OT - Yard Sale Pricing Question

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We leave for WDW in 10 days!!! :cool1:

In order to clear out the house and make some extra $$ for the trip we're having a yard sale. Everything is all clean and priced and ready ... except for the projector screen. I have never been in the market for a projector screen so I don't feel really comfortable putting a price on it. However, It is in perfect condition and I don't want to give it away for nothing...but how many people are really looking for a projector screen these days?

In short, I keep going back and forth about this one item and stressing myself out. :confused3 Does anyone have any suggestions? Should I just ask for offers or is there a number I shouldn't go below? We don't really need to get rid of it, but it is a dust collector. TIA for any suggestions!
 
When I don't have any idea what to price an item, I google the item and find out how much a new one would costs - then price my item for 25% of the new cost.
 
check craigslist and see what they are going for. I would also recommend selling that item on craigslist because you'll get more money for it, as well as find the people that are actually looking for that.
 
You'd be unlikely to get more than a couple of dollars for it if it sells at all. You might try pricing it at $5.

Sheila
 

When I don't have any idea what to price an item, I google the item and find out how much a new one would costs - then price my item for 25% of the new cost.

Does this work for you? For most items, I would never pay 25% of retail. You can find new items on sale for that. For example, I paid $2.50 for a collectable yesterday and found it listed at $64 when I googled it later. I would have never paid $16. Probably wouldn't have paid $5. Bought a terrific framed photo of the National Cathedral for $5. I'm sure retail on it was $100 or so.

Sheila
 
For me, it depends on what it is. DS games that are in pristine condition and still in the case, I will pay 25% because I can't find them for less than that.

Home decor, toys, clothing and those sorts of things, I pay 10% of retail or less at yard sales.

If I walk to a yard sale and I see high prices I just leave, I know they want too much for their stuff and 9 times out of 10, that is a huge red flag that they aren't willing to bargain.

Dawn

Does this work for you? For most items, I would never pay 25% of retail. You can find new items on sale for that. For example, I paid $2.50 for a collectable yesterday and found it listed at $64 when I googled it later. I would have never paid $16. Probably wouldn't have paid $5. Bought a terrific framed photo of the National Cathedral for $5. I'm sure retail on it was $100 or so.

Sheila
 
I have never been in the market for a projector screen so I don't feel really comfortable putting a price on it. However, It is in perfect condition and I don't want to give it away for nothing...but how many people are really looking for a projector screen these days?

Probably not many. Put a sign on it that says Make an Offer and see what people offer. If you have a price in mind and someone comes close to it take it. If you can find some sort of current ad for a screen with a price (try a completed Ebay auction) scan that ad and post it with the price circled so people can see what it has recently sold for.
 
Probably not many. Put a sign on it that says Make an Offer and see what people offer. If you have a price in mind and someone comes close to it take it. If you can find some sort of current ad for a screen with a price (try a completed Ebay auction) scan that ad and post it with the price circled so people can see what it has recently sold for.

This is a certain way to NOT sell it. People who do this, want Ebay prices for their things. If they want Ebay prices, sell it on Ebay. A yard sale is the spot of last resort, lowest prices.

As an avid yard saler, I walk away from any sale where people do that.

I'd say use resale pricing as a guide to get an idea of what the market is valuing it at but don't post Ebay ads on it.
 
As an avid yard saler, I walk away from any sale where people do that.

Avid yardsalers are the last people on earth you want to sell to. You want to get the folks who are out looking for a bargain not the bottom feeders that show up at 6:30 for your 8am yard sale.
 
Avid yardsalers are the last people on earth you want to sell to. You want to get the folks who are out looking for a bargain not the bottom feeders that show up at 6:30 for your 8am yard sale.

Rude much? Early birds are ones that show up early. :rolleyes: Bottom feeders? I surely hope you never have a yard sale. I'll bite my tongue before I say something that will earn me points. :snooty:

Avid yard salers are the ones looking for bargains on things they need/want and don't want to pay retail for.
 
Well, I consider myself an avid yardsaler, but I DO NOT show up before the sale begins. I was talking to DH about that recently and said, "There is NOTHING I need so badly that I need to show up and bother the people before the designated yard sale time!"

But, I do get irritated when I show up at 8:15am for an 8am sale and the people are just setting up because they got up late and then they act irritated at YOU for showing up after the posted time.

Dawn

Avid yardsalers are the last people on earth you want to sell to. You want to get the folks who are out looking for a bargain not the bottom feeders that show up at 6:30 for your 8am yard sale.
 
I'll bite my tongue before I say something that will earn me points. :snooty:
Don't worry about hurting my feelings, I'll get over it.
Avid yard salers are the ones looking for bargains on things they need/want and don't want to pay retail for.

That is the second time you've mentioned that you are looking for the lowest price, the first was when you said yard sales are the place of last resort. All that does is validate what I said because you aren't going to buy it unless it is just above the point of being given away anyway, no matter what time you show up.
Well, I consider myself an avid yardsaler, but I DO NOT show up before the sale begins. I was talking to DH about that recently and said, "There is NOTHING I need so badly that I need to show up and bother the people before the designated yard sale time!"
We go to yard sales every friday, saturday and some sundays and thursdays (Both of which are rare in this part of the country). You sound like us. we go to yardsales for fun and it's not uncommon at all for us to spend an entire weekend with nothing to show for it. But we still enjoy ourselves. There is an entire genre of yardalers who aren't really browsing, they are working and don't enjoy themselves unless they find something they can sell to someone else for more money.
But, I do get irritated when I show up at 8:15am for an 8am sale and the people are just setting up because they got up late and then they act irritated at YOU for showing up after the posted time.

Dawn

What bugs us the most is people who advertise community yard sales then have 1 or 2 houses when you show up.
 
Yes, we do yard sale like you do. I also have a small list of items we would like to have but won't buy retail.

What I hate are people who advertise, "HUGE yard sale" and when you get there they have all of 10 items out and they are all things I don't want/need.

I think neighborhoods don't always know who will actually participate and who won't.....yesterday one advertised "over 20 houses." I think there were 10 at best and many had next to nothing out.

Dawn

We go to yard sales every friday, saturday and some sundays and thursdays (Both of which are rare in this part of the country). You sound like us. we go to yardsales for fun and it's not uncommon at all for us to spend an entire weekend with nothing to show for it. But we still enjoy ourselves. There is an entire genre of yardalers who aren't really browsing, they are working and don't enjoy themselves unless they find something they can sell to someone else for more money.


What bugs us the most is people who advertise community yard sales then have 1 or 2 houses when you show up.
 
Don't worry about hurting my feelings, I'll get over it.


That is the second time you've mentioned that you are looking for the lowest price, the first was when you said yard sales are the place of last resort. All that does is validate what I said because you aren't going to buy it unless it is just above the point of being given away anyway, no matter what time you show up.

didn't know 'below retail' is lowest price. If I want lowest price, I'd guess that would be free and I wouldn't get anything short of free. Hmm?

Just because you are in a mood, don't take it out on me.
 
Probably not many. Put a sign on it that says Make an Offer and see what people offer. If you have a price in mind and someone comes close to it take it. If you can find some sort of current ad for a screen with a price (try a completed Ebay auction) scan that ad and post it with the price circled so people can see what it has recently sold for.

I only would do this if you're willing to sell for a lot less than the eBay price. Like, if it sells on eBay for $50, print that and then mark yours $10. Like the other poster said, people at yard sales don't want to pay eBay prices.
 
didn't know 'below retail' is lowest price. If I want lowest price, I'd guess that would be free and I wouldn't get anything short of free. Hmm?

Ebay doesn't sell items at retail and you said you'd walk away from anyone who put something like that up. So now you aren't just walking away from pricing you're backpedaling on your own posts.
I only would do this if you're willing to sell for a lot less than the eBay price. Like, if it sells on eBay for $50, print that and then mark yours $10. Like the other poster said, people at yard sales don't want to pay eBay prices.

I didn't say to put any price at all, I just said to put a sign that said make an offer If you see it sold on ebay for $50 you offer them 10 and they take it all you know is you got a deal relative to Ebay, which could still be $9 too high in the real world. That's why the people like DawnM who have a small list of items that they know exactly how much they are worth do best at yard sales.
 
This is OT but since it is a yard sale topic here it is... DH and I are having our first yard sale, we have a basement full of stuff that we have accumulated over the past 15 years together. Do we put little stickers with prices on everything, or just have a price in our heads and see what people will give us? It is mostly alot of books, baby stuff, toys, kitchen stuff (I counted 4 coffee makers :confused3 ). Books I figured we would just put out a sign in front of, is $1 a book good? We had planned on checking out other yard sales, but every weekend that does not seem to work out.
 
I've seen it both ways, with and without stickers. Another format is tables with the same 1 price for every item on that table. $1 for a hardcover book is pretty standard. 50 cents is common for paperbacks but there have been plenty of times I've seen it at a dollar for paperbacks also.
 
Don't worry about hurting my feelings, I'll get over it.


That is the second time you've mentioned that you are looking for the lowest price, the first was when you said yard sales are the place of last resort. All that does is validate what I said because you aren't going to buy it unless it is just above the point of being given away anyway, no matter what time you show up.

We go to yard sales every friday, saturday and some sundays and thursdays (Both of which are rare in this part of the country). You sound like us. we go to yardsales for fun and it's not uncommon at all for us to spend an entire weekend with nothing to show for it. But we still enjoy ourselves. There is an entire genre of yardalers who aren't really browsing, they are working and don't enjoy themselves unless they find something they can sell to someone else for more money.


What bugs us the most is people who advertise community yard sales then have 1 or 2 houses when you show up.

popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::
 
I will just say this.....I like seeing prices. I don't like the, "What would you like to offer me" tactic. I feel better with set prices and then asking for a bit of a discount. It gives me a ballpark as to what you are looking for and if it is even worth the "bidding" war.

Dawn
 











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