I want to begin by making it perfectly clear that this post has nothing to do with drugs or prostitution. (Let's just wait while those people leave, okay?)
Alright, I'm talking about our neighborhood yard sale this weekend. The 'hood has a couple of these a year but we've never participated. After being home all winter in this house with all this crap, I want to off-load oodles of it.
There's a little bit of everything: books, dvds, a printer, a nice computer monitor, lamps, dust-collectors, a whole set of corelle plates/cups/casserole dishes, glass vases, garage junk. I've also decided having two cats around the house is a bit extravagant so I've threatened them both that whoever pisses me off the most between now and Saturday is getting a "free" sticker.
I have no idea what to put on any of this stuff for prices. I'm planning on grouping things - all paperbacks the same price, all dvds the same price, etc. But what price IS that? And how do you determine the price on a lamp? My goal is to get as much as possible out of the house while still bringing in a bit of cash. I'm not looking to get rich or fund a huge project, but at the same time I'm not so desperate to be rid of it that I'll just put a "free" sign on the whole lot (donating to Goodwill would at least get us a tax deduction in that case).
Any tips? Any great resources? I've already made sure my xanax is in good supply because I hate dealing with people and I hate talking prices and I really hate dealing with people who are talking prices. Also, don't judge me based on my stuff!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
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5 comments:
I like yard sales. I don't go often but grew up going to them so here's what I'd tell you:
Stuff needs to be cheap if you want to sell a lot. If I were pricing it, I might do...
*25 cents paperbacks, 50 cents hardbacks
*$1 crappy DVDs :), $3 good DVDs (as in, recent movies people would really want)
*Printer--depends what kind. Probably $10 unless it's especially nice.
*Monitor--Again, depends how nice it is. Maybe $5 to $15 depending.
*Lamps--Totally depends on quality. With a lampshade, probably $5 to $25. It would have to be pretty nice for me to charge on the high end.
*Corelle--Depends on how attractive the set is and how large. Maybe $15 for a smaller set or $25-$35 for larger set.
*Vases--50 cents for ugly ones (as in, came free with flowers.) $3 for nice ones.
*Cat--Don't rule out paying someone to take it if you're especially desperate.
Hope that helps....
I've never had a yard sale before but I was thinking that perhaps this summer when they do the city wide garage sales I would put out a lot of our old baby stuff to see what money can get for it. We want more kids, but I figure that our best bet would be to sell everything to put us in the worst possible position to have a kid, then my bad luck will kick in and we will have a kid. I know my logic is odd, but it is sound. I'm telling you it is! Really!
Bear in mind the cheapest you can get the used items at... Then charge a little less to make people think buying from you is their best option. Since it's a case of wanting to clear out clutter, but figuring you can make a few bucks in the process, then the goal is to make them want your stuff. If people can - for example - get a book from you for 25 cents, then they'll probably do it. Charge them $3 for the same book, and they'll figure they can probably get it for that price at a used book store, so it's not worth it. I think the list from C. Beth is a good price list to go by.
Sell, sell, sell! Get that junk outta your trunk or where ever it may be lurking! :O)
I have no experience with yard sales although I did get rid of 99% of the stuff I owned prior to our move. It'll feel good to get it out of the house. DON'T bring anything back in, even if it means you're virtually giving stuff away toward the end of the day.
Good riddance!
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