On February 17, I “celebrated” six years of being officially divorced. I was extremely vulnerable right after my divorce because my feelings were hurt and I was going through a tough time financially.
My ex and I decided that I could keep my wedding ring. And I was certainly going to keep my wedding dress, as he had no use for it. Besides, it had been a gift from my parents. I’d like to say that I used those high-dollar items to turn around my tough financial situation by selling them online or at a pawnshop, but the truth is, I just wasn’t ready to do it then. I kept my wedding ring, dress, and other mementos in a box for years until I was finally ready to face them last spring — five years after getting divorced.
There were a few things I threw in the trash because I decided that I no longer needed to keep them for memories. If I'd had a child, I might have made a different decision, as they would probably grow up wondering what had happened. But thankfully, I was lucky enough not to face that situation.
I immediately sold some of my wedding decor on a local Facebook group. An excited bride-to-be and her mother picked it up the very next day. I was just glad to pocket the cash and get rid of the emotional baggage and clutter. I felt relieved knowing those things were gone from my life forever, so I decided to tackle selling my wedding dress next.
How to Sell a Wedding Dress After Divorce
I took photos of the dress fresh from the dry cleaners and dug out a few pictures of me wearing it to show what it looked like on a person. I posted it for sale on Craigslist, Facebook, and a few other local sites. It didn’t take long before somebody bought it.
As my wedding dress walked out the door with another bride-to-be, I felt even more relieved.
The last thing left to tackle? My wedding ring.
How to Sell a Wedding Ring After Divorce
Selling my wedding ring was the most difficult part. This was partially because it was the thing I was most attached to, but also because I simply had a hard time getting it sold.
I first tried a local jewelry store that bought your “old or unwanted gold and jewelry.” Unfortunately, they didn’t want to pay me the amount I had in mind.
After that, I decided to try to sell the wedding ring online. I'd had success with selling my dress and wedding decor that way, so I thought my ring would be no different. Boy, was I wrong.
I did get a few messages from people who were interested. Unfortunately, no one seemed to have the cash to buy it outright. I also got a few messages from people who attempted to scam me into taking a cashier’s check and shipping the ring across the country (yeah, right!). So I held onto my ring and kept looking for the right buyer.
Finally, I sold it to a local woman who saw my post selling it on Facebook. The ring was a perfect fit for her. And it came at a great time for me, too, as I decided to use the money toward an upcoming trip that I had already planned.
Additional Tips
Although I chose to sell my items locally, there are lots of other ways to sell a wedding ring or dress after divorce. If I needed fast cash, I might have gone to a pawnshop or taken the offer from my local jeweler. But holding out helped me get a lot more money. You could also consider sites like eBay. There are even places with a special focus on selling wedding rings and dresses.
Some popular wedding dress resale websites include Nearly Newlywed, Tradesy, Still White, and PreOwned Wedding Dresses. But keep in mind that these websites may charge a commission of up to 25 percent. And some charge an upfront fee, whether or not the dress sells.
A lot of people buy and sell wedding rings on I Do Now I Don’t; but you could also choose a website that’s known for selling all types of unwanted jewelry — not just wedding rings.
You could also try a more casual site like Decluttr and get rid of some other old bits and bobs while your clearing out.
It amazed me how the weight lifted off my shoulders when I sold my wedding ring and dress. And the extra cash wasn’t bad, either.
Did you find this post useful? Then save THIS PIN below for later to your Divorce Board on Pinterest!
