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If only I wasn't such a greedy little packrat I could get rid of some vintage jewelry I don't wear much (sheer volume of pieces and tending to have favorites is the culprit there) as well as tin dollhouse from the early '60's. I go to yard sales but can't bring myself to sell my things!
Some of my best buys were:
twin-sized cot for $5 and it's very comfortable with a nice thick mattress
food steamer from a thrift store for $15 (sells for $45 brand new)
large dog crate for $10 (sell for $70 and up brand new)
wood table for $20 that has side expansion arms - the people said they got it in Germany (we were at a yard sale on a military base). Don't know how much it's worth but we've had it for about 15 years now and it's still in great shape.
Craftsman car top carrier for $20 - I don't even know what they sell for now. This was many years ago.
I've bought baby gates for rooms to block the pets out of for around $5 ea. and those are at least $25 and up brand new.
Everytime we've moved, we would hold a yard sale. We always take a big hit from the "new" price but it's worth it to get rid of it sometimes and also if someone else can make use of it, then I feel good. But there have been a few things I won't just give away though. Usually that depends on the buyers attitude, how much I paid for it, and how badly do I want to get rid of it. I have a Tony Little Gazelle glider and wanted $75 for it (I paid $300 for it). It's an older model, sturdy, and in great shape. I know you can get them relatively cheap now but I bought mine off the tv when they first came out. Someone offered me $40 and I said no. I just put it in storage with the idea that maybe someday I'll use it again and wasn't ready to just let it go for next to nothing yet. We now have a very expensive treadmill and no way would I ever sell it for cheap. I know it's already used but it can sit in a corner collecting jackets and dust before I just give it away.
This also reminds me of a time I wanted to buy a baby outfit for my son. The person had twins and had two of everything. Well I only needed one outfit but she absolutely refused to sell me just one! She was quite rude and said the outfits had to go together and they weren't that cheap to begin with. I put the other stuff I was holding back and left. Another sale I stopped at, the lady was talking to someone about non yard sale stuff. When I asked her how much something cost, she said "I'll be with you in a minute" and continued to carry on her long conversation. So again, I left. What's up with these people?? It wouldn't have taken her but a few seconds to quote me a price but no, she couldn't stop yakking.
Anyway, all this talk of yard sales has me motivated to go to some this weekend!
The stuff you think no one will buy, they buy and the stuff you think will sell right away doesn't.
I have sold cool whip and margarine containers for a nickel each. When we cleaned out my parents and grandmother's house, they had dozens of glass jugs that grapefruit juice comes in. I sold the entire lot for $2. Hey, it wasn't much, but it kept it out of the landfill.
We always thought we'd have another baby, so I saved every stitch of clothing my daughter wore until she was 5 and then we sold it. I sold her underpants and socks for 10 cents each and people bought them!!!!
If you have an item that you want more money for like the baby swing, I'd put an ad in the paper for it. You will get more from an ad than from a yard sale. People expect cheap bargains at yard sales.
I love yard sales, although I wish people didn't do them so early.
Two weeks ago I got a set of three nesting tables for $30. The woman said she'd had them about 25 years, and had bought them from a woman who had them for at least 20. They're somewhat dinged, but the veneer is pretty and I like old furniture, so I'm very happy with them.
I've sold some baby stuff at yard sales and I would put about 1/3 the cost when new but be ready to make a deal for less. We have a weekly pennysaver here. If you have something like that you could a better price with a ad in that. Most other stuff I price from 10 cents to $5 depending on what it is. Larger items should be marked seperate but you can make tables or catagories for lesser priced items. Good Luck.Originally Posted by AJane
I'm having a yard sale in a couple of weeks, and I know we're going to be offering great deals.Thanks for the tip on the shoes, Dux, I have a ton of girls' shoes I can sell.
I'm not sure how much to mark on some stuff that's NOT junk - for instance, I have a Fisher Price baby swing (the portable kind) that was bought brand-new for around $90. It's in perfect condition. What do I charge for something like that?
I think my best buy was a trundle bed that pops up that I know brand new cost $100 (when I checked 5 years ago). I got it at a yard sale for $5. And he threw in a box springs for free!! We have a ton of mattresses but no box springs so that was an added bonus that made that $5 go a very long way.
eta. Normally I wouldn't get a box spring at a yard sale but this guy's house was immaculate (even the inside of the garage was immaculate). And I let my co-workers talk me into getting it, they are not quite the germ-a-phobes or bug-a-phobes that I am
Gotta love when your boss loves to garage sale and we stop all the time on the way to our houses that we clean.
Forty-six years ago, before my oldest child was born, I bought a rocking chair for 2.50 at a yard sale. I used it for about thirty-five years, then had it reglued and refinished. That cost 68.00. The chair lives in my kitchen and hardly a day goes by that I don't sit in it for a while. Now THAT was a bargain.I love yard sales, although I wish people didn't do them so early.
Two weeks ago I got a set of three nesting tables for $30. The woman said she'd had them about 25 years, and had bought them from a woman who had them for at least 20. They're somewhat dinged, but the veneer is pretty and I like old furniture, so I'm very happy with them.
One thing I never do is try and get someone to lower their prices. They know how much they need to get for their stuff. It may be too pricey for ME, but not the next person.
My family has had a couple of mega-sales at my aunt and uncles big double-garage. We have great tables set up, with everything price-marked with a small sticker as well as the initials of the owner. As people bought things, the money went into one purse. But the amount was tallied under each initial. If someone wanted to dicker, the owner was the only one allowed to negotiate unless otherwise stated. Then, at the end of the day, it was easy to add up what each person should receive and divvy up the funds. It usually worked out to a "T". (there were up to 12 people participating)
Around here, there are professional garage sale scouts. They try and get a looky-loo BEFORE the sale even starts. Then they see what they want and come back right at opening or try to convince you to sell your good stuff before it even begins. Some just want to clean you out and then sell again. There are a couple of ladies who do this for a living and have a small shop where they fix up things and up the ante. They're very saavy about what will go and what will not.
We've always had great stuff in great shape. Everything from glass shrimp cocktail glasses, to mint condition books, to appliances, to collectibles, to clothes... We've had amazing comments and most people didn't dicker too much. The last one we had, I took a whole lot of stuff I gathered and was shocked to get $700 over a long weekend. Almost everything went by the second day.
Recently though, I've heard some people say they've cut back from driving around doing their yard sale thing because of gas prices. It can just add up if you try to hit 5-10 places on a Sat. Most start Friday evening and go until Sunday 4pm or until stuff is gone.
Awhile ago, I put about 8 green garbage bags worth of work clothes, some furniture, and such and took it to our local Goodwill store. I went back a couple of days later, because I kinda put a few things in there I thought I would like back and almost everything had sold. I think someone who works there either buys the good stuff out or calls someone when they get a "good drop-off". Normally, that wouldn't have happened.
Good Luck and have fun! And don't forget to have someone on drink and sandwich duty, and rotate your duties so you don't get bored.
And don't keep all your money up front (or out back). As you get some, take the bigger bills into your house or somewhere safe. Also lock your house doors. It's surprising how many people invite themselves right into your yard or house looking for stuff as if It's an Open House or Estate Sale!
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