Yard Sale Frustration

[SirPeale]

Having a yard sale this weekend...figured it would be a good time, being a holiday weekend and all.

We live on a street in the downtown region of our town.  Previous years have given quite a few customers.

This year?  I can count the number of people on ONE HAND.

At least I've made back the money for the ad I put in the paper.

I think the sale up the street has gotten all the people.  They're going there, and turning around.

[markrvp]

My experience with yard sales is that they are more trouble than the small amount of money you might make off of them.

[SirPeale]

The idea was to get rid of clutter more than get money.

Did get rid of some physically large items, so that was good.

I checked out the sale up the street.  They have  better parking, and they're at the head of the street as well.  I'm guessing they got the traffic we would have gotten if they hadn't thrown a sale as well.

[JONTHEBOMB]

If the items are in good condition and you think others could make use out of them, you could donate the items to Goodwill or a similar place.  We were going to have a garage sale a few years ago, but life got busy and it didn't happen.  Instead most of the toys went to Goodwill, other toys that were junked went to the trash.

If you want to steal some people from that other sale offer an incentive like free cookies.  Everyone loves cookies.

[zvar]

The idea was to get rid of clutter more than get money.

If the desire is to reduce clutter, go check out Freecycle.
It's a mailing list that allows one to post items they want to give away.

Steven

[crashwg]

If you want to steal some people from that other sale offer an incentive like free cookies.  Everyone loves cookies.

No no no...  Pie and chips!

In the words of a great lizard "everyone wants pie and chips."

[SirPeale]

If the desire is to reduce clutter, go check out Freecycle.
It's a mailing list that allows one to post items they want to give away.

I'm quite familiar with FreeCycle.  Put stuff up all the time.

Was looking to having some nice weekend (and rent) cash too.  There was a funeral today for a police officer that died, perhaps that's why it was so dead.  Maybe tomorrow will be better.

[USSEnterprise]

I went to several yard sales today. Got a dremel for $10

[DrewKaree]

I went to several yard sales today. Got a dremel for $10

Delivered to your basement?

[TOK]

My wife wanted to have a yard sale. I told her if she just got everything together, put it in the truck and threw it in the dumpster at my job I'd give her $100.

Yard sales and people selling crap on ebay for $5 are two things I just can't understand. Does their time have no value?

[SirPeale]

Depends.  Last sale I had I made close to $300.  Mostly stuff I hauled from the dumpster.  So the net profit was nearly 100%.

This year...not so much.  Today was better than yesterday by far.

I would have taken everything to the flea market like I have in previous years, but they keep raising their prices.  Last time I went it was $25/day, I'm sure it's at least $35 now.

[TOK]

Thats not a bad haul. I thought most people that did this were sitting out in the sun all morning haggling with weirdos over 50 cents and lucky to make $50 for all the aggravation.

[DrewKaree]

Who's to say he's still not haggling with weirdo's?

[hypernova]

Who's to say he's still not haggling with weirdo's?

Peale, did you see USSEnterprise?

[shardian]

A bad rumage sale cash-in around where I live is $100. Usually get around $150-$200. The weird thing about rummage sales is that you will sell absolute junk for alot of cash, but the stuff that is actually worth something, you can't hardly give away. I've had horrid sweatshirts and the like I didn't even want to put out for fear of running people off, but the wife not only says put them out there, but put $5 each on them. Sure enough, some lady comes by and buys the lot of them!
I'll be having a rumage sale next weekend. Hints for newbs: Have your rummage sale the first weekend of the month. You will make more money.

[Dervacumen]

We have a sale every three years or so and average about $400-$500.  We time it for the hottest part of the year, and make $30-$40 selling bottled water for a buck a piece.
One year we picked lemons off our tree and sold them 5 for $1.00 and made about $20.

[shardian]

the water thing is a great idea! I will do that this Saturday. We have had 90+ weather all week here in WV. We tried a bake sale one time, but it didn't work so well. At least I got to stuff my face with cookies though.

[SirPeale]

Hints for newbs: Have your rummage sale the first weekend of the month. You will make more money.

Interesting...why'zat, anyway?

[sirwoogie]

Hints for newbs: Have your rummage sale the first weekend of the month. You will make more money.

Interesting...why'zat, anyway?

Paycheck came in.

[geneazevedo]

A friend of ours also had a yard sale on the holiday weekend...we took a load of stuff over.  Very slow in terms of number of people here too.  The good thing is that they sold a table and 4 chairs set, and a 3 piece sofa set and got good money for them.  Their goal was to get rid of these large items, and they did!

We got rid of a few things...made about $100 on stuff that's just in the way all the time.

[MYX]

Good Signage is a Major MUST. Heck with ads in the paper. When local elections come around I usually apprehend several of their signs as they make even better garage sale signs. I usually will buy about 10-15 pieces of blinding neon orange or yellow poster board and the fattest black magic marker I can find. This will make about 20 signs.  I usually make the signs the a couple of nights before while watching TV. I duct tape the poster board onto the election signs. I make a bunch of thin strips of posterboard that are nothing but arrows. Go the night before the sale and hit your heaviest intersections and put the main signs out. Then I tape an arrow on it what ever direction yer house is (this way you don't have to figure out ahead of time exactly where the signs will be). Then put arrows all the way back to your street (NOT YOUR HOUSE). Only put your yard sinage out in the morning when you are ready to begin or you will have some guy with bad English beating your door down wanting to see yer stuff.
I personally made over $300 at our last one and our family as a hole was about $550.

Selling tactics... Place a couple of really high dollar items in the garage that you might want to sell but not too sure. Put a price in your head as to what you might take for it. DO NOT TRY TO SELL IT AS PART OF THE GARAGE SALE. People will see it and inquire about it. They will pay more if they have to coerce you to sell it. I sold an original Nintento and carts for like 50$ (I wanted $10) Not that I have several arcade machines, I am thinking about putting my Thunderblade down there in the background to see if someone bites.

ALSO, NEVER PUT YOUR ADDRESS ON A GARAGE SALE SIGN! Should you forget to pick up a sign or two, no one will come give you the ol inout inout.

We usually put a post on Freecycle and say that if they come after x o'clock they can take what they want. This means that whatever you don't sell doesn't have to come back into your house.