Is selling on the internet really eco-friendly?

I often sell stuff cheaply on the internet rather than throwing it out because I'd rather someone else used it than it sit in a landfill. However, by the time I've used power to list it and email back and forth to the buyer, and by the time it's been transported to its destination via the postal service, am I really doing the environment any good? Do the benefits outweigh the energy expenditure?Is selling on the internet really eco-friendly?
Your answer depends upon which item is more valuable than another. Scarcity is a large part of what makes one item more valuable than another. For example, when a MacDonald toy is first released, thousands of them exist in excellent condition. Ten years down the line, any one MacDonald toy in mint condition is more valuable than it was when it was new. Exactly how valuable then depends upon a number of factors, one of which is the "human desire" factor; if it was popular and people remember it fondly but most were used and abused....Landfill space is probably more scarce than than the power used in e-mailing; physical transport starts to put more load on the equation but in general is still considered less likely to be depleted than the landfill space in a short amount of time. But, it sounds like your "human desire" component involves the amount of time and effort you place in disposing of your stuff by selling it over the internet; it sounds like environmentalism is more of your motive than the "income" your receive in the selling prices.



Have you ever been to freecycle.org? Its chartered purpose is to keep stuff out of the landfill. Items listed must be offered for free and no one is to pay for anything. Your transport costs are typically manual and to the curb or front porch. You as an offerer, do have decision rights over who gets your freely offered stuff. If environmentalism is your pure rationale with respect to getting rid of the stuff you no longer want to keep, there is no reason why you could not establish a mode of transportation or distance of transportation for the folks you grant/give your stuff to.Is selling on the internet really eco-friendly?
that's a tough one, either way could be considered eco friendly. I would advise trying a yard sale. Or simply giving it to a Salvation Army or locale homeless shelter. No matter what, you can always find a better use for something rather than throwing it away.Is selling on the internet really eco-friendly?
What I think that matters is that the item is being reused. You benefit and so does someone else. You just need to coordinate your trips to town to justify you did save. It did not end up in a landfill.
not really the just want to get you to buy something and get there money fast or steal your identity