First ever garage sale. Don't do it.

[gassy]

What were we thinking? 8-3, one day only. I'm sitting out front right now slamming Guinness just waiting for it to be over. One hour left. Thankfully the weather is perfect. We've made just enough to cover a bottle of Maker's and the two NY strips from Mike's Meat Market that are going on the grill at 3:01 pm. Don't ever have a garage sale. Just give it all to charity.

[Taz's Master]

You bet, they're awful. My garage was used for one, and it will never happen again.

[turbocarrera]

http://www.freecycle.org/

[Drago]

Garage sales? I thought that was what wives were for.

[gassy]

She was there slamming Guinness, too, Drago. Whoops--sorry--my wife and I are ='s...

[gassy]

great link turbocarrera!

[billyboy]

Out here in California, you really have to be careful. Groups or families-familias, will swarm your sale and use various tricks to steal or defraud you, plus they may just be casing the house/garage for what they can steal at a later time. It just isn't worth it to me.

[gassy]

I'll never do it again. 7 hours I can't get back!

[campbellcj]

We had one several years back, when we were preparing to move. We actually did very well - unloaded almost 100% of the stuff and used the proceeds to buy an antique dresser we found later the same day.

We lived in a dense area (West LA) on a street with a lot of foot and car traffic, which helped a great deal.

[Jims5543]

Originally posted by Taz's Master
You bet, they're awful. My garage was used for one, and it will never happen again.

Ditto, never again. We give to a place called Hibiscus House that resells the stuff with the profit going to aid for battered women.

Although, a buddy called me one day that likes going to them and told me some old man was selling what looked like a really old Land Surveying tool. By his description it was an old transit from the mid 1800's. I raced there to buy it and he had already sold it for $50. It was worth a lot more than that.

I still will not throw one or attend. Maybe drinking beer would be the best way to do one. Good idea gassy.

[dmcummins]

I just donate everything and take the tax write-off. There are several charities that just call when they are in the neigborhood and they come get my junk.

[bryanthompson]

We had one once... never again. Now friends get any of the stuff they want, and the rest goes to goodwill. I think they'll even come pick it up in the bigger areas.

[austin552]

We are having one this Weekend. Lots of traffic. Did $250 Sat. Got to drag all the junk left out today for another try, then its Goodwill. This is yard sale country here.

[bell]

i had a few things to get rid of........i just waited until a neighbor was having a garage sale, hauled the stuff over and we split the $$

[masraum]

They're a pain in the azz, many of the people that come to them are crazy as bed bugs, but you can make a ton of money. We've had a few to get rid of our junk (really, junk) and sell at pennies on the dollar just so we don't have to take stuff back inside. You just have to have enough junk and get people there. We put up poster paper sized bright orange signs with bold black writing out on the main street off of our neighborhood.

[Drago]

Originally posted by gassy
Whoops--sorry--my wife and I are ='s...

What I meant to say is that I've never participated in her garage sales. I have no interest and if she's not selling anything of mine why would I want to sit and deal with all the low-ballers?

She loves having garage sales, I loath them.

[gassy]

I do too now. The steaks and manhattans afterwards sure were good though!

[cstreit]

Crap. We're moving and doing one of these too... MAJOR pre-move purge.

[gassy]

Are you staying in Naperville?

[cstreit]

Yep! Just moving a few miles south... Similarly large space so I can expand the garage to a more work-friendly size... Oh, and it has a house too.