Anyone ever had a yard sale?

docmay25 · April 2011

We just de-cluttered and are getting rid of anything we haven't used in the last year. We have a lot of stuff and a lot of it is still in good shape. I was going to donate it, but am now considering having a yard sale.

If you have had one, how hard is it? How much time does it take to prepare? My dh isn't thrilled about having all our stuff on display. I think it would be worth selling. What can you tell me about what to expect? any good tips?

pammieface · April 2011

i clean out my whole house every year the week after school is out and my sister and i have a yard sale together every summer. it's a huge pain in the rear end to set up for, but the actual day is pretty fun, at least in my opinion. we get to sit in the sun and watch people and spend the day together, all of which i enjoy.

the parts i hate are setting up the tables and then packing everything up to go to goodwill after it's over. the parts i love are getting rid of the clutter in my house and making some money off of it. it usually involves several hours the night before unpacking the boxes of stuff and putting the items on tables in some semblance of order, then pricing everything. those tables are then kept in the garage and/or on the porch and brought out really early in the morning.

you would be shocked, if you're not familiar with yard sales, with what people will spend money on. stuff you consider almost-trash. it blows my mind every year. you will also be shocked by how early people are ready to do this. we usually start our sale at 7 a.m. and people are always there snooping around before we go out to set up at 5:30 or 6. it's unreal.

Bootsie12 · April 2011

We had one after our wedding, it was great for us. The setting and taking everything down is a pain, but worth it to get rid of junk and make some money. We made over $700.00 and donated the rest to a charity which picked up the items from our house. Expect some true garage sale shoppers to show up early. Also, be ready for people to always ask to pay less. HTH

Tips:

1. Advertise well newspaper and craigslist. Put signs in the neighborhood (if allowed)

2. Organize your stuff for the sale such as kitchen stuff, clothes, etc.

3. We put items in groupings with signs that said all cups .25 cents, or all t-shirts $1

4. Make sure you have enough dollar bills and coin change.

Magdala9 · April 2011

Hold it with a couple of friends so that you have someone to talk to and to back up when someone starts to hard negotiate

Have a back bone when someone wants to hard negotiate

Don't overestimate the value of your stuff.

I don't price things, I just say make me an offer.

Put $25 in singles and $20 in coins in something that you carry (fanny pack)

Put any furniture in plain view. Furniture brings people into yard sales

Wear sunscreen.

Smile and chat with the people. It is a pleasant experience.

SillyLily08 · April 2011

Garage sales are a pain to organize, but so worth it in the end. We hold a garage sale every fall to benefit our local chapter of the Alzheimer's Associations (my grandpa suffers from Alzheimer's), and we earn around $600 every year. We use round colored stickers to price things out, which makes it really easy. For clothing we post signs to fill a bag for $2 or whatever (depending on the size of bags that we have). Don't overprice your stuff. Remember that you were originally willing to give it away, and selling it for cheap is better than nothing. In your ads, list out some of the items you'll have. We get big crowds for books, furniture, small appliances, collectibles, name brand clothing. Good luck!

heather2449707 · April 2011

My family has had them for as long as I can remember. It really depends on how much stuff you have to sell as to how much time it will take to prepare. Pricing is always the worst part. You can set up your hours for whatever you like. My family always did a 2 day sale just because so many members of the family contributed to it so there was a lot of stuff. It's definitely a good way to make some extra money off stuff you no longer need/want.

clea · April 2011

Put it on Craigs List under Garage Sales. Be willing to negotiate lower.

I can always tell a garage sale that is priced too high -- most of the stuff is still there at noon. Keep in mind your original goal -- to get rid of stuff. Tell DH he'll get to keep the money on his stuff haha. I do that but never keep track.

You can have a charity pick it up when you are finished, or put it on Freecycle.org if your board is relatively active.

Anyone ever had a yard sale?

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