R2I # 14 - What to do with house hold articles?

There was a comment and question in my previous R2I post. While, I responded to the comment / query there, I also wanted to publish that as a post so more folks might get to see it.

Question # 1

Could you give us a few pointers as to how to go about selling household items??(like how did you sell your furnitures, electronics, etc.)Did you use a service which buys used items(if there is one!!), or did you just advertise for the items individually in some website(if so, which one?), etc.

Response:
We did the following:

1. Limited 'Garage Sale' thru word of mouth mainly for friends and family.
2. Sell thru craigslist
3. Give to charity
   

May suggest you consider bringing stuff back with you as well? Almost everything can be brought back in a container and there isn't any 'customs fee' for used personal stuff... particulary furniture types.

Question # 2

Also would you recommend carrying back the TV & home theatre system(I love my HD TV and the 9-disc DVD Player!) With the voltage difference and the frequent power cuts, is it worth it??

Response
I would NOT. You could buy step down transformers and use the stuff mentioned above. However, as you rightly point out with the voltage flucations and cycle difference, it is simply not worth it. I spent lot of energy trying to reuse our VCR / DVD / beside side digital clocks and stuff but to no avail. Two things that did work for me were 1) Microwave oven 2) Music system. While the former is still working, later conked out few months back.

If you must, take back only your Home theater system but without TV. With the NTSC / PAL difference and voltage problem.. TV might not be worth it.. Also, there is nothing on HDTV in India yet. By the time that happens, you may be ready for a newer one..

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