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  #1  
Old 09-23-2010, 07:43 PM
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Default Garage Sales

My neighborhood is having its semi-annual garage sale this weekend. I have never participated in a garage sale or even been to one. I have some stuff that I would like to get rid of, and thought I might try this route when the next one comes around in about 6 months.

I have been told that at these sales, people expect to get things for next to nothing. My question, to those who have held these sales, is how do you arrive at a price to try to sell your items? Most of the things that I would be selling are brand new, still in the box stuff, that was given to me as presents over the years. These are things that are nice, just not things that I have ever used. Just for an example, I was given a Stanley toolbox. I see it retails on the net for $55-60. Thanks for any help.
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Old 09-23-2010, 08:07 PM
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Do not know your situation, but the primary reason for the garage sale, at least in my neck of the woods, is to get rid of stuff you no longer need. It is priced low so that it will go. If you are trying to recoup money spent, you probably will not do well.

Folks that are trying to make as much as they can utilize the internet, but lots of stories are associated with that. Most are not so good.
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Old 09-23-2010, 08:48 PM
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My wife and I have had many garage sales over the years.

People will expect to pay next to nothing for whatever you have.

New in the box items should be marked down. You got it free. You don't need it. And it's just taking up space. I would sell the tool box for $45.00. If someone wants to give you $40, then take it. Give yourself some wiggle room.

Some people will test your patience. Some will show up late in the day figuring that you desperately need the money and they will offer you much less.

Also, some folks will be nice and some not so. Some will give you your asking price and some will try to steal from you. It's happened to us.

Take cash only. NO CHECKS!

No returns. No warranties. (yes, people ask)

And last, price all items clearly. Some people like to see a price without having to ask.

Good luck!
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Old 09-23-2010, 09:01 PM
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Also, you can expect to get your first customers of the day about 15 minutes before you are ready. If you post a sign that says "8-12", you'll get somebody at 7:30 asking if you're open. They are the early birds, they want to get the very first cut of the "good stuff" before it's sold. Nothing wrong with that, but it can annoy you if you're not ready yet and still trying to get things setup. Just be ready.
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Old 09-23-2010, 09:03 PM
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Also, watch for groups...they will take the five fingered discount. My wife knows this well at a couple of "garage sales" they've had at the church.

Pretty low to steal clothes at a church sale.
They'd give them away, which they do! So, why steal?
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Old 09-23-2010, 09:12 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy Griffith View Post
Also, watch for groups...they will take the five fingered discount. My wife knows this well at a couple of "garage sales" they've had at the church.

Pretty low to steal clothes at a church sale.
They'd give them away, which they do! So, why steal?

Keep a close watch on any smaller boxed items you may have or at the end of the day you will find an empty box is all that will remain. This happened at my wife's last yard sale. It seems the number of low lifes per acre is increasing, even in rural America.
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Old 09-23-2010, 09:20 PM
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You will get next to nothing at a garage sale. I would sell it on Ebay. I sold some things there and it was easy. I started out with two or three cheap items to get the feel of it. Don
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Old 09-24-2010, 12:12 AM
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Quote:
I said NO and promptly unplugged it and smashed it on the concrete floor of my barn at her feet.
Yeah - I'd go with the *not going to happen again* theme.
Be very happy that wasn't my wife!
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Old 09-24-2010, 12:37 AM
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Ah yes, the ol' yard sale/garage sale blues! Can't count the times my wife held one to make $. When you calc the man-hours involved you end up making about 15 cents per hour. Only good outcome is a cleaner garage.
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Old 09-24-2010, 12:45 AM
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Garage sales inevitably will bring out the cheapskates that want something for darned near nothing. I have found that realistic expectation is that people will pay no more than 50% of current retail for items even those that are NIB. If your items do not sell for that then list them on line, eBay or one of the free classifieds.
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Old 09-24-2010, 01:53 AM
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Plus---be aware of those that will take 25 cent stickers off an item and put it on a $40 item. This happened to my daughter this summer. They live in an affluent area and the lady they caught doing it was one of their upstanding church members.

The more people I get to know the more I love my dogs--good luck.

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Old 09-24-2010, 01:58 AM
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Be warned that the worst people at garage sales often drive the nicest cars and trucks. Seen this first hand at a garage sale held by my late mother-in-law. The worst was a well dressed crone driving an almost new Cadillac who got sniffy when told that the $5 price tag DID NOT apply to the whole table. The same day a car load of illegals, only one of which spoke any English, were a pleasure to deal with. Clearly thrilled with everything they bought and happy to pay the price marked. Ya just never know.
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Old 09-24-2010, 02:52 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bitstream View Post
Also, you can expect to get your first customers of the day about 15 minutes before you are ready. If you post a sign that says "8-12", you'll get somebody at 7:30 asking if you're open. They are the early birds, they want to get the very first cut of the "good stuff" before it's sold. Nothing wrong with that, but it can annoy you if you're not ready yet and still trying to get things setup. Just be ready.
Many folks advertise their garage sales on Craigslist and in the local newspaper that has a section just for this type of listing. If you go this route, to thwart the early birds you can just post your general location, (e.g., 5th Avenue at Maple Street or the 2400 block of Main Street, etc.) and mention in your ad to look for the garage sale sign posted the morning of the sale at, for example, 9:00AM. They can't jump the gun if they don't know the exact location until after you've let them in on it.

I have never had a garage sale, but I see this type of advertising regularly.
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Old 09-24-2010, 06:02 AM
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I just threw out 12-15 large trash bags full of "stuff". As I bagged it I noticed a lot of "stuff" I bought at garage sales. I don't stop at garage sales anymore. Hand tools are the only thing that might temp me.
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Old 09-24-2010, 06:52 AM
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A couple years ago I decided I needed to clean out my garage. Well, I call it a garage, my wife calls it a barn. It's a 36'x44' building with loft, cement floor and electricity. No livestock so it's a garage.

Had a yard sale. Very disappointing. Noticed that every Sunday there was a flea market Sunday morning at the county fairgrounds that charges a $15 set up fee. So once a month my kids help me load up the truck and I take a truck load of "treasures" to the flea market. This is an early event. You start setting up at 6:00 AM and by noon I'm back home. We've been doing this for three years now, weather permitting and a bad day is a couple hundred dollars extra in my pocket and half a truck of junk I do not have to take home.
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Old 09-24-2010, 06:58 AM
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My wife and I now take things we used to sell at yard sales and donate them to Goodwill. We got sick and tired of the lowlifes who would show up and say things like "I can buy those for ___ (a lower price than we had listed)" or "Would you take a penny?", or the lookers who made sure to make insulting remarks about either what we were selling or the prices we were asking (which were very reasonable). If we have something which has quite a bit of value and is easy to ship I list it on eBay. Now we don't have to waste an entire day dealing with a year sale and the lunkheads it draws. Also, anything we donate to Goodwill is tax deductable!
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Old 09-24-2010, 08:12 AM
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I'd guess your tool box might bring about $10-15 if you really want to move it. My suggestion is to forget about what you paid for stuff and concentrate on what somebody is likely to pay for it assuming they don't particularly want it to begin with but just can't pass up a bargain.
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Old 09-24-2010, 08:22 AM
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Garage sales are great...for the buyer. But people who have a lot of unwanted stuff can make some extra money too. Previous posters are right. Don't expect to get anywhere near the value of an item. You can have a brand new $10 item marked 5 cents, and sure as I'm typing this, someone will offer you 2 cents. Or want 10 of them for 5 cents. Better off going the ebay route, or maybe advertise in a local online 4-sale site like Craigslist. Also, make sure you keep a close eye on everyone who comes to the sale. Some have been known to have sticky fingers, leaving with items that weren't paid for, and even items that weren't for sale.
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Old 09-24-2010, 08:38 AM
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Unless you truly need the money.....don't do it. I had a garage sale once, and it was nothing but a pain. Everyone's comments are dead on. After my one garage sale, I was pissed off, tired, and felt like I needed a shower. Again, unless you need the money, I suggest doing what I do now.

There is a local women's shelter that I give practically everything to. Any household items are always needed since they are constantly getting a fresh supply of women who need a new start. Anything for kids is definitely needed. Anything they don't need, they can add to their once or twice a year sale to make money for the shelter. Trust me, you'll feel much better doing this and the people on the other end will truely be greatful which definitely doesn't apply to anyone you run across at a garage sale.
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Old 09-24-2010, 09:32 AM
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Wow our experience was way different. We had one last fall and we made $1600 for a two day sale. It took about 3 hours to set up. We were happy with the results and have another planned for later this fall. Good luck
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Old 09-24-2010, 03:05 PM
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Wow our experience was way different. We had one last fall and we made $1600 for a two day sale. It took about 3 hours to set up. We were happy with the results and have another planned for later this fall. Good luck
How did you decide what prices to charge?
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Old 09-24-2010, 03:16 PM
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I dont do yard sales anymore. For the work involved and the hassle of dealing with stupid people, I sell what is worth anything on ebay or craigslist and donate the rest to a church or charity for them to try and get a few bucks out of for themselves. Between the thiefs, the idiots who want to chew you down even lower than the already rock bottom prices, to just the hassle of cleaning everything at once, getting it out, watching it, then putting it back up just aint worth it...
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Old 09-24-2010, 05:20 PM
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Prepare yourself, when we held my brother's estate sale this summer the cheapskates were out in force. I told an abrasive "buyer" to leave when he insisted a buck for an unopened gallon of Prestone was too much. The older Hmong women were cheap too but they were so fun to haggle with I didn't mind.

Pricing is pretty subjective. Generally speaking, half the price of new is a good starting point and be prepared to go down from there, even if the item is brand new. If you aren't willing to let stuff go cheap you might as well stay home because you'd be wasting your time...
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Old 09-24-2010, 05:41 PM
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Quote:
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How did you decide what prices to charge?
---------We just ask a fair price which is usually more than what we actually want. Then when the buyer offers less we haggle and settle on a price. We weren't selling second hand clothes and worn out shoes. We collect glass ware, cast iron cook ware, weird stuff from the 60's and 70's. We try to collect the unusual. There is nothing worse than going to a garage sale and all that is available is worn out baby clothes. Good luck and have fun.

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Old 09-24-2010, 05:48 PM
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I have one every summer. I enjoy it. Me and a few friends lump our old junk together, buy an ad and wait for the festivities.

REAL HE-MAN YARD SALE
NO CANDLES, NO POT POURRI
NO BABY CLOTHES
FREE CIGAR TO THE FIRST 10 CUSTOMERS

I have a few cheap toys for the kids that always seem bored to death.
"How old are ya, kid"?
"Nine"?
"You're our first 9 year old today.(Doesn't matter if he was the 20th 9 year old) Have a parachute guy. Your mom might have to explain how that works"(I knew full well she was "grandma")
Little girls get a cheapie coloring book or soap bubbles.

At the end of the day, we have cleared out some unwanted huntin' and fishin' stuff. Some people got good deals on servicable items. And my neighbors have all their suspicions about me confirmed...
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Old 09-24-2010, 06:38 PM
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I have made out like a bandit at garage & yard sales in recent years. Especially when I find items I can resell at a profit!
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Old 09-24-2010, 07:39 PM
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I used to do garage sales but with today's internet you can only give stuff away at garage sales. I quit a couple of years ago. If I don't want it and it's not extremely valuable it goes to goodwill. It if has some value, like a tool box, then Craigslist. Really valuable then I post it on an appropriate forum. Garage sales are too much work to deal with too many rude people to make $10.
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Old 09-24-2010, 10:22 PM
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We had one about 10 or so years ago. It was fun. The problem was my wife underpriced everything to move it. It was the Saturday of a Memorial Day weekend. We didn't advertise, we live on a state highway with plenty of parking. We just started moving stuff out to the drive at maybe 8:00 in the morning. By 11:00 we were sold out. Everything was sold.

One woman lived down the road (up the hill) a few blocks. She paid but didn't have a way to move the corner cabinet she bought. So we put it in my pickup truck and I hauled it for her. Free delivery. My wife saw the woman last weekend - she still has the cabinet. And is happy.

If its junk, I toss it. If its something someone might like, I put it out at the curb. We've got hundreds of hillbillies a day driving past. Anything we put out vanishes pretty quick. Even scrap metal. Go figure.

When visiting other peoples garage sales, if you see anything hunting or gun related, ask questions. Be very polite, but ask if they've got any more hunting/shooting/gun related. Many women don't even consider that anyone would like that kind of thing. Some don't even know if its legal to sell the stuff. But a polite question sometimes reveals a lot of stuff underpriced.

Take special notice when you see reloading dies!!

On the issue of your own garage sale, don't leave any hints you have guns or shoot. Its an invitation for thieves.
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