this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2025
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What kind of things could a person carry to sell and how if they ever had to forcibly leave?

I read diamonds are worthless second hand.

Solid gold seems legit but not sure if coins or jeweler is best.

I saw something about getting gold chains to trade individual links in a emergency.

Are there any other good tips?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago

If you are fleeing from the US, get a bunch of guns. Gotta make money from illegal weapon sales overseas, just as the founders intended. 😎

God Bless The 2nd Amendment πŸ™

(Also, build a backyard nuke while you're at it, sell it to the Libyans)

[–] ickplant 6 points 4 hours ago

Printer ink.

I’m just kidding… listen to all the other smart people in this thread and not me.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 7 hours ago

If you’re planning to leave with enough time, register a business or trust or something, transfer your money to a shell company, repeat as necessary then transfer it to the place you’re trying to go.

Use the tools of the people with money not the tools of people who get patted down for loose change by the tsa.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

US: The way to effectively do thos is to open a series of accounts, in a tree structure, in countries that aren't CRS compliant. Disperse the money into the structure. This will buy time, mitigating losses in the event of an asset freeze, likely not being caught until FACTA reporting to the IRS. Get the money out ASAP. There's better methods if laws don't matter.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 11 hours ago (3 children)

Currency. Paper money that has high acceptance internationally, like US Dollars or Euros, both can be easily traded by local currency pretty much anywhere in the world.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

Lol, not US Dollars. Not after November 5th, 2024.

Just go Euro

[–] [email protected] 16 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Idk how long the US dollar will have high acceptance internationally. I mean it may not change much or it may change a lot, depending on what happens the next few years.

[–] Valmond -5 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah the BRICS will make the dollar obsolete.

/s (if that wasn't super obvious)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Honestly I didn't get the joke because i didn't know anything about BRICS until just now πŸ˜…

[–] Valmond 2 points 4 hours ago

Russia is trying to make business with poorer countries to prop up the falling ruble, etc. I don't think the dollar or the euro has anything to be afraid of in the near future.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 hours ago

Seconding this. The best money is still money.

If you can't get a good stable currency or you have legitimate fears that the currency you can get is in danger of some kind of collapse, gold or silver coins would be your best second bet. In this case you'll want well known coins minted by an actual government such as an American gold eagle or the Canadian silver maple leaf rather than the coin shaped "rounds" that a lot of places sell. The rounds will have the same issue as jewelry, you'll have to haggle over weight and quality every time you sell one. Actual coins issued by a government mint will have pretty well established values so they will be easier to sell at a fair price.

[–] anon6789 7 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Not a topic I'm super familiar with, but I feel I've heard people often are either robbed or have their items confiscated by authorities. Same with unhoused people not wanting to have stuff that would make them a target.

If it was something you had a little bit of prep time for, ziplocking USD or EU and seeing it into a grubby jacket where the repairs would blend in and not garner attention would be the most portable and effective thing to do while minimizing theft potential, other than having all eggs in one basket unless you split it between different garments. Also make sure it is pretty weatherproof to prevent mold damage.

It also has the benefit of being immediately usable, should you need to pay for transport or food. If it was seen in a puffy coat, one could discreetly remove one pack of bills while leaving the rest secure. The immediacy that cash can be used may make up for having something potentially more valuable that you would have to barter or fence, as pretty much any human has a need for cash.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

To add that secret compartments in your accessoirs.
My sling bag for example has 2 velcro pouches on each side of the band. You would think they are sewn shut but on closer expections they are actually vecroed.
Using it as a emergency storage for some coins. Helped me once already.

Not putting in a link until requested. No need to advertise :)

[–] anon6789 0 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I think I actually had a coat once with a hidden pocket like this that I didn't know about until I had it for quite some time! It wasn't big enough to hold a lot, but it was a very secret stash. Even some coats I have with inside pockets blend in very well, but those probably wouldn't pass someone searching me at a checkpoint of any kind.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago

My pouches are a sort of faux leather type of material. I couldn't fill it with anything bulky but I could certainly get a small stack of 200€ bills inside without being bulky.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

If you're crossing a border they'll try to customs you about gold coins/bars, jewelry you can claim is like, a precious family heirloom or your wedding ring or whatever.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 hours ago

I think its like $10k for in or out of the US and items of value

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

From the phrasing "fleeing a country" I imagine they want to circumvent border checks/wouldn't be able to pass a border legally anyway?

[–] cornshark 4 points 7 hours ago

It's unclear. If they're a trans person fleeing the US, they could still pass the border normally for now.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I'm fairly sure these days most refugees at least go through some manner of process in the country they claim asylum in. You can't really exist off grid anymore

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I know some people who largely do exist off grid, but in any case, for asylum claims it's common to claim asylum after having already crossed the border of the target country without going through the checks. My friends who are asylum seekers have done that. I imagine in general you'd have less chance of being deported if you're already living in the country vs trying to cross the border.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago

AFAIK, in all anglosphere countries at least, the vast majority of asylum seekers are processed by border patrol shortly after entry, and they certainly would go through your belongings on the premise there was drugs or a nuke or something and find the gold bars.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

Good usecase for bitcoin, bring your private key

[–] andrewta -1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Not sure why downvoted. It’s just memorizing a username and password.

[–] moistclump 1 points 7 hours ago (3 children)

Stupid question. How do you then get cash for that wherever you end up? Do you need a bank account?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

If you aren't trying to hide the money, just find an online exchange like Coinbase or Kraken (they'll ask your real identity of course), then link to bank account, and voila!

Also there are bitcoin ATMs everywhere. They'll also ask for your identity these days.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 hours ago

Same as with everything else: you sell them to someone willing to buy

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 hours ago

There are random bitcoin/crypto ATMs in some major cities.
So probably there. Dunno if they require an account.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 hours ago

If you are serious, learn a trade. They will always be in demand.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Gold is still the preferred way of storing wealth in many parts of the world. You can just take gold bars with you which should have value anywhere.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

There are actually limits to what you can bring into/out of a country.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (1 children)

You could also explore some crypto options like monero (XMR). It can be theft resistant if you set it up properly.

Edit: Mind replying to me instead of downvoting? What is the problem with crypto in this scenario?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Lolol, it's the Reddit mindset, they see "Crypto" they insta downvote.

Btw, there's always like 1-3 downvoters from bots, even if you make a totally non-political post like a picture of a cat. That's just how Lemmy is.