@Barbalot , I’m not sure about how to price items as it depends on your area and also how quickly you want to get rid of them! Using stickers and price signs will save you a lot of time. Nowadays, people advertise garage sales on Craigslist with pictures of some of their items.
Getting ready to donate a leather sofa which is in great shape. S doesn’t want it for his apartment because its more a pain to transport it there. While trying to repair a lose part of the frame, DH discover coins, small toys and an old drivers license that had made their way through the crevices over the years.
One suggestion. Put the stuff that does not sell well into a bin labeled “free” an hour or so before you plan to end the sale. Let it sit in the driveway or curbside for another hour or two. There are garage sales scavenger hunters who go after such freebies. If this stuff does not get picked up, most likely, no one will need it. Throw it out rather than taking it to Goodwill.
Today I took 8 coats for donatation to the dry cleaners - which has a yearly winter coat drive. These came from cleaning out the front hall closet when we had our floors done. Now I have to go into the basement and gather the coats I put down there over the last decade or so.
CHA CHA CHA!!!
H and I moved two antique dressers to the garage to sell. YEA!!
He has not complained as he usually does. That said I spied a large pot that has
a crack down the side that I needed gone 3 years ago along the side of the path to the back yard.
If I can get it up to the driveway it will be gone next week.
He has no intention of using it but cannot let it go—
Garage sale suggestions–I’ve had plenty of them.
Put a start time on your ad but not an ending time (unless you’ve got somewhere to go). When you are done just close
Make sure you have plenty of neighborhood signs directing people to your sale. Don’t rely on just newspaper, craigs list ads for traffic. Prepare for people to be there very early–dealers usually show up.
Put prices on large ticket items only. Furniture, pictures, collectibles. Anything 10 bucks or more. Stickers are just a pain. Or make “all glasses a dollar” type signs.
Try to put like items with like items. Glasssware, kitchen stuff, office supplies, toys etc.
Pull your big furniture out (or anything you really want sold) front and center so it can be seen from the street.
Line your driveway.
Money: Start with plenty of change–quarters, one dollar bills, fives. Keep it organized.
Wear a waist belt for the money so it’s with you at all times. One with at least two pockets is best.
Lock the doors to your house… Move your cars if possible to a neighbor’s driveway so you’ve got more room.
Have fun! Pull out some comfy chairs to sit in and have coffee and donuts (easy to sell too!)
Be ready for the bargainers–stick to your price if you think it’s fair. Or more fun raise the price on them.
Or just give the toy to the little kid to see them smile. Enjoy it.
One more tip: cover everything that is not for sale in the garage with sheets or tarps. Hide your tools! Some garage sales visitors are after tools, and some prefer to get them for free… when the sellers are not looking.
Pull as much stuff into the driveway as possible on tables, in boxes etc. If you have garage items, station someone in there to keep an eye out. Bunsen is right about tools.
Thanks for all the tips. This is more about decluttering than making money, although that would be nice, too. After a very warm week here, Saturday is supposed to be in the 50s and windy. Of course.
LOL- It’s about decluttering up until the time you get in the “zone” and the “sales” person appears.
HAVE FUN!
People who go to garage sales like to barter, chat, get a bargain.
If it’s going to be windy, keep clothes that are on racks inside the garage, anything lightweight. Don’t spend your time picking up things that keep being blown over.
I know you said things were going to be donated afterwards but sometimes you change your mind at the end of a sale. Keep it to little stuff.
If the object is really “decluttering”–pick the bulkiest items to rid yourself of and sell cheap–linens, comforters, blankets, suitcases, bread maker–whatever has the most physical mass. The BIG stuff. Pool floats.Huge decor stuff. Furniture , lamps, pictures. Price those items to SELL… Bargain freely. Get rid of it.
Linens can be put on the lawn on top of a sheet or tarp. They usually go fast in my experience.
Make it a game to sell a certain item. Go for it. Person who sells it gets a prize. My sister and I had a stuffed cloth goose that was “the item” once. We were almost sad after it was gone…almost. Not quite.We still laugh about it.
When you are done the little stuff is either donated or goes back into a tote box.
Our neighborhood does a twice yearly giant garage sale. We have a charitable organization come by at the end and pick up everything that didn’t sell. You could find one in your area to come pick up that day for just you, as well.
I finally took all the cans and bottles from the garage to the grocery store today and got my 5 cents a can. Came to $25.25, so it had been quite a while!
Did anyone mention to gather your spare grocery bags - plastic or paper to put little stuff that people buy in?
I try to arrange stuff in a way that it at least looks from the street (driving by) like you have lots of good stuff. So some bigger items on both sides of the driveway (if you’re using the drive), tables scattered around (w/stuff on top).
My other personal rule is with the exception of anything truly valuable or decent furniture, NOTHING goes back in the house afterwards. If it went out for sale and no one who stopped wanted it, then you certainly don’t need it!!! Pack it up and either donate or trash it!
Sometimes that person doesn’t show up. If you have a valuable item that you’d rather sell then wait for the next sale.
It only takes “that one”.
Once I had a ton of kids clothes, it was late and I was ready to call it a day. Hadn’t sold any.
My sister said give it a couple more minutes before we pack up. Five minutes later a van pulls up with two women and about 5 little kids. They pretty much cleared us out in one fell swoop!
Thanks for all the yard sale tips. One unexpected thing was selling items even before the sale. I posted about the sale and some photos of items on a local Facebook online yard sales site where people sell stuff locally online and post about yard sales. Two of the items I posted photos of have already sold. The weather still looks not ideal, windy and in the low 50s for much of the sale, which is ironic since it’s been in the 80s every day this week here in the DC area.
@Barbalot I’ve been selling a lot of items on my local Facebook yard sale page and craigslist. I might eventually have a year sale of stuff. However, as I clean out my spaces, I’ve been listing things online and finding that I can often get more than I would be able to get selling at yard sale prices. It’s working out well thus far.
I won’t do yard sales any more. People are rude and try to walk in the house. The last time I did one my daughter was about ten and she set up a table to sell Girl Scout cookie. I over heard a woman trying to badger her into selling boxes of cookies for a dollar! I told her to leave.
Last week I finally listed four items on eBay I knew there was a demand for. I just packaged the last item and I’ve made over $320!!! People get into bidding wars…
Everyone who posts here is part of my moral support, as I do things such as picking through the Beanie Babies in the basement and throwing away the ones with mouse droppings. Oh, how I hate being the person left behind when the hoarder(s) moved away.