Can I sell my window?

General Questions
#1

Sometime in the next year I am going to be having a sliding glass door installed where there is currently a window. The window I have is fairly new (3 years maybe?) and in excellent condition. It’s 60"x40" so it’s not exactly small. I think it’s a Norandex brand window.

There is nowhere else in my house where a window this size will fit. Other than the picture window, all of the others are much smaller. So I can’t use it as a replacement.

Is there anywhere where I can sell this window? My cousin will be doing the work, and he’s in business for himself so I can’t sell it to him because he doesn’t have a place to store it.

I checked craigslist and no one seems to be selling any windows. Where else could I go? Surely people who re-model their homes and replace decent, new windows. Where do they go?

#2

CraigsList will sell anything that people offer & somebody else wants to buy. So you could certainly try it there.

Here in Minneapolis, we have a place called ‘The Re-Use Store’ which sells a lot of construction stuff, both used but working stuff removed from houses (like your window), or small lots that builders have left over from a project. They buy stuff like this, and then offer it for sale in the store.
You might check around in your area – I think most major metro areas have something like this.

#3

You could try the classifieds in your local paper. The problem with selling a single window like that is when people are building things with windows in them, they usually want all the windows to match, and also usually have a specific size in mind when drawing up blueprints and whatnot. You probably aren’t going to get much money for it, and it might not be worth the hassle.

#4

Yes, you can donate to this kind of re-sale place and the proceeds of the sale go to Good Things, if they happened to be benefitting a community service agency. You would get a tax letter for the estimated value.

#5

No you wouldn’t. You would get a letter acknowledging your donation of a window. The burden of establishing the value for tax purposes is squarely on the the person who made the donation.

#6

So uh…how much is a 40"x60" 3-year-old Norandex window worth?

#7

First of all, do you itemize deductions? If you don’t, then a tax deduction for donating the window doesn’t do you any good.

What does a new one cost? Offhand, I’d say deduct no more than half of the price of a new one. Look at this link..

Generally, valuation doesn’t become a pressing issue unless you’re trying to deduct more than $5,000. If you’re trying to deduct more than $500, but less than $4,999, you need to state how you arrived at the value (comparable sales, etc). If you’re deducting less than $500, you can simply say something like “thrift shop value.”

Keep in mind that a $500 deduction if you’re in a 28% bracket saves you around $140 in taxes. If you can sell it for more than $140, you’re better off doing so.

I am not your tax advisor. Seek professional guidance regarding deductions, etc.

#8

Pardon me. You would get a tax letter from the organization and could attach a value to the item.