They are the unattended items that get left behind when employees get laid off: desks, chairs, computer screens, even cars. Small-business owners looking for extra dollars in the budget should turn attention to those unused supplies or equipment gathering dust. You might bring in extra cash, or even trim costs if you're still carrying insurance or paying them off. Certainly, keep some items in storage if you expect business or hiring to pick back up soon. Otherwise, it's time to clean house. Here are the three best ways to get rid of office equipment:
Ashley Yvonne Photography
Carnahan Group transferred the lease on its Lexus IS 350 by using LeaseTrader.com.
1. Find others who really want them. For starters, try to sell them to your employees. After rounds of staff cutbacks, Tri-Lite Builders Inc., sold two company cars to remaining workers and another one to a client. The Chandler, Ariz., general contractor, which owned the extra vehicles, arranged a payment plan and charged no interest. Another way is to look for third-party companies that match sellers and buyers. There's eBay for general goods, ITTradeOnline.com for used computers and laptops, RockandDirt.com for used construction equipment, MedMarketplace.com for used hospital and medical equipment, or SurplusEquipment.com for manufacturing machinery. Carnahan Group Inc., a healthcare consulting firm in Tampa, Fla., used LeaseTrader.com to shed a Lexus IS 350 that was sitting idly in its parking lot. The company transferred the lease, which still had 13 months left, in three weeks and saved about $5,000 in monthly payments and early termination fees. LeaseTrader, which charges sellers a minimum of $89 to list vehicles and collects a $150 commission fee, has seen small-business car-lease transfers jump 28% since January compared to the same period a year ago, says Chief Executive Sergio Stiberman.
2. Try bartering. In mid-March last year, Gail Haight was at wit's end trying to sell a trove of high-end office furniture – cherry-wood desks, high-back leather chairs and mahogany bookcases – after her mortgage company, Pinnacle Lending Group of Boca Raton, Fla., decided to close. She came upon NuBarter.com, an online bartering company that offered to facilitate the sale. Two and a half months later, Ms. Haight had sold almost all of the office furniture and banked $13,000 in the company's NuBarter account. Ms. Haight has used that money to go out to dinners at participating restaurants and to hire a lawn maintenance company. "It gave me some peace of mind to know that someone else has benefited from a part of our company," she says. NuBarter of Savannah, Ga., has seen the number of transactions rise to about 850 transactions per month this summer, up from about 600 transactions per month in the spring. Other barter sites include BizX.com, FloridaBarter.com, and BarterBrokers.com. Search a directory at International Reciprocal Trade Association's site. Keep in mind, barter transactions need to be recorded for tax purposes
3. Donate to charities that can use them. Contributions have slipped this year, many charities say. Gifts In Kind International, of Alexandria, Va., which brokers donated computer and office equipment to about 3,000 partner organizations across the country, says it has seen a 10% decline this year in small-company contributions. So, it wouldn't be a bad idea to give away your extra printer or desks to a nonprofit that could really use the help. Bonnie CLAC, a nonprofit group that helps low-income people finance vehicles, says it would love to be a beneficiary of a vehicle-donation program. The Claremont, N.H., group currently has 70 cars with a waiting list of weeks for clients who need transportation for work, says Terri Steingrebe, president and chief executive. An added benefit for these donations, of course, is the tax deduction, a percentage of the wholesale cost of the item as determined by the Internal Revenue Service, says Patrick Tufts, president and chief executive of Heritage United Way, of Manchester, N.H., which recently launched a new program to distribute donated goods from companies to local charities. Another charity to consider: The National Cristina Foundation, of Greenwich, Conn., which has a database of pre-screened charitable organization that could use computer or technology-related items.
This story posted by LeaseTrader.com, the automotive service company that lets people transfer out of their Car Leases early. If you're looking to swap a lease or transfer out of your car lease, please visit www.leasetrader.com