Stacy Tallefson is a big Barbie fan. She always has been. The 46-year-old automation consultant from Boca Raton collects toys and dolls and owns a 3,000-piece Barbie collection.

Like many, Tallefson is seeking out shops that can make use of her old stuff and hopefully make a profit in the end.

Among those shops is Zaldiva Inc. in Oakland Park, which serves as a drop-off site for sellers interested in putting their items up on eBay, the online auction site. If the item sells, the store takes a small percentage of the sale price.

Stores such as Zaldiva can also save sellers the time and effort it takes to put an item up for auction, monitor the item, and then ship it, helping turn a cluttered basement into a handful of cash.

Elsewhere, people have trampled through Mike Ramirez’s Radio-Active Records in downtown Fort Lauderdale for about two years now, hoping to sell off their music collections. Ramirez said that the slumping economy has increased the number of people seeking to sell entire collections.

“There’s money in old vinyl,” said store co-owner Sean Kayes.

Mark Sabra, owner of Sunrise Pawnbrokers Inc. on Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale, said in times like this, jewelry is likely to fetch the most money, and gold always has value.

Derek Joseph, owner of Joseph’s Recycling Center in Fort Lauderdale, is reaping the benefits of a growing trend of recycling metal around South Florida.

“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, now I have gas or grocery money,’” Joseph said. “That’s extra income for them and their families.”

Part of his recent success comes from drivers in pickup trucks who cruise neighborhoods during bulk pickup weeks in Broward County searching for valuable material such as old copper pots and aluminum beach chairs. Residents can also save materials from construction projects like plumbing repairs which they can turn in for extra cash.

Although metal prices dropped by 20 to 30 cents a pound last year, Joseph said he has seen an overall increase in business during the past three months.

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