We are having a neighborhood yard sale in a few weeks. There's only one little problem. I know nothing about yard sale-ing. Have never been to one. Never had one. (Well, my parents did in 5th grade when we were moving from NJ to MA, but that doesn't count!) I have a bunch of junk, er, treasures to get rid of. We have baby things galore - toys, equipment, clothes (do you sell clothes at yard sales?) I have some old picnic baskets, decorations, games, books, and general chatchkis as well.
So, here are my questions:
* How the heck do I price items?
* Is there a general rule of thumb when deciding what to sell?
* Is there some sort of yard sale code in terms of price cap? Like should things only be $10 and under?
* Do I have to negotiate with everyone?
* How the heck do you make money when everything is priced so cheaply!?
* Is there some special way to lure people in with your yard design? (ha!)
There are at least 5 of you who read this, so please, comment. Help a sister out!
Thanks for the help peeps!
My advice is to put anything and everything out-it's amazing what sells. The first thing to go at our sale was Peter's super old baseball cards and Mad Magazines. The second thing was ALL my art/design supplies.
ReplyDeleteOther than that,
I wouldn't put anything out that you want more than $20 for ;)
Here's my yard sale post - http://houseography.blogspot.com/2010/06/follow-signs.html but I'll send you a separate email.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Kate- if you think you might want to get rid of it- just try. I had stuff like old magazines (circa 2004) and CDs and VHSs that I thought would never sell and they were largely gone in the first hour. I recommend setting prices for clothing at all one price: dresses $X, Shirts $X, etc. Some will be nicer and some not as nice so it will all even out eventually.
ReplyDeleteKid stuff is SUPER popular so I would put at least some to the front of what people can see from the street because it will lure them in.
We had all the clothing on tables and had a sign that said what the clothing prices were. We individually priced most everything else, with the exception of a few things- like hats, belts, scarves- which we put in big boxes with the flaps open and the price written on the flap- like 50 cents each. we laid out shoes on a blanket on the ground and that worked fine.
I would really recommend pricing everything at what you truly want to sell it for so you don't have to have an internal conflict at the moment someone wants to buy it about the price. we priced low but sold a lot and I was happy with it. I'd rather sell a lot at low prices than very little at high prices, but that's a very personal decision to make.
First let me say, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR MISSING!!!! Yardsaling is the bomb-diggity. I'm seriously addicted. And I'm here to help!
ReplyDeleteDon't bother pricing - many people won't bother haggling if they see a price tag, but if they approach to ask a price, you've already got their attention. Start out a little higher because most people will then talk you down. Remember, this is a yard sale and people who do this on a regular basis do not like to part with their money. I usually only ask $1 - $2 for smaller things, and if you have a lot of stuff that will add up in the end. Make sure your things are cleaned/dusted off and neatly laid out. Many people don't like to dig through boxes. Advertise on Craig's List and mention specifically what you have. Put your ad in all caps, and if other houses are involved, advertise as a multi-family or community wide. The word "HUGE" doesn't hurt either.
Good luck and feel free to stop by my blog for more advice. I have a button at the top with all of my tips. Sorry for taking up so much space!
I'm your newest follower and I'm also having a giveaway so be sure to enter!
xoxo,
Kim