Yard Sale pricing ?

[nunzia]

Years ago a friend gave me a formula for using when pricing for a garage sale. Think of what the normal retail price of and item is. Half it and then 1/3 it. So if an item retails for $30.00 then $5.00 would be a reasonable price. FYI Ten years ago I purchased my sons crib, crib mattress and dresser that had a changing area on top for $250.00. The seller had $300.00 marked on it, I asked if they would take $250.00-SOLD! It all depends on the condition. Always mark higher-people will always dicker you down.

Sometimes..however, I am the sort that sees a price and either pays it or walks away. I hate the dickering aspect and won't do it. So, maybe a sign with 'negotiable' on it or 'firm" For these items though I'd try and sell them through an ad, as I see garage sales as much cheaper items. The prints..wow..those cost alot. I agree..check out ebay first, or maybe a consignment shop?

 

[nunzia]

My pet peeve at yard sales is a little sign that says" Seen on Ebay for....."
SEEN on Ebay or SOLD on Ebay..ok then..sell it there.
Also..."Collectible" Really?? You sure on that?..also.sell on Ebay on in an antique shop then.
To me sales are a way to clear out junk that others might like.
I go to sales quite alot and these things drive me nuts as well as:
Ridiculous prices..if you are having a sale to pay the mortgage, then maybe you should re asess your spending habits
Please keep you dog inside and away from the sale!
Make sure your kid knows his stuff is leaving. I've had kids grab stuff away from me and yell "mine!" more than once.
Please don't have a sale unless you have stuff to sale. Gas is way to expensive to drive all over town and find one little table with some old cool whip containers on it.

that said..I love sales and they are a fun treasure hunt!

 

[mom2rose&john]

I need an opinion on how much you would pay for an item at a garage sale. I thought there was a thread going with questions like this already, but I couldn't seem to find it, so here it goes.........

I have a crib, crib mattress and matching changing table that was originally $700.00 all together and it still looks brand new. My friend says to put $150.00 on it, but that seems so high!! I was thinking $100.00, what do you think? Is $100.00 even too high?

And what about pictures? I have several wildlife prints, which I paid about $2-300.00 for, what do you think about those..........I was thinking $25.00?

Thanks!

I would put $150.00 and on the second day or close to the end of the sale put on OBO. I do think you would be better off on Craigs list or a consignment shop.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

What about CD's? DH is ready to get rid of his 200+ collection. Do people listen to CD's anymore? (I know we don't...we put them all on the computer and download them on the mp3.)

Try something like SecondSpin.com Sometimes they will only pay you a quarter for them, some are worth $10. I liked it because I just packed up the boxes and sent them out, instead of only selling some of them, and then having to figure out what to do with the rest.

Jen

 

[mickeyfan2]

What about CD's? DH is ready to get rid of his 200+ collection. Do people listen to CD's anymore? (I know we don't...we put them all on the computer and download them on the mp3.)

I have mine all downloaded to my IPOD but I am not getting rid of them. I will need the CDs again if a problem arises and I need to load them again.

 

[saucymb]

What about CD's? DH is ready to get rid of his 200+ collection. Do people listen to CD's anymore? (I know we don't...we put them all on the computer and download them on the mp3.)

sell them to www.secondspin.com . I did this last year and made a couple hundred bucks on not that many CD's. Quick and easy and you get your check within two weeks.

 

[delmar411]

We make great money at yard sales. Pretty much do the opposite of MrsPete's 'rules'. Personal care items move so fast that I have a list of ppl that left me their email addresses and asked me to email them when I got more stuff. I even had one woman come to my house like 6wks later asking if I had anymore of an item she needed!

I just sold my crib and changing table on craigslist for $100 and $40. Quick easy and didn't take up any of my time really.

VHS we sold for $2-3 each, CDs for $2 each

We had some new in the baby gear that we priced to sell and either wrote firm or OBO after the price. We didn't take much back in from our sales.

 

[lyzziesmom]

I'd like to know where all you people live that you can sell a used crib for that much money! I've been trying to sell my DD's crib at our garage sales for the past two years. That's about 5 sales we've assembled the dang thing, priced it (at a whopping $40) and then slashed the price again and again, only to shove it back in the garage at the end of the day. Granted, it's not a new crib and wasn't expensive to begin with, but it looks brand-new and I'm down to only asking a measly $15 for it!!

It all depends on who your customers are. I've had sales where a ton of expectant mothers came and snatched up most of the baby stuff, and other sales where the baby/kid stuff just sat there because the moms weren't shopping that day. It also depends, for me, on if I have the sale at my mom's house or at my house. She lives in an area of town where the houses are about 3-6x the price of my end of town -- we can ask a lot more money for the same items at her house (but on the flip side, the stuff we put out has to be better stuff). It's all a gamble.

I always price items at twice what I'm willing to sell them for. That way if someone offers me less, I'll take it and not feel bad about it. And if they buy it at the stickered price, bonus!

 

[mjhd]

Another vote for CraigsList. I think that for higher priced items, they will sell for much more and quicker by going this route. It doesn't cost you anything and you should be able to get rid of it quickly. Good luck!