Success at Garage Sale with CVS Stuff?

[newt1912]

I have been CVSing for a few months and I am loving it because it fills my desire to shop but costs me so very little OOP money.

I have definitely been stocking up on items we need in our house such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, dish detergent, mascara, deoderant, etc. etc. With my extras, my plans are to make up Christmas gift baskets for family members and friends and I also plan to make up age appropriate gift baskets for the family/families we sponsor at Christmas through my work.

If I continue to accumulate CVS items at the same rate in the next few months prior to Christmas, I know I am going to still have items that I cannot use or don't really need.

Has anyone put out their extra CVS buys at their yard sale and been successful in selling them? We are having a neighborhood sale in September and I was curious if these items would sell for a decent price such as $1 for a tube of toothpaste, $2-$3 for a tube of mascara, etc. I know people are looking for dirt cheap bargains at yard sales and didn't know if items would sell for much. If anyone has sold at yard sales, please give me an idea of how you price these new/unopened items. I have tons of Dawn dish detergent, toothpaste, toothbrushes, bodywash, Pledge dusters, cereal, etc.

If I wouldn't make enough money to make my time to price, setup, etc. worthwhile, I would rather save the items for gift baskets or donate rather than to give items away to those looking for yard sale freebies.

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[dismom24]

My friend went to a yard sale the other day and she said they had tons of CVS stuff and it was selling like crazy. She said most stuff was $1 or $2.

 

[My2BabiesLexis&Dill]

I have had 2 "cvs" type yard sales in the last 2 months. I have made over 1350.00 alone from those yard sales. I mainly had toothpaste (1.00), shampoo (first yard sale didn't sell much...second one lowered price to 1.50 and it flew out the doors) but then too i probably had 200-300 bottles of shampoo easily. My second yard sale I had almost 60 packs of tiolet paper (4pk) and they all sold within 3 hours. I didn't have make up..I don't wear it, so no need to buy it. The only thing that I have yet sold is those darn SOY JOY BARS. We don't like them. If you have any specific questions, pm me. I'm hoping to restock by the end of August, first of September for another sale. My hubby's hours at work have been cut and mine has well. This is helping a little. Most of my items were free or had to pay taxes on them. Like the pantene shampoo got 12 of them for 1.50. The tiolet paper was the best deal. Buy 10 packs and only paid .15 oop. And I sold them for .75 each. I'm also hoping to con't this thru next year so I can either pay for all of our trip or most of it.

 

[seasheller]

I went to a yard sale several times at the same location in Florida and could tell all the stuff was CVS deals. She ran the sale every weekend, but priced everything at the regular CVS price. She sure wasn't selling much. I kept hoping she would wise up and reduce the prices but she never did. Even told her I could go to the store and get it for that price, but she disagreed. Wonder if she is still trying to sell it.

 

[Moeluv4u7]

Sounds cool! But, would you not be saving to keep and use for your own family or like you mentioned- family gift baskets, etc- Those items can get pricey and I don't think they have an expiration date that is close do they- I mean shampoo can be saved unopened for like 3 years before anything happens to the formula can't it?
I have a CVS card but have never really used it to it's maximum benefit I guess because I have NEVER been able to go purchase CVS items and get less than $1- for multiple items- Must be my buying habits- What should I look for to get these great deals??

 

[NEDisneyFans]

I don't know about selling CVS stuff at a yard sale, but personal care items are always in demand at shelters for homeless folks, battered women & families, etc. You can make an "in kind" donation (TAX DEDUCTIBLE) based on the full retail value of your donation. It would benefit people who need the help, making it a win-win proposition.

I'm going to step-up my CVSing -- I have been focusing on the items we use, and hadn't considered getting "free" stuff to donate.

 

[newt1912]

Sounds cool! But, would you not be saving to keep and use for your own family or like you mentioned- family gift baskets, etc- Those items can get pricey and I don't think they have an expiration date that is close do they- I mean shampoo can be saved unopened for like 3 years before anything happens to the formula can't it?
I have a CVS card but have never really used it to it's maximum benefit I guess because I have NEVER been able to go purchase CVS items and get less than $1- for multiple items- Must be my buying habits- What should I look for to get these great deals??[/QUOTE

]


You make a point about saving items for future but if I continue CVSing I figure I will just keep purchasing the same items for "free" over and over again. They continue to have toothpaste and toothbrushes on sale with ECBs almost every week.

I just looked at a box of toothpaste and it says "Exp Jan 10" so I know it is good for over a year. The mascara packages did not have an expiration date. Wondering about bodywash - when that expires. Since bodywash isn't sealed in any type of wrapper, I don't think I would want to hold on to it for years.

I have a CVS card but have never really used it to it's maximum benefit I guess because I have NEVER been able to go purchase CVS items and get less than $1- for multiple items- Must be my buying habits- What should I look for to get these great deals

I learned how to CVS by reading the threads on these boards and also by subscriping to a number of different blogs about playing the "Drugstore Game" at CVS, RiteAid, Walgreens, Walmart, Target, etc.

 

[newt1912]

I don't know about selling CVS stuff at a yard sale, but personal care items are always in demand at shelters for homeless folks, battered women & families, etc. You can make an "in kind" donation (TAX DEDUCTIBLE) based on the full retail value of your donation. It would benefit people who need the help, making it a win-win proposition.

I'm going to step-up my CVSing -- I have been focusing on the items we use, and hadn't considered getting "free" stuff to donate.

Any accountants out there??? Please let me know if the above info is correct or if my account is correct about donations.

According to my accountant, when you purchase items on sale and donate, you cannot deduct the full retail value of your donation. The reason I was told this by my accountant is this - a few years ago I won $25,000 worth of Home Depot gift cards in a Kraft Make Your Kitchen Over Contest. I knew I would have to declare the $25,000 as income so I wanted to maximize my deductions for the year. I got the bright idea that since I worked PT in a retail store that had $1, $2 and $3 clearance items that were fantastic clothing buys, I began purchasing these items and then I donated them to either our local Salavation Army or Woman's Shelter, depending on the type of clothing. I kept meticulous records of my donations by listing the clothing item and the retail price, took photos of the items laid out and kept the store tags which had retail price on them but also had clearance price on them. Don't remember the exact retail price of all the items but let's say all donations retailed for $5000 but my actual cost was only $500. My accountant told me that I could only use the actual cost of the clothing that I actually paid so there went my bright idea. I tried to argue my point with my accountant but he told me that the IRS was getting very strict with charitable donations so I had to be careful.

 

[NEDisneyFans]

I am not an accountant, so my info may not be correct! Definitely worth checking into . . . when I worked for a non-profit agency, we were instructed to write tax receipts for in-kind donations based on the retail value of the gift. I presumed the contributors used these receipts as the basis for their tax deductions.

 

[jjjmranch]

My MIL always gets toothbrushes and toothpaste free (using $1 off coupons and then the store has 10 for $10 deals. She basically pays the tax and the stuff is free. She then resells the toothbrushes and toothpaste at her garage sale. It's her best seller! She supplements her social security by doing this a couple of times a year. I say go for it - as long as the toothpaste isn't expired.

 

[Colinsmom]

I've heard the same thing tax-wise about donations, but still donate some of my CVS stash to the local food pantry (they take OTC meds, toiletries, household stuff, pet food too).

I also have had two garage sales this year with stuff from my couponing (and other typical garage sale stuff) and have made almost $3000 over the two sales. A good chunk (over $2000, probably more) was just from the stuff I got for free or close to free with coupons. Here were some of the prices that worked for me:

Cleaning supplies - half of retail or so (this stuff flew off of the shelves)
Toothpaste - $1 for 4oz tubes, 1.50 for 6oz tubes (sold a lot of this, donated the rest)
Shampoo - 12oz size 1.50-2.00/bottle, depending on brand; 3.50 for family size bottles (sold all but a couple of odd bottles)
Body wash - $2/bottle (sold all, but slowly)
Make-up - $1 (steady but not a huge seller, even stuff that is regularly $10 didn't move fast for $1)
Nail polish - 50c (flew off of the shelves)
Razors - about 30-40% of retail (women's flew, the men's sold a little more slowly but still steady)
Deodorant - 1.00 for cheaper stuff, 1.50 for good stuff (sold out both times)
Toothbrushes - around 1.00 for one (the fancier ones); 2.50 for electric TBs
Pantiliners - 50c/box (sold them all)
Other feminine products - 1.50/pack (sold them all)
Hair color - $2/box (sold well at my first sale, a little slower at the second sale)
Diapers/pull-ups: $5/pack for name-brands (sold all; swim dipes didn't sell so well)

Individual packs of gum and candy sold very well for 50c each. Nutrition bars and soyjoy bars were slow sellers, even at 25-50c each. That stuff sold better at my first garage sale than at my second.

HTH!

 

[shenanigans]

I must be confused, because it almost sounds like you meant you will only donate if you can claim a deduction on the full retail value. I'm sure that's not what you meant, I think I just read it wrong. Donating to people in need is a reward in itself.

 

[NEDisneyFans]

I must be confused, because it almost sounds like you meant you will only donate if you can claim a deduction on the full retail value. I'm sure that's not what you meant, I think I just read it wrong. Donating to people in need is a reward in itself.

I agree that helping others is rewarding in and of itself. At the same time, I've also worked in non-profits long enough to know that the extra "carrot" of a deduction can encourage people to "do the right thing."

Right or wrong -- tax deductions are why most charitable donations are made at the end of the calendar year.

 

[shenanigans]

I agree that helping others is rewarding in and of itself. At the same time, I've also worked in non-profits long enough to know that the extra "carrot" of a deduction can encourage people to "do the right thing."

Right or wrong -- tax deductions are why most charitable donations are made at the end of the calendar year.

That is a very realistic point.

 

[newt1912]

I must be confused, because it almost sounds like you meant you will only donate if you can claim a deduction on the full retail value. I'm sure that's not what you meant, I think I just read it wrong. Donating to people in need is a reward in itself.

If you are referring to my comments, yes, you are confused. I most definitely donate my used clothing and household items many times each year to local agencies. I have also donated lots of Disney soaps, shampoos, etc. to local Woman's shelter, etc. I also think it is going to be very rewarding to make up gift baskets at Christmas using CVS items as part of what we give to our Adopt a Family.

My comment only had to do with taking a full retail tax deduction on CVS items. I never even thought of taking any type of tax deduction on these items because I consider them mostly to be free to me - no OOP monies. I will donate some excess whether I get a full retail deduction or take no tax deduction but if one can take a full retail deduction, it would be nice to know. That would be a win-win situation for all of us who claim deductions on our tax returns.

Again, the thought of a tax deduction never entered my mind when beginning this post but since someone mentioned it, I have put the question out there.

 

[newt1912]

I've heard the same thing tax-wise about donations, but still donate some of my CVS stash to the local food pantry (they take OTC meds, toiletries, household stuff, pet food too).

I also have had two garage sales this year with stuff from my couponing (and other typical garage sale stuff) and have made almost $3000 over the two sales. A good chunk (over $2000, probably more) was just from the stuff I got for free or close to free with coupons. Here were some of the prices that worked for me:

Cleaning supplies - half of retail or so (this stuff flew off of the shelves)
Toothpaste - $1 for 4oz tubes, 1.50 for 6oz tubes (sold a lot of this, donated the rest)
Shampoo - 12oz size 1.50-2.00/bottle, depending on brand; 3.50 for family size bottles (sold all but a couple of odd bottles)
Body wash - $2/bottle (sold all, but slowly)
Make-up - $1 (steady but not a huge seller, even stuff that is regularly $10 didn't move fast for $1)
Nail polish - 50c (flew off of the shelves)
Razors - about 30-40% of retail (women's flew, the men's sold a little more slowly but still steady)
Deodorant - 1.00 for cheaper stuff, 1.50 for good stuff (sold out both times)
Toothbrushes - around 1.00 for one (the fancier ones); 2.50 for electric TBs
Pantiliners - 50c/box (sold them all)
Other feminine products - 1.50/pack (sold them all)
Hair color - $2/box (sold well at my first sale, a little slower at the second sale)
Diapers/pull-ups: $5/pack for name-brands (sold all; swim dipes didn't sell so well)

Individual packs of gum and candy sold very well for 50c each. Nutrition bars and soyjoy bars were slow sellers, even at 25-50c each. That stuff sold better at my first garage sale than at my second.

HTH!

Thanks for the list. This is the type of info I was looking for.

 

[Nancyg56]

I don't know about selling CVS stuff at a yard sale, but personal care items are always in demand at shelters for homeless folks, battered women & families, etc. You can make an "in kind" donation (TAX DEDUCTIBLE) based on the full retail value of your donation. It would benefit people who need the help, making it a win-win proposition.

I'm going to step-up my CVSing -- I have been focusing on the items we use, and hadn't considered getting "free" stuff to donate.

That is what my DD does. I have no patience for CVS'ing so she does it for me . My church has a drive every month for food, cleaning products and personal hygiene products to supply the emergency aid with so we keep what we need and donate all of the rest. I never thought to ask for a tax deduction. My DGD's school also has a drive several times a year and so DD always brings a lot of personal hygiene products to share there as well.

I know that everyone can do what they want to do but I cannot sell something that I got for so little when I can donate it to people who really need the items.

 

[wall*e2008]

OP your accountant is correct. We donate each year and this is the rule.


Those selling at garage sale, you realize you are breaking the law, but may never get caught, by selling the items for more than you paid and not claiming the profit on your taxes.

I know that everyone can do what they want to do but I cannot sell something that I got for so little when I can donate it to people who really need the items.

This is my feelings too. I donate and help others. Now I do not have 200 bottles of shampoo at home. But if I can get a few extras I take them to the mission or women's shelter.

 

[Todd&Copper]

OP your accountant is correct. We donate each year and this is the rule.

Those selling at garage sale, you realize you are breaking the law, but may never get caught, by selling the items for more than you paid and not claiming the profit on your taxes.



This is my feelings too. I donate and help others. Now I do not have 200 bottles of shampoo at home. But if I can get a few extras I take them to the mission or women's shelter.

May I ask a legitimate question about this rule? Say my grandma gives me a sweater for Xmas. I try it on and it looks terrible on me. I decide to donate it to charity b/c I will never wear it or sell it. It is a decent name brand, new with tags, and I estimate its second-hand value of $8, based on the Goodwill guidelines and my personal observations at the local thrift shops. What if my grandma got it with a department store coupon and actually paid $2 for it? How am I supposed to know that without blowing my cover that I am donating the sweater?

I just want to know how this actually works b/c DH & I donate a lot of stuff we no longer need or use. And a lot of awful Grandma gifts.

 

[wall*e2008]

May I ask a legitimate question about this rule? Say my grandma gives me a sweater for Xmas. I try it on and it looks terrible on me. I decide to donate it to charity b/c I will never wear it or sell it. It is a decent name brand, new with tags, and I estimate its second-hand value of $8, based on the Goodwill guidelines and my personal observations at the local thrift shops. What if my grandma got it with a department store coupon and actually paid $2 for it? How am I supposed to know that without blowing my cover that I am donating the sweater?

I just want to know how this actually works b/c DH & I donate a lot of stuff we no longer need or use. And a lot of awful Grandma gifts.

I would do the $8 way. You are not claiming you bought it new and donated. You are donating a used item, so you used the Goodwill guidelines the same way you would if you had bought it new, wore it and then donated it.