Any yard sell hints?

[WriterDom]

I put an ad in the paper and have a couple of signs. I have some stickers and index cards for pricing. Never had one before.

 

[bailadora]

Not sure how you are setting up, but I've always found it helpful to have a friend over to act as my cashier. Check out is set up at the end of the driveway (with all the merchandise located on the upper sections) and I take no payments. This helps in several ways: 1) I'm better able to walk around and keep an eye on my stuff 2) since there is only one point of check out, people leaving with stuff in hand will have had to go through that area, so there's no question of whether or not they paid for their items 3) since I don't have to worry about handling the $$, I am also free to answer questions as they arise and negotiate prices if a customer is so inclined. If I do lower a price, I mark the new price in red on the existing tag and since my cashier knows this is my MO, there is no question of what the actual price is once someone proceeds to check out. Also when I've acted as cashier for friends at their sales, I always keep the $$ in a carpenter's apron around my waist. I don't like cash boxes because it's way too easy for someone to snatch and run with it.

If you can, borrow tables if you don't already have some to set out some of the smaller items. If you have clothes or bedding to sell, put them on hangers and find a way to display them from a bar or something (like you would find at a store). It's been my experience that most people hate pawing through bins and generally will not bother with them. If you have furniture you are selling, such as shelves, it might not be bad idea to "stage" them somehow. I once had some glass bowls and vases I wanted to sell while my friend had some bookshelves she wanted to get rid of. We utilized the shelves to display the knick knacks and ended up selling most of them as well as the shelves.

That's all I can think of for now. Hope you have a successful sale.

 

[buxxxom]

I put an ad in the paper and have a couple of signs. I have some stickers and index cards for pricing. Never had one before.

Yeah, donate it all to Habitat for Humanity, take the tax write off and be rid of the headaches.

 

[fire_breeze]

I put an ad in the paper and have a couple of signs. I have some stickers and index cards for pricing. Never had one before.

Here are a few tips I picked up while working in theatre bazaars and helping to organise a couple of yard sales that may or may not help.

Be prepared that if you said that your yard sale starts at 8.30am, that people are going to show up at 7.30. Most of these are fripperie owners, looking to stock up. Offer them a good deal, because they buy. A lot.

Make your home visible. Use helium balloons, or signs, or fly a kite on your lawn, bringing attention to your house.

Be willing to negotiate. The point of yard sales is to get rid of stuff, with money being a second. If you find that someone is debating between two items, sell them together.

Have several extension cords out and ready, so that the person can see for him/herself or test any electrical appliances.

You can also make photos of larger items and have several copies ready with your phone number on them. That way, if someone is interested but needs to show his/her spouse, you can give them the photo and they can call you back if they agree on it.

Also, if your town permits it, have lemonade or juice available for free (along with some crackers or cookies). Where there's free food, there's people. Where there's people and stuff to sell, there are potential sales.

My brother and another close friend are both charmers and many mutual friends ask them to help out at their yard sales. All they do is go around to talk to people and make them feel at home (or at least that's what they tell me ). In any case, it apparently works. People stay longer, and they end up buying.

Also, it's suggested that at the end of the day, you get rid of the stuff. If you keep it, it accumulates and then you'll have more stuff to sell and it becomes a vicious cycle. Over here, there's an organisation that helps newly arrived families (especially those who are escaping oppression, or extreme poverty) by providing basic necessities. They accept donations of any kind, and seeing as yard sales are mostly home stuff, this is an ideal place to donate. Or maybe a homeless shelter or the Y or Habitat for Humanity that all are geared on helping others get back on their feet and are always grateful for home-things donations.

Good luck.

 

[simplegirl]

Also, keep your pricing simple. For instance, for selling books, don't bother pricing each individually. Make one half-decent sized sign saying "books $1 each" or whatever you're selling them for, rather than $1 for this one, $4 for that one.... Same with anything you have a lot of and want to move, such as stuffed toys, records, cd's, movies, knick-knacks, etc..

Believe it or not...it's the junk that will sell. The half-decent stuff will probably stay with you but it depends on what people are looking for.

Have plenty of old grocery bags, to load up people's purchases.

As previously mentioned, keep the money on you.

Also as previously mentioned, be prepared to budge on your price...you want to get rid of the stuff.

Happy selling!

 

[glynndah]

Price your items cheaply enough so that you're not stuck dragging them back into the house or into the truck at the end of the day.

Have a box of free stuff.

Post your signs and then drive around to make sure they're actually read-able from the street.

 

[pplwatching]

Good advice everyone. Personally, if I am not doing fundraising I will just donate to Goodwill or SA. My goal is usually to get rid of clutter, but then I am fortunate enough to have a job and not be strapped for cash. The tax write off is so subjective anyway ;-)

Someone who is interested enough to make you an offer is either a) going to try to resell on e-bay or b) genuinely likes what you have. You're wasting your time with the 'a' group because they'll never make reasonable offers. Lowball offers are a flag that you'll waste your time with this person. If you make one reasonable counter offer and they balk, let them walk and spend your time with another customer.

If it's hot outside, provide some kind of shade.

Price your items cheaply enough so that you're not stuck dragging them back into the house or into the truck at the end of the day.

Cheaply enough means 'what people will pay for it', not 'what you think its worth'. I have been to many yard sales where the prices were half of retail or, worse yet, based on sentimental value. Drive by at 3:30 and they've still got all of their stuff.

I suggest taking a couple of hours browsing thrift stores. Look at their pricing strategy for the kinds of things you are trying to sell. If they're selling something for $1.50 that you think should be worth $10, try to find out why.

As previously mentioned, be prepared to negotiate. If you are no good at that (I'm not) then get someone who is to help you (my wife is ;-).

Good luck

 

[WriterDom]

There are a lot of women's clothes here. Who knows how old but I know some women like old vintage clothes. Can I just stick 5 dollars on all the clothes? What doesn't sell I'm going to just give away. Or is 5 too much? 3? I'm talking 3 closets full.

 

[fire_breeze]

There are a lot of women's clothes here. Who knows how old but I know some women like old vintage clothes. Can I just stick 5 dollars on all the clothes? What doesn't sell I'm going to just give away. Or is 5 too much? 3? I'm talking 3 closets full.

What I know a lot of people do for clothes is that they sell them by the bag. A large bag is between 3 - 5 dollars, a small one is 2. They then just fill the bag et voila!


Unless of course, they are designers. Then you can charge a little more, but make sure you advertise that.

A rule of thumb is to continually knock down the prices.

 

[pplwatching]

Or is 5 too much? 3? I'm talking 3 closets full.

You might do both. If it is at all possible, get a rack rather than piling stuff up on tables (or make one out of a curtain rod). Sort higher quality items from lower quality. Sort natural fabric (E.g. wool, silk) away from synthetics. Do you know any women who might be willing to come help you sort? Take a good look at the stitching. Anything showing signs of wear, discoloration, loose threads, or missing buttons should be separated away and priced less than similar items that look "like new". I know it sounds obvious, but you don't want the more worn items distracting their eye from the better quality items.

 

[gigi1968]

Also you might want to put notice on local "Freecycle" or "Cheapcycle" website. When I have a sale I post it on those local versions of the website and tell them 10% off if they mention the site. I normally get more traffic from the sites then local paper and signs. Also see if anyone else in neighborhood want to have sale at same time. It improve the traffic if you can put multi-family or neighborhood sale.

Good Luck!

 

[Shadowann2]

Also you might want to put notice on local "Freecycle" or "Cheapcycle" website. When I have a sale I post it on those local versions of the website and tell them 10% off if they mention the site. I normally get more traffic from the sites then local paper and signs. Also see if anyone else in neighborhood want to have sale at same time. It improve the traffic if you can put multi-family or neighborhood sale.

Good Luck!

Our Freecycle group doesn't allow us to advertise yard sales, but we have a Freecycle Cafe group that does. Check the rules of your local group before you post.

Also, we have a local radio station that has a spot on their website that lets you post your yard sale. You might want to see if any of your local stations have the same thing.

 

[bobinks2]

If you have Craigslist in your area, post your sale there. You can even post photos of some of your better stuff.

Putting a price on everything you want to sell can take a lot of time. At our last garage sale, we intended to price everything, but it was just too much work. My wife just made up prices when people asked how much stuff cost. It saved a lot of time.

Also, it rained on the day of our garage sale. We had everything on tables ready to cart out onto the driveway. When it rained, I assumed that the sale was over. People just came and squeezed through all of the junk in our garage. We still made decent money.

 

[WriterDom]

I invited the neighbors next door to put some stuff out if they want.

 

[SweetErika]

How did your sale go, WD?

We're going to have a major yard sale within a month. Did you learn anything or find any techniques especially helpful?

 

[Eilan]

Earlier this summer, someone my mom knows was robbed at gunpoint by a man who showed up as she was closing up her yard sale for the day. He came up to her like he was going to pay for a couple of fishing rods, set them down, and said, "I'll take these--and all your cash," as he pulled out a gun. She'd made about $250. It wouldn't surprise me if asshats like him scoured the papers looking for people to rob, so be careful out there.

A few years ago, my hometown passed an ordinance that required people to apply for a permit each time they wanted to have a yard sale. I'm not sure of the cost, but I know there was a fee for the permit. The ordinance also mandated how often a household could have yard sales--something like no more than once a month, IIRC. If you're not sure whether or not your area does this, it might be something to look into.

 

[sugaredwalls]

How did your sale go, WD?

We're going to have a major yard sale within a month. Did you learn anything or find any techniques especially helpful?

If you live under a Nazi regime...lol, a HOA (home owners association), make sure garage sales are kosher with them. In Arizona, we could only have garage sales a couple of times a year which was good and bad. Good, they did all the advertising, bad because you had to compete with neighbors possibly selling better stuff.

No, seriously! I'm an avid garage sale shopper, you find great stuff that way! If the sale looks overly junky, it usually is and I pass pretty quick. I'm just not in to stepping over boxes and piles of crap to see if they have anything good. The neater the stuff is laid out, the more inclined people are likely to stop. The more at level (meaning they don't have to stoop to the ground) you have your stuff, the more you will probably sell. A lot of old people love to shop garage sales but if they have to bend over to look, forget it. An open garage with some clothesline from end to end makes a great place to hang clothes. Another good way to sell clothes is to pair stuff together as an outfit, with the accessories (jewelry, belts, scarves) and a purse if possible. When it looks appealing, someone will want it.

Lol, I'm a sucker for gimmicky stuff. Put stuff in a paper bag and price it at 50 cents as a "mystery bag". I bought one and wound up with a cute coin purse I still use.

If you have a ton of books to get rid of, sell them by the inch. A buck for a foot of books. You make money and get rid of books you don't want. You just keep a ruler handy and round off in the customer's favor. I recently went to a garage sale where they were selling mostly books and that's how they sold them, thought it was a good idea.

As far as advertising, look for sites online for locals who, like me, are avid garage sale shoppers. There are numerous ones, too many to list here but if you google "garage sale (insert your area) you'll come up with a ton of hits. A lot of times people are looking for specific things and if you have it, you can list it. That ensures you not only make money but you get rid of the item. Nothing is worse than having a garage sale, doing all the work for it and then still having a bunch of stuff to get rid of. Signs and stuff are good to get the people driving/walking by but if you are serious, use online to advertise to get people there.

People love to dicker price at garage sales, lol, I know I do! Be prepared to be flexible on prices.

And of course (You're smart and savvy but I'll say it anyway) as Eilan posted, watch out for shady people. It's probably not a good idea to be on your own at the end of the day when they know you have money from your sale.

And also, watch out for cons, seen this a few times. They pull the old ruse of "hey, I gave you a twenty dollar bill" bullshit. They will also say "I already paid you for the item" or something like that. Pathetic, but people try to pull that crap all the time.

Hope this helps!!!

 

[silverwhisper]

um...did you see the date/time stamp on the OP? :>

ed

 

[sugaredwalls]

um...did you see the date/time stamp on the OP? :>

ed

Um, the last post made was yesterday. Your point????

 

[silverwhisper]

writerdom created the thread 5/4. i think it safe to say that his yard sale has already happened. :>

ed

 

[SweetErika]

writerdom created the thread 5/4. i think it safe to say that his yard sale has already happened. :>

ed

Yes, I saw it when I searched for it and posted. You must know what a stickler I am for thread dates and proper bumping.

We've been putting off clearing out our junk for several years, and our weather and schedules makes having a sale kind of difficult, so I can see where WD might have decided to postpone his own sale for some reason.

At any rate, those of us who are planning sales are getting more good tips, so no harm done, right?

 

[sugaredwalls]

Gee, I didn't know there was some sort of rule about posting on old threads.

 

[SweetErika]

Gee, I didn't know there was some sort of rule about posting on old threads.

It's more of a norm, I think.

You know how sometimes we get people (newbs, usually) who start combing through the archives and bumping threads that were last posted on in like 2003? They're often totally irrelevant replies, like, "I licking cum 2," but about a quarter of the time the bumper gives a heartfelt solution for a problem that was undoubtedly solved like eight years ago. These members are either clueless or just hoping to increase their post count; either way, the behavior can disrupt the forum by burying the newer threads that actually need replies.

That's the kind of thing that's discouraged. Very few people seem to take issue with rational bumping (like I did here, IMO). In fact, many of us prefer bumping, say, a good anal thread, than the member starting yet another thread with the same dead-horse topic.

 

[silverwhisper]

erika quoth:
we're going to have a major yard sale within a month. did you learn anything or find any techniques especially helpful?

oops, this was the part i missed in erika's post.

sorry about that, ladies: my bad. i wasn't reading carefully enough.

ed

 

[sugaredwalls]

It's more of a norm, I think.

You know how sometimes we get people (newbs, usually) who start combing through the archives and bumping threads that were last posted on in like 2003? They're often totally irrelevant replies, like, "I licking cum 2," but about a quarter of the time the bumper gives a heartfelt solution for a problem that was undoubtedly solved like eight years ago. These members are either clueless or just hoping to increase their post count; either way, the behavior can disrupt the forum by burying the newer threads that actually need replies.

That's the kind of thing that's discouraged. Very few people seem to take issue with rational bumping (like I did here, IMO). In fact, many of us prefer bumping, say, a good anal thread, than the member starting yet another thread with the same dead-horse topic.

No prob, I can clearly see that this forum takes the brunt of asshat threads/thread bumps! Compared to the threads about taking inappropriate pictures of family and an 18 yr old trying to fuck a MILF....this garage sale bump is looking pretty damn good huh?