Yard Sales/Garage Sales...pricing?

[Dueller]

My lovely nurse/SO wants to unload a buncha stuff in a garage sale. She thinks I shoiuld do the same and quite honestly I do have a lot of stuff/furniture/etc that I really need to pare down....make my life a little simpler possession-wise. In the past it just didn't seem worth the hassle and I donated it to Goodwill/Salvation Army/etc.

Just how do you price your old crap?

[URY914]

Price it to sell quick. If it doesn't sell it does not come back in the house, it goes right to Goodwill.

[matt711]

Its been my experience that it really doesnt matter what you price things at. Your customers are going to low ball you on everything. Our last garage sale I had a lady offer me $1 for a brand new (never opened) Keureg coffee maker. Then she asked if I had any K cups to throw in with the deal...

[Dueller]

I have no experience in this kinda thing. Never even been to a yard sale. Maybe I should try to CL some of the bigger items like antique furniture....

[id10t]

If it has real value, put it on clist or something with a real price.

If it may be junk, but someone may want it, pennies on the dollar. Clothing items for a buck a piece, etc.

[GH85Carrera]

Furniture is TOUGH to sell. Pieces that sold for a LOT new might bring pennies on the dollar.

Don't throw away anything thinking it will not sell. People will buy just about anything, even open boxes of stuff. Many are illegal immigrants and have nothing right now.

We had an estate sale for my parents estate. Three days of selling junk. I hired a professional to do the pricing and the setup up. He was expensive but worth it.

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by id10t

If it has real value, put it on clist or something with a real price.

If it may be junk, but someone may want it, pennies on the dollar. Clothing items for a buck a piece, etc.

Yeah...probably right. For example I have a 36" stainless steel range hood...NIB never installed. Retails for $1600...WON IT IN A CHARITY RAFFLE BUT TOO BIG FOR MY KITCHEN. Guess that's the kinda thing I should CL....

Iguess people who go to yard sales are looking for small chit

[Neilk]

Originally Posted by Dueller

Yeah...probably right. For example I have a 36" stainless steel range hood...NIB never installed. Retails for $1600...WON IT IN A CHARITY RAFFLE BUT TOO BIG FOR MY KITCHEN. Guess that's the kinda thing I should CL....

Iguess people who go to yard sales are looking for small chit

I'll give you a $10... will you throw in shipping to zip 75201?

Thanks!

[Dueller]

Originally Posted by Neilk

I'll give you a $10... will you throw in shipping to zip 75201?

Thanks!

PM me your full address...want me to overnight it? I'll even throw in a set of 8 and 9" polished early offset Fuchs!

[stomachmonkey]

For garage sales price it to sell.

They kind of suck because you get the "professionals" and hoarders who will badger and nickle/dime you.

There is an alternative to garage sales and craigslist.

Get on Facebook and look for a trading post page for your area.

We have several in my area.

They typically will be restricted to your town or a couple of towns in close proximity.

Common things you'll see are PPU, porch pick up, which means you agree on the price, leave the item out front, buyer comes and gets it and sticks the cash under the mat.

The advantage of these types of boards are you normally need to be let in by a mod. You have direct contact with the buyer/seller through PM's.

The people are local.

Most people price reasonably.

Rules are pretty simple, first person to comment is first in line, if you don;t respond or communicate within the time the board mod has set (usually 24 hours) you lose your spot and the next in line gets it.

I've done a number of local deals and it really works out. Couple of wrought iron planters $5.00.

Barely used Skill jigsaw in case with a ton of accessories $15.

My wife has done PPU's and gotten rid of my sons soccer cleats and other clothes he's outgrown as well as some of our daughters too small stuff.

[mistertate]

look up everything on Ebay

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Hmmmm. both of you paring stuff down.

How long before SO moves into your house?



Hey, someone has to note these things!



Put your good/expensive stuff up on ebay and meet them at a neutral public location unless you cannot easily move it. No need for people to find out where you live and never show...

[nota]

the junk you think you should throw away
they will fight over

the good stuff you want real money for
does not sell

[74-911]

Originally Posted by nota

the junk you think you should throw away
they will fight over

the good stuff you want real money for
does not sell

And that is pretty much my experience with garage sales except they don't fight over the junk, they just expect you to give it to them.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by Dueller

Yeah...probably right. For example I have a 36" stainless steel range hood...NIB never installed. Retails for $1600...WON IT IN A CHARITY RAFFLE BUT TOO BIG FOR MY KITCHEN. Guess that's the kinda thing I should CL....

do not put your kitchen on Craigs List - just remodel it so the range hood will fit

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Dueller

Yeah...probably right. For example I have a 36" stainless steel range hood...NIB never installed. Retails for $1600...WON IT IN A CHARITY RAFFLE BUT TOO BIG FOR MY KITCHEN. Guess that's the kinda thing I should CL....

Iguess people who go to yard sales are looking for small chit

You'd be surprised. My wife has had about 4 garage sales since we moved to our house almost 20 years ago. We've sold LOTS of furniture including a few couches and coffee tables, exercise equipment, refrigerator, freezer, etc.... People will buy ANYTHING, even broken junk. Price the stuff to go. When you do price stuff, for instance, if you want $10 for a toaster, ask $15. They LOVE to bargain and will often buy if they think they are getting a deal.

I always going into these things thinking that if I don't sell it, I'd be happy donating or throwing it away. Pricing Fri morning is highest, then lower in the afternoon and lowest on Sat. Here garage/yard/rummage sales are Fri and Sat, and can start at dusk which is usually 7-730am. There are folks that spend all morning going to garage sales and they start early.

If you are able to make and install signs however you like, make them bright and simple. I never put address, time, date on the sign. I also put the signs out in the morning when we put our stuff out and pick them all up when we are done. The road outside of my neighborhood is a 45mph road, and the speeds are usually 40-55. At that speed, the little black and white for sale signs that you can get at home depot or walmart are too small. We buy flourescent pink/green/orange posterboard, and put Yard Sale --> in huge black letters. At 50mph, signs need to be big. We usually have 8-12 signs to pull people in within 1/2 mile and the signs are all big and bright.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by nota

the good stuff you want real money for
does not sell

Then you are asking too much. If you don't want it any more, then you should be willing to price it accordingly.

I put a price up, if we get lots of interest, but no one is biting because of price, then I change tactics

"Well, we are asking $__, but it is very negotiable"

If they still balk, but they seem interested.

"Well, what would you offer/give me."

I've very, very rarely had something not sell that I really didn't want. I have a chainsaw that I didn't sell because I really didn't want to, and no one would pay my price.

[74-911]

A lot of what sells and pricing depends on where you live. The area we lived in for our last couple of garage sales( before we moved) was overall a low income area (S. TX), small town and somewhat rural.
Good furniture, hand-woven wool rugs, lamps, etc. did not sell unless you literally gave it away yet used kitchen appliances, used clothes, sheets, towels etc. sold like mad. What startled me was wife cleaned out all the shoes she didn't wear anymore and sold them for $5-$10 a pair (many were like new and were relatively expensive).

[ckelly78z]

Yea, put a low price on everything and do the bundling bit, where the they get a better deal if they take more stuff. I have the rule that 95% of the stuff will not come back in the house (will either give away or donate to organizations for the needy). The other 5% I will either keep or sell on clist or ebay.

My MIL get's rigid in her high pricing and dealing, and ends up taking a lot of crap back in the house because she won't give it away either.........makes no sense.

[WolfeMacleod]

If it doesn't sell, find your local Freecycle group.
I've been Freecycling half my life away over the past couple weeks, since we have to move soon.