home gym's setup at a more affordable premium.

Aside from looking classy, certain luxury handbags can actually retain or even grow in value. So, it may prove financially beneficial to hold off on adding any name-brand bags you don't need to your next Goodwill dropoff and list them on resale websites like eBay, Rebag, Fashionphile, The RealReal, or Poshmark instead.

Top luxury brands like Chanel, Prada, Gucci, or Louis Vuitton have all been around for over a century, which means they've each withstood multiple recessions already. So, it's fairly safe to assume there will always be some form of a market for their products, regardless of the economic climate. While some recession-era fashionistas may opt to get their style fix by buying passable dupes of higher-end bags instead, others still might turn to the secondhand market. Depending on the bags you have, there's a chance you could sell them for near their original purchase price, if not more. While owning a luxury bag — and ones that are known to appreciate, in particular — comes with some pretty steep overhead, it's not unheard of for buyers to pay four or even five figures for the right piece in the right condition. Even the lower end of products listed on some resale websites like ReBag still had price tags in the range of $500. If the market falls into disarray, high-value handbags could prove a more viable source of liquidity when less concrete assets like stocks are selling for pennies on the dollar.

Amid the 2008 recession, millions of Americans were forced out of their homes as the housing market collapsed. While the next recession may not have the exact same effects, it's fairly safe to assume that many households will decide to downsize their living situations in the event of a market downturn. A recent study by Freddie Mac predicted that upwards of 9 million homes will go on the market as baby boomers in particular look to downsize, which suggests that many people will both be getting rid of furniture or looking to buy something affordable for their new living situation in the coming years.

Even if neither situation is true for your circumstance, furniture may still be ideal to sell to others for this reason. If your goal is to earn $100 or less quickly, you could sell your furniture online through Facebook Marketplace. However, if you happen to own high-end, vintage pieces, you'll be better off selling them through a website like Chairish, where furniture collectors look for quality vintage pieces priced anywhere from a few thousand dollars to upwards of $100,000. Regardless of the era your furniture pieces belong to, if it's original and in decent condition, you might be able to sell some of it for a pretty penny. Not only will this help to clear up clutter, but if the unthinkable should happen and you're forced to relocate during a recession, going through the effort of selling your furniture could put some cash in your pocket and reduce your potential moving expenses.

Possibly the most obvious and lucrative household item you may want to consider parting with during a recession is your jewelry — and gold jewelry in particular. Often, the price of gold has been used as an indicator of whether or not a recession is around the corner, as many consider gold investment to be a safe haven during times of economic uncertainty. Early 2026 saw both gold and silver prices reach all-time highs, which some might take as a sign of economic turbulence in the not-so-distant future. So, if you happen to have a genuine gold necklace or diamond ring, they may prove of particular use if you find yourself in a financial pinch.

Local pawn shops, coin stores, and jewelers often buy and sell secondhand jewelry. But if you'd prefer to sell your jewelry online, one of the most popular destinations is the website Unvault, which can remotely appraise your items and offer an immediate quote. Auction websites like Worthy also have teams of appraisers to help sellers get the right price for the items they list. Of course, the exact value of a given piece depends on all kinds of variables, so if you have the time, hiring a professional jewelry appraiser to give you a clearer sense of what you have and what it might be worth could help maximize your earnings.