Garage Sales?
 

I'm being hounded to do another garage sale....I'm not sure if I'm up to it....

I think we just need to simplify & clean house once & for all & stop buying things just til fill up an empty spot......it gets pretty bad when I'm having a G.S., yet I go to other peoples sales & bring THEIR junk home! ......

Once we even drug a piano & an organ home ( two different sales) just because it was free, it didn't seem to matter that I had no where to put it or that no one could play, but hey, it's free! :rolleyes: ....

The sale is an adventure in itself- you have ones that will dicker over the price difference of 50 cents ( well that 50 cents must be real important to you)....the ones that will ask if you have something that's not in the sale( as if I'm hiding it in a back room)....can I hold something to the end of the day?( Do I have layaway?).....point to something in the yard & inquire if it's for sale ( It's not an estate sale!)....Pick up my phone & try & purchase it....come to think of of, it could be a humorous day....

How was your garage sale?..was it worth it?

I have made $700 in a garage sale before. I need to have another one

I refuse to have garage sales (down here we call them yard sales lol). I live in a rather rural part of the state. I always tell hubby we live in the part of the south that is the reason ppl up north make fun of southerners. :rolleyes:

Anyway, people down here think they have overpayed if they have to pay more than 50 cents for anything in a yard sale. Got a $2500 LV purse for sale? They want it for 50 cents. I have never in my life. I keep begging Mike to let us please move back to Atlanta!

I know what you mean about expecting things for practically free...I had a couple of vintage dressers that I put in a garage sale for about $30 & everyone who looked at them wanted them for a lot less, so after the sale I put them in front of the house w/ a sale sign for $75-$100 & they sold the first day...apparently if it's at a G.S. then it's expected to be cheap but if it's just an item up for sale then they will pay what it's worth :rolleyes:

Our library always has one where you buy a spot for $5 and then you bring all your stuff to their parking lot. I always make at least $200. The trick is to sell things really cheap so they SELL and you are not taking anything home. I usually have a box of stuff left I drop off at goodwill on the way home.

I also save empty boxes and put things in them all year long. I get a lot of candles and smelly hand lotion stuff for gifts and I'm allergic to all of it so I add them to the garage sale box. We have a small townhouse with no storage so I don't even feel guilty - why should I have to trip over clutter I don't need or want? I always have new picture frames, christmas ornaments, etc. that people give me and I don't need. I put them in the sale.

But yeah, the trick is price things so they sell. You aren't doing it to make money - you are just getting rid of stuff that's too nice to throw away. And that's the other thing - DO NOT try to sell stuff that is garbage. Throw it out. My dad thinks everything is sellable and then wonders why his garage sales don't work. If it's even remotely in decent shape, he will try to keep it or sell it for way too much. He will try to sell the junk. Half of what I sell is in new or gently used condition, so that's why I do well.

WOW!... You must have had some good stuff!.... The most I made was $400...I thought I had some shopping money....on the last day of the sale my DH does to get the mail, I hear him say "WHAT THE HECK!!" he's holding a bank paper...he likes to use his debit card (I never use mine, so I know it was him) & he didn't save his receipt for several purchases, he bounced numerous checks, it took all the money from the sale to straighten it out :eek: ...I was not happy...

That's the motto I also try to do at mine but my DH thinks everything he has is a gold mine......let's say I paid $150 for a leather coat , I'll put $10 or $15 on it, he will say,"But I paid way more than that!"...I'll try & explain to him as longit & besides haven't you ever heard of depreciation? ...he's not happy....

I need to have one too and downsize but omg it's SO much work.....

I had one years ago and did great - then caught someone actually STEALING LOL - When I caught the woman stuffing something into a dufflebag that that she was buying - I was like "TAKE IT for crying out loud - why make yourself into a thief over 2.00" ???? People can really suck at garage sales.

Also, it helps to have the garage sale in the right neighborhood. My mom, my aunt and I are having one at my aunts house because they have garage sale regulars and people that will buy anything. My parent's neighbors had one last weekend and they sold NOTHING. My neighborhood is too new and far away from anything to even try. We had a "community" garage sale once with like 15 people in our neighborhood and I got THREE people in 4 hours.

My aunt doesn't even advertise, she just puts the sign out at the end of the block and ends up selling everything. So maybe combining with a friend or relative would help?

We had this happen to a relative last year, they stole her money box...when she called the police & told them what happened they informed her that it's quite common for two or three people to come to the sale & while 1 or 2 people call you over to discuss an item the other one will steal the money....

I agree the right neighborhood will make or break your sale...for instance I usually look for vintage or antiques items so I stay away from new home subdivisions, I try to go to older homes where they have been putting goodies in their basements for years....

LOL I love going hate the work of havingLOL
The last one I had everyone asked me to sell their JUNK and then they NEVER came to help . When it didn't sell I got stuck hulling it all away:mad:

I think I'll stick to going and giggling ove all the goofs out there :)

oh good grief - there's some real winners out there. Stealing a few bucks from a garage sale - they should be SO proud

The last one I had I didn't tell anyone, but some how they found out so they started hauling their crap over...I had to keep track of who sold what for how much...they just wanted to come back & collect the money...
Sometimes I would have someone come in & ask if I'd go lower on their things...I would always come down on their prices.. (he he he)

That kind of heist could be quite lucrative....I guess with me making $400 & Chachi making $700 in just two sales they would have made over $1000.... the risk to getting caught is pretty slim.....even if they did get caught the homeowner would just demand the box back & they would move on to another side of town....