Calling all Yard Sale Experts!!!

[3happydancers]

I know advertising in a local Pennysaver would be a great help, but...I am trying to avoid the $30.00 fee which only gives a 2 line add. And, I know that I can put up signs around the neighborhood, but what else makes for a successful yard sale? Any tips for labeling items or should I not label items? Should I bunch items together like barbies with the carrying case? And, how do you determine the price for an item? Most of the items belongs to my 12 yr old daughter (Barbies w/ accessories, Bratz w/ accessories plus a car, bus and plane, and tons of Polly Pockets w/ accessories).

Or, would it be best to go to the local thrift shop to simply sell off to them?

All advise welcome, PLEASE!

 

[2minnies]

The best advertising in my area is free: Craig's List

 

[a_sailor's_wife]

I advertise on Craig's List, Facebook, and my local newspaper. I also always run at least a 2 day yard sale (Friday-Saturday). I make most of the money on Friday morning.

I wouldn't bunch things with a Barbie. I would bunch the accessories. My friend and I went together for the yard sale. We had roughly (12) 6 foot tables full of items. We did have clothing arranged by size and the it was all labeled with size and prices. We put a price on everything. For baby clothes we would say sleepers are $1, onesies 25 cents, and so on, but everything had a price. People didn't hagle with us either too much. We also sold bottle water because of how hot it was. We had 2 beds, a couch, and a love seat that we posted a sign about next to us.

What was left Saturday was marked down 50%. We put a huge sign up that said everything must go 50% off or better offer. We sold just about everything and made over $2300 between the 2 of us. Not bad for 2 days of a yard sale and 1 day setting up.

Good Luck!

 

[3happydancers]

I advertise on Craig's List, Facebook, and my local newspaper. I also always run at least a 2 day yard sale (Friday-Saturday). I make most of the money on Friday morning.

I wouldn't bunch things with a Barbie. I would bunch the accessories. My friend and I went together for the yard sale. We had roughly (12) 6 foot tables full of items. We did have clothing arranged by size and the it was all labeled with size and prices. We put a price on everything. For baby clothes we would say sleepers are $1, onesies 25 cents, and so on, but everything had a price. People didn't hagle with us either too much. We also sold bottle water because of how hot it was. We had 2 beds, a couch, and a love seat that we posted a sign about next to us.

What was left Saturday was marked down 50%. We put a huge sign up that said everything must go 50% off or better offer. We sold just about everything and made over $2300 between the 2 of us. Not bad for 2 days of a yard sale and 1 day setting up.

Good Luck!

Wow, you guys cleaned up. We do not have large items like furniture, mostly toys. Thanks for the tip on the doll stuff. You are right, it makes sense to price the larger doll items like the Polly Play Items and Bratz Plane & bus separetly (they are in great shape too!), and then group the doll clothes, shoes, etc together. I read where one person put together the small items insandwich sized baggies of items, stapled the bag shut and sold the bag for a minimal amount.

I do like the idea of selling water bottles as it is hot.

As for the local paper, I know it makes sense, but I do not think I have enough to recoup the cost and am not familiar with Craig's list. Is there a charge?

Thanks for your feedback!

I did look online on how to have a successful yard sale and read some tips on how to price items.

 

[a_sailor's_wife]

Wow, you guys cleaned up. We do not have large items like furniture, mostly toys. Thanks for the tip on the doll stuff. You are right, it makes sense to price the larger doll items like the Polly Play Items and Bratz Plane & bus separetly (they are in great shape too!), and then group the doll clothes, shoes, etc together. I read where one person put together the small items insandwich sized baggies of items, stapled the bag shut and sold the bag for a minimal amount.

I do like the idea of selling water bottles as it is hot.

As for the local paper, I know it makes sense, but I do not think I have enough to recoup the cost and am not familiar with Craig's list. Is there a charge?

Thanks for your feedback!

I did look online on how to have a successful yard sale and read some tips on how to price items.

The sandwich baggie idea is exactly what we did for small toys.

Craig's List is free to use. Just go to www.craigslist.com find your state, city, and look for garage sales. You'll post under there. It's easy peasy!

And yes, we did have a lot to clean out. Between the 2 of us we have 4 children who have outgrown many, many clothes and toys. We are trying to clean out before our DH's come home from deployment. Who doesn't love a nice, neat, clutter free home?

 

[IDoDis]

I no longer pay for a newspaper ad. I use Craig's List and brightly colored signs. I had a garage sale a few weeks ago and made $750 selling almost all kids' items -- clothes and toys. I'm going to have one more sale this weekend. Then whatever is left is going to be donated.

I do not put prices on my items, but I do have the clothes in bins or boxes with the size marked on the box and they are separated by boys and girls so they are not mixed up.

Barbies sell really well and do well on ebay. So do the barbie clothes. I'd sell the barbies individually at at least 75 cents each. I did not put out the Bratz dolls at my last sale as I could not get everything in the driveway (too much stuff), but will sell them for $1.00 each fully clothed. I put all of the accessories in one quart-sized ziplock bag and will ask a couple of bucks for everything.

The reason I don't price things is because I've done that before and then if I start getting desperate later on or people keep looking at things and passing them by, I then had to make a new tag with a lower price. I have a general rule that jeans are $2, shirts are $1 and t-shirts & no name clothes are $50 cents each -- sometimes a quarter depending on the condition.

I had some really nice pieces of clothes (matching gymboree outfits that still had tags on them) that I wanted more for and would tell the people that if it was new, it would be a little more. I did keep all of the matching outfits together, which were a mess by the time I quit selling. I finally gave up on trying to sell things in sets. I was busy the entire morning. Even after DH took the signs down, and we were packing up, people still kept coming (at 1:30 in the blazing hot afternoon), so I can only attribute that to the Craig's List ad.

One last thing -- start your sale early -- like at 7:00am and put that in your ad. Get your signs up by 6:45. The earlier you start, the more people will come to you first and then they'll hit the sales that start at 8:00am and later. But you'll get them first!

 

[3happydancers]

I no longer pay for a newspaper ad. I use Craig's List and brightly colored signs. I had a garage sale a few weeks ago and made $750 selling almost all kids' items -- clothes and toys. I'm going to have one more sale this weekend. Then whatever is left is going to be donated.

I do not put prices on my items, but I do have the clothes in bins or boxes with the size marked on the box and they are separated by boys and girls so they are not mixed up.

Barbies sell really well and do well on ebay. So do the barbie clothes. I'd sell the barbies individually at at least 75 cents each. I did not put out the Bratz dolls at my last sale as I could not get everything in the driveway (too much stuff), but will sell them for $1.00 each fully clothed. I put all of the accessories in one quart-sized ziplock bag and will ask a couple of bucks for everything.

The reason I don't price things is because I've done that before and then if I start getting desperate later on or people keep looking at things and passing them by, I then had to make a new tag with a lower price. I have a general rule that jeans are $2, shirts are $1 and t-shirts & no name clothes are $50 cents each -- sometimes a quarter depending on the condition.

I had some really nice pieces of clothes (matching gymboree outfits that still had tags on them) that I wanted more for and would tell the people that if it was new, it would be a little more. I did keep all of the matching outfits together, which were a mess by the time I quit selling. I finally gave up on trying to sell things in sets. I was busy the entire morning. Even after DH took the signs down, and we were packing up, people still kept coming (at 1:30 in the blazing hot afternoon), so I can only attribute that to the Craig's List ad.

One last thing -- start your sale early -- like at 7:00am and put that in your ad. Get your signs up by 6:45. The earlier you start, the more people will come to you first and then they'll hit the sales that start at 8:00am and later. But you'll get them first!

Thanks or so much info! Giving me an idea about how to price things is a big help. I have no idea, simple clueless am I! You and a few others have mentioned Craigs List, I think I will give that a go. And, starting earlier than others sounds like a great idea too!! (But I don't look pretty THAT early)

 

[3happydancers]

The sandwich baggie idea is exactly what we did for small toys.

Craig's List is free to use. Just go to www.craigslist.com find your state, city, and look for garage sales. You'll post under there. It's easy peasy!

And yes, we did have a lot to clean out. Between the 2 of us we have 4 children who have outgrown many, many clothes and toys. We are trying to clean out before our DH's come home from deployment. Who doesn't love a nice, neat, clutter free home?

Thanks for letting me know that Craig's List is free. I need "easy peasy"!

Sounds like you have your hands full. Please accept my sincere thank you for the sacrifice you and your family endure. I have great respect for our troops and their families (years ago my brother was deployed to Beruit during a rough time). I pray that your DH returns home safely and that you your family will soon be reunited .

 

[tadamom]

Definitely advertise on Craigslist and if you are on Facebook do it there as well as your status update.

I have always done really well at my yard sales ( I have funded a couple of Disney trips with my money). I will only do 2 day yard sales now Fri & Sat. I put my stuff out late Thursday afternoon/evening and will actually sell to anyone that wants to come by then. I always separate clothes by size. We have racks that we use and we always sell a ton of kids clothes simply b/c they are hung up. If we have too many then we use storage bins to place them in and separate by size. Toys that have several pieces go in ziploc bags. I try to price EVERYTHING. I am very fair with my pricing and I never have anyone try to haggle my prices. If I see people buying several things I will tell them that I will make them a great price when they find everything they want. I have also done it where when time starts winding down that anything you can fit in a plastic bag would be a certain price. Works well with clothes. Don't price things higher just so you can come down off the price. My SIL does this and it irritates me. (She never works our yard sales so I have to be the one to determine a different price or say "no" which she tells me to do most of the time). If I think a price is too much, I won't haggle.

Also, it may just be me but I really enjoy doing yard sales. I worked retail for 10 years so it may be that I miss it little. I am always in the midst of my sale, talking to people, asking them if they are looking for anything certain. If it is kids clothes or toys, I will help them find things and they usually always buy more than they intended.

Good luck!

 

[a_sailor's_wife]

Yes, start the sale early. We started at 6, but I think it was too early. Next time I'll go for 7. Also, we put our signs out the day before so that people could see them on their way home from work.

Good luck and I hope you have an awesome sale!

 

[3happydancers]

Definitely advertise on Craigslist and if you are on Facebook do it there as well as your status update.

I have always done really well at my yard sales ( I have funded a couple of Disney trips with my money). I will only do 2 day yard sales now Fri & Sat. I put my stuff out late Thursday afternoon/evening and will actually sell to anyone that wants to come by then. I always separate clothes by size. We have racks that we use and we always sell a ton of kids clothes simply b/c they are hung up. If we have too many then we use storage bins to place them in and separate by size. Toys that have several pieces go in ziploc bags. I try to price EVERYTHING. I am very fair with my pricing and I never have anyone try to haggle my prices. If I see people buying several things I will tell them that I will make them a great price when they find everything they want. I have also done it where when time starts winding down that anything you can fit in a plastic bag would be a certain price. Works well with clothes. Don't price things higher just so you can come down off the price. My SIL does this and it irritates me. (She never works our yard sales so I have to be the one to determine a different price or say "no" which she tells me to do most of the time). If I think a price is too much, I won't haggle.

Also, it may just be me but I really enjoy doing yard sales. I worked retail for 10 years so it may be that I miss it little. I am always in the midst of my sale, talking to people, asking them if they are looking for anything certain. If it is kids clothes or toys, I will help them find things and they usually always buy more than they intended.

Good luck!

You sound very experienced. I have "none" and so, I am at a loss when it comes to pricing things. For example, we have a Graco baby stroller (much stronger than an umbrella stroller) with matching car seat and pack and play w/ baby doll, clothes, diaper bag w/diapers, and a bag that holds the bottles spoon/dish, potty seat, and a few other things. I truely believe these items are in "great condition". We only have one child and it was easy taking care of toys. Nothing was ever left outside so no rust, holes, mildew, stains or broken wheels! BUT... I still have to learn what a fair price is to others.

Any feedback about pricing would be great. Thanks a bunch!

 

[C.Ann]

Make sure your items are clearly priced.. I have been a garage saler (buyer and seller) for more years than I care to mention - and if I go to a sale and things aren't priced, I turn right around and leave..

Good luck!

 

[3happydancers]

Make sure your items are clearly priced.. I have been a garage saler (buyer and seller) for more years than I care to mention - and if I go to a sale and things aren't priced, I turn right around and leave..

Good luck!

Thanks C.Ann. I will be sure to price everything. How do I know if I have priced to high or when a person tries to haggle the price just to get the item for near nothing?

For example, I have a princess mega block castle which stands about 3ft tall when built, very cute, originally 100.00. All pieces are intact with the original box (kept for storing). I was thinking of asking $30.00. Is this a good starting place or am I too high? The item is great shape, never kept or played with outside (we have a large living room which accommodates this type of play).

 

[a_sailor's_wife]

Pricing is always hard. I had a travel system that I priced starting at $50. The guy haggled me to $35. I wanted it gone and out of my house. However, thinking back I think I sold it too low. My friend overpriced her items and got what she was asking. It's hard to tell, and it really depends on how badly you just want the things gone. For me I wanted the things gone, but for my friend she wanted the money so her items were priced higher.

Check out how much things are selling for on craigslist or in your local Goodwill if you're having trouble with the large items.

 

[tadamom]

Agree with Sailor's wife....check Craigslist and see how much things similar are selling for and go from there. If you don't see anything for your area, look in a different city.

 

[3happydancers]

Great idea! I will check around and see what similar items are tagged at! You all have been very helpful!!!!

 

[3happydancers]

I know advertising in a local Pennysaver would be a great help, but...I am trying to avoid the $30.00 fee which only gives a 2 line add. And, I know that I can put up signs around the neighborhood, but what else makes for a successful yard sale? Any tips for labeling items or should I not label items? Should I bunch items together like barbies with the carrying case? And, how do you determine the price for an item? Most of the items belongs to my 12 yr old daughter (Barbies w/ accessories, Bratz w/ accessories plus a car, bus and plane, and tons of Polly Pockets w/ accessories).

Or, would it be best to go to the local thrift shop to simply sell off to them?

All advise welcome, PLEASE!

I just wanted to let everyone who shared their knowledge and advise with me, how my yard sale went this past weekend.

First, let me start by saying we chose the hottest two days this summer to have a yard sale. For sure I thought everyone would be either at the beach, pool or in an air conditioned room. I think we hit 100 plus we had high humidity. All said, we were committed, advertised on Craig's list and posted signs. Sold bottled water (which believe it or not was not a big seller), hung all of the clothing, priced ALL items, and made sure everything was dusted & clean!!! People noticed and even commented on how our stuff was in "great" shape. We started early and on time but we did close up at 3pm (the weather was much too unbearable) but we did advertise we would close at 3pm.

All said and done, we made $208.00 BUCKS!!! Now, I know some of you have been doing this for awhile and have made much more, but I am sooooo pleased with the outcome. To be honest, I really did not think we would make more than a few dollars.

So to all the help I received from my disboard friends: A BIG THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!!