How Do I Declutter?: Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional
Get rid of a hot tub, treadmill, or sofa without hauling it yourself or meeting a stranger. Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional with Sarah Horgan.
The big things are the hardest to declutter. A treadmill nobody runs on, a sauna, a hot tub that came with the house, a dresser that took three people to carry in. On episode 187 of Simple + Intentional, host Sarah Horgan asked Commonplace founder Ari Kimmelfeld why these items stay so long, and how to let them go without hauling a sofa down the stairs or meeting a stranger from Marketplace.
Listen to the episode: 187// How to Declutter the Big Stuff (plus buying and selling secondhand with ease), Simple + Intentional with Sarah Horgan, aired October 6, 2026. Listen on Apple Podcasts.
Key takeaways
- The friction is not only physical. Guilt over what something cost keeps it in the house long after you stop using it.
- Be honest about use. If you are not using it, the space is worth more to you, and the item is still worth something to someone else.
- Selling a big item yourself means messages, no-shows, scam attempts, and a stranger at your door.
- On Commonplace a crew takes the item apart, carries it out, and pays the seller at pickup. Nothing leaves your property until you are paid.
- Moving and cannot take it with you? Store to Sell lists what you store, so it can sell while you are gone.
- Hot tubs, appliances, and swing sets often go to the landfill because they are hard to move, not because they stopped working.
Why did Ari start Commonplace?
Ari buys almost everything secondhand, from his shoes to his car. Friends and family would not, once the item was expensive, because the hassle was too high. He learned that the hard way buying a used Peloton without a car. The company exists to remove that hassle so a normal person will actually do it.
Sarah opened by asking Ari who he is and why he built the company. His answer started with how he shops.
I pretty much buy everything secondhand, from the shoes I'm wearing to my t-shirt to my car... What I found was a lot of the people around me, my friends, my mom, wouldn't necessarily look to buy or sell things secondhand because of the hassle, especially when it comes to the more expensive items. So the goal really from day one was to remove the hassle.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 02:48
Before Commonplace, Ari co-founded Trade My Spin, which sold secondhand Peloton equipment. That came from his own attempt to buy a used Peloton in New York City without a car.
Having to put that into a taxi after bringing it down a few flights of stairs in a walk-up. And by the time you get home, the calibration is messed up, the resistance isn't working, and then you're like, well, I might as well have just bought a new one.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 02:48
Why is it so hard to let go of expensive things you don't use?
The weight is only part of it. The other part is guilt: you paid a lot for a Peloton, a treadmill, or a sauna, and you are not using it. If it is idle, the space is worth more to you, and the item is still worth money to someone who will use it.
Sarah described the mental load of big items: "I really got to get rid of that, I gotta do something with that, I should start using that again." Ari said the hardest part is often not the lifting.
The friction isn't necessarily physical always. It could also be just the guilt. People buy a really expensive Peloton or a treadmill or a home sauna... there's the guilt of, well, I purchased this, but I'm really not using it. So you have to be honest with yourself about, well, if I'm not using it, then I could use the space. Let me declutter, let me open it up for something else. And then also the value of it, right? It's still worth some amount of money.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 13:27
Then comes the actual work of selling it. More on that in how to sell big items without meeting strangers.
How do you sell something big without meeting a stranger or getting scammed?
Selling a big item yourself means a stranger at the door and messages that ask for a phone number or a Zelle payment. That is where the scams live. On Commonplace a crew disassembles the item, carries it out, and pays you on the spot. Nothing leaves your property until that payment is done.
I need to sell this to someone, I have to move it. I have a stranger coming to my house, supposedly giving me thousands of dollars for something. And if anybody has used these platforms, there are legitimate scams... people message you trying to get a phone number or a Zelle or something like that.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 13:27
Commonplace is built so the seller skips all of that.
You also don't need to deal with strangers. We come in, we disassemble everything, we take it out, we pay you on the spot... Nothing leaves your property until you are paid.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 14:35
Listing is free. Start from the home gym, sauna, or furniture sell page.
Why does selling on Marketplace feel like a part-time job?
Two or three listings can bring dozens of messages a day from people who did not read the post. Then you agree to a drive at the only hour you are both free, and it still falls through. A one dollar reserve replaces the 'is this available' message, and nobody else can buy it while it is held.
Sarah said that when she was buying and selling on Facebook during her maternity leave, managing her listings took a quarter of her day. Ari had the same experience.
Managing the listings can sometimes be a part-time job. In my experience of selling, even if you have two or three listings, sometimes you'll get 20, 30 messages a day.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 23:03
Everybody has some crazy schedules. So they get home at 7 p.m., they're exhausted, now they have to drive 30 minutes, and then you have to be available at that time, but two out of the three times both parties are not going to be available.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 23:32
That is why Commonplace lets a buyer simply buy. Ari described the $1 hold:
When you list things, let's not get these annoying 'Hi, is this available?' messages. When you want to buy something, let's just buy it. We added a buy now button. For one dollar, you can reserve anything. And when you reserve it, nobody else can buy it.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 34:59
Why does it matter how many buyers see your listing?
A high-value item sells for what it is worth only if the people who want that exact thing can see it. Ari described a premium sauna listed in Texas that sold to a buyer in California who wanted that model. A 20 mile radius would have missed that buyer. Reach is part of the price, not a bonus.
If you have something that's high value, don't you want it to be displayed to the most number of qualified buyers that are actually willing to pay the price that it is worth?
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 23:32
Ari's example was a premium Finnleo sauna.
They were selling it, I believe it was in Texas, and the person that bought it was in California. It was the perfect buyer who was in the market for this specific brand, the specific model... But that person selling it in Texas might not have gotten top dollar if he was just selling it within the 20 mile radius of his home.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 23:32
What if you are moving and cannot take everything?
A move from a house to a smaller place leaves furniture that will not fit, and a storage unit only delays the decision while the fees run. Store to Sell picks the pieces up, photographs them, and lists them. When one sells, you are paid wherever you are. You do not have to be home.
Ari described a seller moving from a house in Texas to an apartment in New York City, where the furniture will not fit.
They also don't just want to put everything into a storage unit where it's just gonna sit there and they're gonna pay storage fees forever. So we have something called Store to Sell, which basically is what it sounds like... We put them into storage, we take some nice pictures of it, we list it on Commonplace. When it sells, we send you the payment wherever you are, so you don't have to be there.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 14:35
He also named the trap of storing everything to decide later.
You have 50 items just cluttered in a storage unit that you have to go through, you have to sort through, you have to list, you have to take photos, but they're in storage, so where are you gonna take nice photos?
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 20:32
Read more in moving and can't take your furniture, or see Store to Sell.
How do you know a used hot tub or appliance actually works?
A first-time buyer does not know which panels to pull or which jets to run, and a chatbot checklist will not crawl under the tub. Commonplace sends walk-around and operating videos before pickup. If that record is not approved, the item is not picked up, and it is certainly not delivered and paid for.
If you've never bought a refrigerator before secondhand or a hot tub, you'll show up and you'll have no idea what you're looking at. You might ask ChatGPT, what should I inspect? But are you really gonna crawl under a hot tub, remove the panels, check for any leaks in any of the tubing, check the jets?
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 37:30
We send all of that to the customer before the item even gets picked up... tons of walk-around videos, operational videos of how everything is working. Until all of that happens, it doesn't even get picked up, let alone delivered and then paid for.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 38:44
Where do old hot tubs and appliances end up?
Working hot tubs often go to a landfill because the owner pays a mover a few hundred dollars to make them disappear. The same thing happens to appliances. The friction of moving them hides the fact that they still have value. Selling, with a crew that already knows how to pull the tub, is the alternative to the dump.
Sarah asked about the environmental side: what happens to these items if nobody buys them?
Hot tubs are notorious for ending up in the landfill. In fact, people will pay a mover like four or five hundred dollars... to just get rid of their hot tub. And usually these are working hot tubs that may be three, four, five years old.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 42:41
There's so much friction with the first part of it that people kind of overlook the fact that there's so much value there.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 45:00
The full answer is in what happens to old hot tubs. To sell one instead, start on the hot tub sell page.
Is it okay to try fitness equipment you might not stick with?
Routines change with the season of life, and trying a new machine is how you learn what you will use. Each experiment used to mean full retail and a nightmare getting rid of the last one. If selling the last one is easy, trying the next one is a fair experiment instead of a permanent mistake.
Sarah pointed out how much of our identity rides on fitness purchases, and how much our routines change with each season of life. Ari agreed.
Sometimes it's nice to try a few different modalities so that you can discover what you really do like. The benefit of trying something you don't like is at least you know you don't like it... Every time you go from one experiment to another, usually that carries a big price tag and a big logistics nightmare in terms of getting rid of that.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 48:55
What is a Tonal?
A Tonal is a wall-mounted strength trainer with a screen and classes, closer to a full gym than to a cardio bike. Arms come out of the unit for moves like a bench press, and it folds flat so it does not take the room a rack would. People ask because the name is not as familiar as Peloton.
Sarah stopped Ari mid-answer to ask. Here is how he described it.
It's kind of like a Peloton in that it has classes for you, but it's more focused on strength. So it's kind of like this giant screen... and it has these arms that come out of it, and you can do bench press... It's kind of like a full home gym with a bunch of attachments... It goes on the wall, so it doesn't really take up any space.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 29:00
The bigger point: things can be easier
A lot of the guilt around unused equipment is the feeling that getting rid of it should have been simple, and was not, so it sat. Ari's point on the episode is that if the process is actually easy, it is fine to let the thing go. Ease is what makes an honest decision possible.
I think the truth is that things can and should be easier. And if they are, then it's okay. It really is okay.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Simple + Intentional #187, at 19:41
Categories in this episode
These are the two or three categories this conversation covers. Shop the used listings, or open the sell page when you are ready to let one go.
- Hot tubs. Selling one: sell your hot tub.
- Treadmills. Selling one: sell your treadmill.
- Sofas. Selling one: sell furniture.
FAQ
How do I get rid of big, heavy items like a treadmill, sauna, or sofa?
List it on Commonplace for free. When it sells, a crew comes to your home, takes it apart if needed, carries it out, and pays you at pickup. You never meet a stranger or move it yourself. Start a free listing.
Why is it so hard to get rid of expensive things I don't use?
Ari Kimmelfeld calls it friction, and it is not only physical. There is guilt over what the item cost, and then the work of selling it: moving it, messaging buyers, and letting a stranger into your home. Being honest that you are not using it is the first step.
What if I am moving and cannot take my furniture?
Instead of paying for a storage unit indefinitely, Store to Sell picks up the pieces most likely to sell, stores and photographs them, and lists them on Commonplace. When one sells, you are paid wherever you live.
Where do old hot tubs and appliances end up?
Often in a landfill. Ari said appliances hauled away by dealers usually go there, and working hot tubs are often removed for a fee when a new homeowner wants the space. They are hard to move, so their value gets overlooked.
Thank you to Sarah Horgan for having Ari on Simple + Intentional. Quotes are from the episode, lightly edited for reading. Listen to the full conversation on Apple Podcasts.
More from Ari's podcast interviews: questions Ari answered on podcasts and every show he has been on.
Clear out the big stuff
List it free. We pick it up, take it apart, and pay you at pickup.