Turning Your Valuables into Adoption Cash
 

You may have thought that you and your partner would be able to have a child of your own naturally. Unfortunately, things have not gone as planned and you have made the decision to adopt. Adoption can be an expensive process, and many have found that their savings alone will not be sufficient. There are ways that you can do some fundraising of your own to raise the money that you need.

You can get things started by taking a personal inventory of items that you own. Some people acquire valuables through a number of different life experiences. For instance, you may be a collector of trading cards or maybe you have purchased some antiques through your travels. The reality is that you could be sitting on a mint. It may be time to part with some of those valuables to get the cash to fund your adoption. Here are some resources that could be useful for selling off items in order to raise money:

• Sell on eBay. With a global audience, if your items are nostalgic, vintage, or just plain in demand, you may be able to sell them through this online auction/classifieds website. In addition to your valuables, you may also be able to sell some other stuff that you have lying around your home. People buy virtually anything!

 

• Sell locally on a website like Craigslist.org. If you have large items such as an extra sofa or a washing machine that you no longer need, you may want to list them, for free, on Craigslist to sell to someone in your area.

 

• Contact an auction house for higher end or truly antique items that you want to liquidate. You can simply have them appraise your item and then set the price accordingly. They usually handle the entire transaction for you.

  Liquidating a collection or personal valuables can net your family the funds that you need to pay for the adoption process. However, try not to go overboard with unloading your precious valuables. Remember to keep anything that means a lot to you so that you can share it with or even pass it down to your newly adopted child. But if it’s something that you can let go of without feeling too much anxiety, sell it! Having a child of your own will be more than priceless.

Mardie Caldwell COAP is nationally recognized as authority on adoption and adopting safely on the Internet. She is the founder of Lifetime Adoption, and has been working in adoption since 1986. She is a speaker and award-winning writer, currently working on additional adoption titles soon to be released. Learn more about Mardie at www.LifetimeAdoption.com. You can learn more about her books by visiting www.AdoptionStepByStep.com.