If you are not in need of fast cash, you simply hold on to things you consider valuable and wait until you are in need or the buyer reaches the amount that you consider favorable. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen when you are in dire need and you can just settle for a cheap trade off just to get your hand on that much needed cash.
To protect yourself against an unfair and cheap trade off of something of value, then you must be able to prepare for any eventualities.
These sad situations happen only because you are caught unaware. So to protect yourself of a cheap trade off, then learn to save before the need arises. Sure, emergencies can’t be foreseen but you know that they are bound to happen. So learn to save even a fraction of your monthly income for emergencies. This way, you can still hold on to things that you hold dear without you being forced to sell them at a fraction of their real value just because you need the money.
A little saved will become much in the future. The time will come when you will be on the other end of the rope, so while you are not there yet, do what you can so that you can survive if and when this tying time comes.