I have collected a lot of stuff over the years. I can’t really think of any other way to describe it. I just have a lot of stuff. Inevitably, I run out of places to keep this stuff despite my best efforts. If there is something I can do pretty well, it’s hide junk where no one – including myself – will ever see it again. But it’s getting harder.

Some of this stuff haunts me nearly every day. The chair where I usually work on my laptop sits right next to the tower containing my CDs.

I have a pretty decent music collection. Some of the CDs go back to college. I even have the first CD I ever bought in there, R.E.M.’s debut album, “Murmur.”

I also have a bunch of duds. Sometimes I would look over at the stacks of CDs and wonder what possessed me to buy some of the selections.

A few weeks ago, I took a bold step forward. I decided to sell my CDs on eBay.

This doesn’t mean I am abandoning my love of music. The reason the CDs continued to sit in the corner next to my swivel rocker is because I burned the songs I like onto my computer a long time ago. In fact, I have almost everything I like to hear on two computers.

I saw no real reason to keep all these CDs in the house if I could find someone willing to give me money for them. Not only have I made a nice little profit – OK, it’s not a profit since I paid a lot more than I’m getting – but I have also gotten a glimpse into the whole eBay culture.

First of all, people ask a lot of questions. Well, not a lot, but they ask the same question a lot – what is the condition of the CD? Listen, people. I’m selling you a CD for as low as $1. Isn’t that enough for you?

Maybe I’m just naïve. I don’t think people are out there ripping others off for $1 plus shipping. I have managed to give polite answers. I guess the whole concept of caveat emptor has disappeared.

I have also learned that eBay really does prove that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. I sold one CD for $11. This wasn’t a rarity or anything. The CD only cost a couple of bucks more on Amazon.com. Not that I’m complaining.

Lastly, I learned that I can actually cut the cord. This whole exercise has surprised me. I always thought that if I held onto something that I might need it another day. Sure, I haven’t gone cold turkey since I have the songs I like on my computer. I’m also keeping my R.E.M. discs and some other special ones.

Plus, I have some cash that I didn’t have before.

With Christmas coming up, I should probably put my earnings aside for presents. But I have also seen some people selling their old video game systems on eBay.

I could probably get a pretty good deal. And I bet I could sell it for a profit in a few years.