people who *buy* garage sale remnants?

[1st_trip4us]

I love the idea of having someone come take all the stuff that didn't sell. Every year my mom and I have a garage sale. With 4 kids I have an insane amount of stuff. And have more stuff left at the end than most people in start off at the beginning of their sale with. As we pack up we push everything we are going to donate to one area of the driveway and just tell everyone it's free. We've had some people come that were really down on their luck and were ecstatic to get everything free. We WANT them to take it all because that's just less stuff for us to drag to Goodwill. It's win-win. But if I could find someone to actually come pay me for the leftovers that'd be awesome. I'll have to look into that for next year.

 

[Purseval]

It means that if you don't know whether or not you're going to itemize your deductions in the coming year, you might need to take some time out and take a financial planning class. Most of us know whether or not we're going to itemize before the year even starts, and all of us should know.

No it doesn't. It means that the IRS has set up the standard deduction tables in a way that most people don't earn enough money to make itemizing worthwhile.

If you don't itemize, then selling everything at a yard sale will, quite obviously, be the better option, as donating the items nets you nothing on your tax returns.

Irregardless of whether you itemize or not the OP and poster #2 wanted to know how to make cash from their yard sale leftovers rather than donating them. It wasn't until post #8 that we went off on a tangent of whether or not you would do better on your income taxes by donating, which had nothing to do with the original question. So, once again, if you give that advice to 4 people, none of them will have any cash, 1 of them can say that at least they got a deduction and 3 will have a worthless piece of paper. A Financial planning class isn't going to change a thing.

 

[mafibisha]

So if you itemize, taking the deduction on the resale shop value of the items you donated (make sure you keep track of each and every item, btw) usually nets you more money than selling the items at a garage sale. (You get about .33 for every dollar donated, depending on your tax bracket.)

OP here. Had wondered when neighbor mentioned it upon seeing me hauling bags to my van for Goodwill.

And the deduction description above is exactly why I'll never have another garage sale.

Also, if you add in the hours needed to prepare, do, and cleanup a garage sale, it's virtually a wash. IMHO anyway

 

[Purseval]

So, if its a larger item do you meet in a neutral place for craigslist transaction. Or I guess I want to know how you deal on craigslist. I would feel funny about strangers coming to my home esp with children. But, I wouldn't want to haul a kitchen table to the neutral mall or shopping center meeting place either

You'd be out of luck. We've bought and sold on craigslist and have done it both ways, going to/having people come to house and meeting in neutral places. If you feel uncomfortable about meeting a stranger at your home why not arrange for a time when you wouldn't be the only adult in the house?

 

[mamaLori05]

I am one of "those people" that doesn't trust "other people" I don't know
So, if its a larger item do you meet in a neutral place for craigslist transaction. Or I guess I want to know how you deal on craigslist. I would feel funny about strangers coming to my home esp with children. But, I wouldn't want to haul a kitchen table to the neutral mall or shopping center meeting place either

I have the people come to my house to pick up the item. However, I always make sure that my husband is home, and the item is always sitting outside on the driveway (or in the garage if it is raining). They never come in my house, and the transaction is done in about 3 minutes. I always talk with the person over the phone and that helps give me a feel for them as well. Most of the people are coming from close by, which just happens to be all upper middle class areas. If I am dealing with someone I don't feel comfortable with, or they are coming from an "iffy" area then I do meet them somewhere else, or have my husband meet them somewhere else. I've never run into any problems with it though and 95% of the time I just have them come to my house. I have sold a lot of craigslist too.

 

[WendyLovesPeter]

I have the people come to my house to pick up the item. However, I always make sure that my husband is home, and the item is always sitting outside on the driveway (or in the garage if it is raining). They never come in my house, and the transaction is done in about 3 minutes. I always talk with the person over the phone and that helps give me a feel for them as well. Most of the people are coming from close by, which just happens to be all upper middle class areas. If I am dealing with someone I don't feel comfortable with, or they are coming from an "iffy" area then I do meet them somewhere else, or have my husband meet them somewhere else. I've never run into any problems with it though and 95% of the time I just have them come to my house. I have sold a lot of craigslist too.

yes, I guess my husband could be home and the kids could stay in the house.

 

[GoofyGolferGirl]

When I have had yardsales I always post a sign that says I am willing to sell anything that is left over and I always have several takers! Now for the people that get mad at those people who get to the yardsale first and buy all the good stuff so they can resale and make money. I used to feel this way, but then I thought about it and those people spend time and gas money driving all over for yardsales, they load into their car usually unload and wash or clean load it up again and take it to the flea market unload it and hope to sell it and make a dollar. IMHO I think they deserve that dollar because they have made it easy for the buyer to go to flea market and see several "yardsales" at once. They are also taking a chance of that item not being sold. Plus, at least they are out trying to make money and not sitting at home waiting for a welfare check. Now what does make me mad is when things are taken to Goodwill and the worker go through it and get all the good stuff before it is offered to the public and they go sale it at the flea markets!!! Happens all the time!!!!