Needing cash is a common problem, and a popular solution is selling unneeded items from around the house. But how do you know how much each thing is worth?

A new Web site, developed by Austin entrepreneurs, solves this dilemma and offers plenty more.

Amanda McGuckin-Hager, of iTaggit.com, said she had many inherited items of which she didn't know the value. Itaggit.com helps price such items.

"We have developed a search tool that we call the 'ValueRange it' tool that allows customers to better understand, 'What is this? Is it a $10 item, a $2 item or a $2,000 item?'" she said.

The tool searches closed auctions and closed transactions on the Web and then the site uses a math algorithm to give you an accurate range for your item, whether it's an old book or an autographed baseball.

The site has more functions than just pricing items. You can categorize your belongings and create documentation for insurance purposes.

"Depending on your item, whether it be an autographed baseball worth quite a bit of money, you could upload all of your documentation to the site, send it into your insurance agent for coverage, your financial planner for your net worth and your estate planner for your affairs in the future," McGuckin-Hager, said.

The site has been around for about three years but only now is it available to everyone.

"We've got a strong audience within the collectors market – collectors of everything – and looking at the tools and features decided that everyone could really understand what they have, better understand what they have, with the use of this tool, so we brought the tool up to the front and now we're opening it up to everyone," McGuckin-Hager said.

To get started checking the value of your items, head to www.itaggit.com.

AUSTIN (KXAN) - When someone is looking for the value of their car they check the blue book. Now an Austin company has come up with an online resource to find the blue book value of everyday items and collectables.

"I'm getting ready to move, I need a little extra money so I thought I would try and sell them on e-bay through iTaggit," said Nataysha Doyel, an Austin collector.

Nataysha Doyel has been a lifelong collector of Madame Alexander dolls. To figure out its fair market value she's logging onto iTaggit.com.

"iTaggit is a website that allows customers to value items, personal possessions whether it be collectables, household items, and then export it to online market places," said Amanda McGuckin Hager, the Marketing Director for iTaggit.

The Austin startup determines the value by calculating the last 90 days of closed e-bay auctions. Nataysha finds her doll is valued at 40 dollars. But iTaggit can also come in handy for someone who is in the market to buy something.

"If I'm buying on e-bay or Craigslist I kind of want to know am I getting taken, is this a good fair price, what's the lowest I can offer on this?" said McGuckin Hager. 

The company makes money by charging a small fee to search the value of an item. Collectors can also pay to have their collection posted.

"It's a way for collectors to connect with each other and maybe fix up their incomplete collection," said Doyel.

iTaggit can be a good starting point when trying to figure out the fair market value of your stuff.

"It's kind of the bluebook of everything else," said McGuckin Hager.

Value reports from iTaggit's can be used for insurance purposes or estate planning. 
 

Job losses and pay cuts are forcing many Americans to reexamine their expenses, get more organized and perhaps seek out ways to make a little extra money.

Several relatively new or revamped Web sites based in Austin are helping people take stock and let the recession work for them. From shipping and storage to valuation and selling, these sites offer up some innovative tools.

Developers at iTaggit.com have made that sites product valuation tool stronger and more visible. Users can input a description of a collectible or other possession, including a number of details, and receive a search result that includes a value range for that product. They can also choose to sell what they’ve valued—anything from a Chinese vase to a set of collectible shot glasses—via iTaggit.com’s integration with online marketplace such as Craigslist, Oodle and eBay.

“People are obviously having a harder time and that gives rise to changes in how people look at their stuff,” said iTaggit.com’s Public Relations Director Amanda McGuckin Hager. “More and more people are downsizing, selling their stuff as they move for jobs, looking for extra money. We do think this tool is quite timely to help those people. Right now, whether you’re buying an item or selling an item, people want to know, ‘what’s a fair price?’”

iTaggit.com is what’s sometimes called a “freemium” site, which means many basic features are offered to users for free, while others are for premium users who pay a fee.

Another site, which is relatively new, is Sparefoot.com. CEO Chuck Gordon calls Sparefoot the “Priceline.com for self-storage.” Here’s how it works: a person who has some extra space in their home, garage or other location can post a listing on Sparefoot.com to rent it out. Those looking to rent space—perhaps cheaper than they might find it at a commercial self-storage company—can search the listings for free by zip code. The space owner in turn makes some extra money by renting out space they weren’t using anyway.