How to have a Stress Free, Successful Sale !!
Friday, June 05, 2009 | By ThriftyChick
I am an entrepreneur at heart. I also like to organize and sort stuff. I always get compliments on how nice my sales are and how well organized. Garage sales aren't hard and you want to maximize your profits.
Don't let yourself get overwhelmed: Basic Organizing skills dictate a place for everything. If you often have stuff to get rid of make a box or tote in the garage for stuff to sell. Keep some price stickers and tape next to it and as you put something in the box... slap a price on it, I also always put my initial on the sticker or pre initial the sheets so that if I have a sale with a friend then my stuff is already identified. Then when you unpack your garage sale ... everything is priced and ready and you didn't have to stay up all night the night before doing it. Nothing can be more off putting to a buyer than to have to ask how much everything is. Some people aren't comfortable asking and some people feel you are waiting to trap them by seeing how interested they are in the item before quoting a price.
Don't waste your time pricing anything under a Quarter : Look at it this way... when you are a kid you stick a quarter in a gumball machine and wait for some random treasure to pop out. Your items are worth as much as any cheap trinket in a gumball machine. When I garage sale I will pay people .25 for a item marked a dime. I try to teach as I shop :o) Another good point for quarters is you don't have to make as much change. Don't price anything under a quarter and you don't have to mess with nickels ,dimes and pennies. If you can't bring yourself to price one item a quarter then bag all the dime and nickel worthy stuff together and price it .25 to 1.00 and get rid of more items at once. Make it easy on yourself.
All your stuff is Old and Used: Don't insult your customers by saying phrases like 'That's old ', 'It's never been used', 'Well you could sell that on EBay for more'. Your customers aren't stupid and the whole idea of a garage sale for the buyer is to get good deals and rock bottom prices. I know you have good things but all your stuff is Old and Used even if you didn't use it. It's like the old Cliche about cars... once you drive it off the lot it's lost value. Maybe you paid top dollar for an item but you won't get top dollar back. Sometimes you have to eat profit in order to sell. I call those lesson learned items. I have them myself, nobody is perfect. I'm not saying give your stuff away ...but you should expect roughly a 20-30% return on new items. If you paid $100 for it new you may only get 20-30 dollars for it at a sale depending on the item. Expect bargaining... it's the nature of the game but don't be insulted if someone tries to talk you down.
Merchandise and Advertise : Most sales I go to are pretty good about groupings. I think it's kind of second nature to put like items together. It's always best to have themes so that you optimize sales if someone is looking for a particular item. It also never hurts to wipe some dust off an item, you can charge .50 for that .25 cent item if you take time to wipe it down. People don't like to go to sales and see lots of dirty things. Your sale is a reflection of your lifestyle and habits if you want it to be or not, these are your things. Try to get as many things out of boxes as possible. Allot of people don't want to root for things and for older customers it's hard for them to bend down to see items and things may be overlooked. Have good signs for your sale. Not everyone knows where you live, try to have signs at major intersections they will cross before reaching your house. You could have a simple arrow so they know they are on the right track. Don't rely on just your address in the paper you also want to grab the attention of random drivers that are in the neighborhood and didn't know that they had a need to stop and see what you got ! And I can't stress this ENOUGH... DO NOT write your sign in ballpoint pen. I'm amazed how many signs I see like this. You can't read that in passing at 30-40 miles an hour, you can't always stop on a street to read the sign. Your signs don't have to list allot of information... sale and an arrow pointing the way are pretty affective. You don't have to list the times... if your sign is out you should be open. Always be kind and remove your signs when the sale is done.
Customer Relations: We aren't all morning people, customers and sellers alike. It's always nice to greet your customer with a simple hello or good morning. Most people respond back and it can put them at ease while searching through your belongings. I also always say thank you for stopping even if they didn't buy anything. I also say thank you when I don't buy anything from a garage sale after all I am glad to have had the chance to buy a treasure. Don't apologize or make excuses when someone is buying something of yours. I have that happen... 'oh I bought that once as part of a costume or that was a gag gift' Sometimes people seem to be embarrassed by what they are selling. I don't see why .. after all now that person is buying it ! Your voice carries ... when you are sitting there with friends or family during your sale and you are having a conversation, everyone hears it. As a buyer you can't help but zero in on it since there isn't usually much else noise going on. Be leery of what you say and how it sounds. I went to a sale once and the guy was complaining about all his wife's junk and then when a person at the sale tried to talk him down, after she left he boasted about how all his stuff was worth what it was marked blah blah blah. There were other people still shopping and it just makes the seller look ugly. Makes you wonder what they say after you leave.
Last minute notes and supplies: Be sure you have a money table so people can put their purchases down while digging in their billfold to pay you it also gives people a place to put stuff so they have hands free shopping to buy more of your stuff. Save some newspapers to wrap breakable items for the customer. Also save your plastic grocery sacks for people to carry away their multiple purchases. Have a calculator and pad of paper handy to keep track of a running tab and mark down sales if it's a multi-family event. Get your kids involved by letting them sell stuff for fun money that they can spend on anything they want. It will help de-clutter their rooms and then they feel grown up by making decisions on what they need and don't need. If they have no spare stuff let them have a kool-aid stand to make some money. Keeps them involved and they are easy to keep an eye on.
When it's all over and you pack your items away... keep a box handy for charity donations. I always try to give a little and keep a little. Keep some of the nicer things for another sale and give away some things as good karma for the next sale. Remember this is supposed to be FUN... people are coming to you and giving you money for your unwanted stuff !
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yard sale season
Thursday, May 21, 2009 | By yard_sale_annie
Hello all it is that time of year again when people are selling their treasures. I love yard sales can't drive by one without stopping. I went yard saling this past weekend with my boyfriend. He loves yard sales and he loves to dicker with people over their price, even if an item is marked a quarter and he feels it can be had for a dime he will dicker. I let him do all price negotiations as i feel a little reserved about asking..We went into some high end neighborhoods this past weekend. I could not believe the items that could be had for a quarter that were still with price tags on them and new in the box. I stopped at this one ladies yard sale and she had alot of lancome cosmetics and cremes. I bought a jar of some lancome creme for a dime new not even used and later i priced it on the internet sells for $ 80.00 dollars a jar. I was suprised to say the least. The best deals we got at the yard sales where in all the free boxes. I got a 45 record cassette radio player with speakers for free, a big bird cage, new car mats, new socks, kitchen hand towels, a travel case, a small container to hold liquids, a picture frame, small light bulbs for the car, bottle of glass cleaner for glasses, books, two end tables, I even bought items new for gift giving. I bought my daughter a really pretty glass jewelry box that had pressed flowers within the glass new still in the box for $ 2.00, I bought a wood unfinished jewelry box with drawers for a quarter, i am going to put a wood burned design on it and give it to a friend for her birthday. I bought a cashmere sweater with the original price tags still on it for a quarter. I have to go to a friends wedding in october and i found a very pretty wedding card for 10 cents..best place to get holiday cards is at yard sales. I get a box of christmas cards for a dime every summer. there were candy disher everywhere with candy in them that were put out for browsing customers which i thought was unusual my boyfriend loved the free candy every where we went he has such a sweet tooth. We even packed our lunch and went to mcdonalds for the free refill on coffee we just keep the mcdonalds cups. they offer free refills there on their beverages but sometimes when you are there you don't always get that free refill so i decided to start saving the cups and when i am in there. I just get my refill. I know it sounds tacky but you pay alot the first time for the beverage you should have a chance for the second cup free.
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Yard Sales...in December !
Saturday, December 13, 2008 | By DorrieBelle
Yup, believe it or not, I found four yard sales listed in our town, between the local paper's website and Craigslist.org. I submitted that as a tip, since I always check Craigslist for yard sales ! Despite waking up late, I decided to venture out anyway, since it wasn't that cold. Windy as anything, but not really cold.
First sale had evidently cancelled, but the next one was a bonanza, and I scored at the next one, too. The fourth was just too far away, and I wasn't going to be in that neighborhood for anything else.
That second sale was amazing. I didn't get there until after 12:30, and it was due to close at 2pm, so they were motivated to get stuff gone. For the pittance of $2., I snagged four 1975 Mattel 'Honey Hill Bunch' dolls (Sweetlee, Li'l Kid, Darlin', and Spunky) as well as a Super Pickle and a stuffed carrot, a lace-bedecked Barbie-size wicker loveseat, a stand I'm gonna write up as a craft for the site later, a vintage hard plastic Disney Cinderella figurine, a bag full of rug yarn, and about 30 yards of six types of tiny lace. Wow. My doll clothes are gonna be stylin' !
But that wasn't near the end of it. On hearing that I often dressed and refurbished dolls to donate, the grandmother who bought the lace insisted that I just take the rest of what she had. OMG ! She had miles of the stuff ! The lengths I bought wasn't a tenth of what she had, and she wanted to just *give* me the rest ? Yup. She really wanted it gone, and put to good use. I insisted on giving her the other two dollar bills I had - hey, when I yard sale, it's on the cheap ! - and I was somewhat dazed as I took the enormous lot to the truck. I could hardly wait to go through it all. I had a Mal-Wart sack of what I'd bought in one hand, and a 13-gal trash bag of what she gave me in the other ! And yes, the trash bag will be put to use in the kitchen trash can !
Debated whether or not to even go to the next sale, since I just had pocket and truck change. But, since it was four blocks down and two over, decided to at least check it out. Not a lot there, but I still got a cute Little Mermaid Ariel mug (it'll hold hair clips on my nightstand), a pink coffee mug I couldn't resist ('You think it's easy being a *itch ?' in flowing script), a cute stuffed kitty, and a lovely stylized cat pin that my DMIL will adore - 75c !
Called Beloved Hubby to say I'd be home soon, broke and happy. He said he was just then picking up lunch, hurry home ! Hooray for McRib value meals !
Got to go through the huge bag of lace. Wow. There must be a hundred yards here, in about fifteen different sizes and colors ! Mixed in were three tiny jewelry boxes - always fun doll props - a package of corsage pins, about a dozen tulle pieces, and several silk rose and lace pew bows from a wedding. Took those apart. I'll get the lace washed and stored, and use the silk flowers on a wreath for the front door. I found our old fake evergreen wreath earlier this week - I'd always meant to do something really cool with it. Now I have several sets of silk roses to use !
Discovered that the Cinderella figurine originally came with a Disney character watch, sold in the 60s. Coool ! And Beloved agrees with me, his mom will love the cat pin.
I'm glad I went out. Normally yard sales have dried up by now, so I'm enjoying what I got while I got it. I'm sure that soon, I'll be lamenting that yard sale season really is over, and I can only hunt and haunt the thrifts. I really should stay home, I got nothin' to complain about, but I enjoy finding fun things so much...
Well, that was today. I'm gonna go bag up the lace for my craft tote, which uses up some recycled sandwich baggies, while watching an old Mystery Science Theater 3000 tape. Hope I can find 'Santa Claus Versus the Martians' !
Hope your day was frugal and fun !
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Last Flea Market of '08...(sniffle)
Friday, December 05, 2008 | By DorrieBelle
Whoo - too much going on ! But I've had so much fun...
The last Flea Market of '08 was today at the Fairgrounds. It was Ok, and I found some great doll stuff - spent $13. ! - but it was the most fun just to walk around and listen. The Flea tends to be where folks who normally do the SecondHand sale unload their junk, so it's all pretty cheap, and the attendees mostly know that. So I kinda felt sorry for the crafter who made the beautiful, but rather expensive, holiday wreaths. Lovely, but at $35., few if any were buying.
Stumbled on to a sale at KBKids.com right at Thanksgiving - got a Lindsay Lohan 'My Scene' doll for $4.99, free shipping. Back when she was on toy section shelves, she was about $15. to $20. She arrived today - I got sooo much for the money ! Two whole doll outfits, a fistful of props including a director's chair, whoo-hoo !
Ironically, I don't want the doll. Just the stuff that came with her. However, Lindsay won't be leaving any time soon. Dearest Son is a HUGE fan of Herbie:Fully Loaded, so I hope to make the doll a little racing suit like the one LL wore in the movie. Since he already has a Barbie beetle - yard sale find - he'll probably get a kick out of it. Oh, he's 8, in case you were wondering.
Here's what's kinda funny about it. When I sank my teeth into the deal, she was $4.99 with free shipping. Day after Thanksgiving, I got an e-mail from kbkids.com, inviting me to look at their specials. There was the LL doll, but she was now $7.99, with free shipping. Today I got yet another e-mail, and now she's $12.99. At the rate they're going, she'll be back at full price by Christmas, but still on sale ! Free shipping, too.
Dearest went off to spend Friday night and Saturday with his grandparents, so Beloved Hubby and I were on our own tonight. Normally we go out to eat, and maybe to a bookstore, but this evening, neither of us were in much of a going out mood. So I made a quick Hamburger Helper dinner - I'd just bought a chub of burger, and needed to divide it out anyway - and we had more time to do what we wanted. It made for a nice evening.
Hope yours has been good, too !
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A big purchase and yard sale rudeness...
Saturday, November 22, 2008 | By DorrieBelle
Big fun today - after spending weeks researching and reviewing and visiting the stores, saving our funds and seeing how much we could buy for what we had to spend - we bought the computer that best suited us and our budget ! It's especially great because it means it frees up the laptop for Dearest Son - something he's been wanting for Christmas !
Now, normally, Son would get the newest and best, but he's eight, and really wants the laptop Daddy has. And Beloved Hubby/Daddy needs more power than most affordable laptops have. So we found a great deal, and made the switch tonight. We're cleaning up and boxing up the laptop tonight - no sense waiting, Dearest will get it tomorrow. That pretty much took care of Christmas for both Dearest Son and Beloved Hubby, all at once. Well, Dearest will have a few small things to open next month... but most of them have been purchased already.
We also sold some unused furniture via Craigslist.org, and that helped a bit. I got a gift tonight, too. I'd been wanting the Barbie 'I can be a TV Chef' playset, and Target had it for $15.99. It's been $21. everywhere else. The doll's getting donated, but I'm using the rest in my ongoing play. It really is a nice set, if you can forgive the cardboard 'display' in all the shelves, including the fridge. I'll be removing it. As is usual with Barbie stuff, it's all about an inch shorter than I wish it was. The dolls have to stoop to use the counter and camera. But that's what Dearest's outgrown wooden building blocks come in handy for !
Went out for a couple yard sales this morning. Snagged an infant skirt (to be altered to fit a My Size Barbie), baby knit boots with leather soles (for my Baby Crissy doll), a star ornament set, two action figure display cases (great for doll props) and a small plastic jar and lid, for a buck.
Got to witness some really bad behavior at the second and last sale of the day. If I'd have known it was an Estate sale, I wouldn't have made the drive. I've seen the heirs try to sell open boxes of laundry detergent for more than it costs new, and put stickers over the printed on prices of items - like a pack of Dollar General sewing needles, $1. all day long there. Not at one Estate sale - someone'd put a $2. sticker over the printed-on price... and the package was missing several !
This sale wasn't bad, but the behavior of the attendees was. Sale was on a busy street, and the house had limited parking. In fact, the folks already there had already taken it up, to the point where I couldn't figure out how anyone could leave unless everyone did so at the same time ! I drove up a half block and parked safely, then walked to the house. A van driver had a different idea. He stopped, in the middle of a busy street, during Football Game Pre- Frenzy, to let two occupants out, clogging traffic both ways. I figured he'd do what I did - circle the block and park elsewhere, since the lot was still overflowing.
Nope. He backed up a bit, setting off a blaze of car horns, and somehow wedged his van between the last car in the lot and a huge oak tree. Nobody was leaving now ! In fact, he got so close, only his door could be opened !
I'm guessing this sort of 'to heck with everyone who ain't me' behavior is just their way of life, because the two women he was with inside acted as though everyone there - buyers and sellers alike - were there to carry their stuff, halve prices, and make way for them and anything they wanted, because that's the way they acted. They threw their payment at the cashier, because one item wasn't discounted enough, and she had the fortitude to ask for their tax-free number, since they refused to pay the sales tax stated on the signage all over the house. The tax collected may have been a scam, but it was clearly noted in every room and on the door, so complaining about it at check-out seemed a bit churlish, especially when there were five people behind them waiting to pay for their own things, and leave.
I paid for my items - a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle 'Mutant Maker', a sort of Fashion Plates for boys, and a Crayola Creature Maker, about the same thing - and stepped outside, where people were trying to make sense out of their parking arrangements, and the van people were trying to load up their stuff, but couldn't, because most of it wouldn't fit through the only available door. The person assigned to carry their purchases just set them gently down on the driveway and over the oak roots, and walked back inside. I calmly strolled down the street, got into my vehicle easily, and hoped that my $1.50 in purchases would make a few bucks on eBay... but Dearest would probably want that creature maker.
Sad thing is, those folks were my parents' age. They weren't young and stupid, they were old and entitled. But, heck, for all I know, they're still trying to get their $200. worth of stuff into the van and leave !
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Just a little creativity
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 | By jetruth
I love going to thrift shops, flea markest and garage sales. I really love to pick up old jewelry and clothing. I remember one time, when my daughter was small. I used to go into some of the better children stores and see what the new colors were and style. I stopped in KidsRUs. My daughter saw a pair of painted jeans that she wanted badly. The problem was the jeans(she was wearing size 4) were $13.00. At that time they were two expensive for my budget. Every other counter we went by she wanted this and that. I was a single parent, living on a very strict budget( which meant no money for let overs. After she went to school, I went to the local thrift store. It just so happen that certain colored tags were half off. I even found the same jeans my daughter want and they already had paint on them(the jeans cost me 50 cents. I also found come craft paint, beads, buttons, trims as well. I got so excited I ran home washed every thing and started to work. I left the thrift store with two garage bags of clothes. I make sure that I put matches together. I did so well that the teacher had sent a note home with my daughter asking that could I please send my daughter home in her old clothes because of all the painting and working they were doing. I just laughed to my self. If she only knew. Just a little imagination, work, and creativity will do.
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Having a Sale - Hoorah for wooden furniture
Friday, November 02, 2007 | By pamphyila
We are having an estate/garage sale at my church this weekend. And I have hauled out my wooden furniture from storage. It's the result of several apartments being put together, which gave us an excess of furniture.
But it's all solid wood - oak - pine - and we can sell it off for at least what we paid for it. (We got them at yard sales originally.) Can you say that about fiberboard furniture? No! We have recycled fiberboard bureau drawers abandoned at an old apartment complex - but them we finally gave up and junked them...You can't really repair them as you can wooden furniture.
I still have kept pieces I have refinished - (a big maple dresser from years ago - now it's ended up in the living room). And a piece where I just "corrected" the finish - taking away the paint drips, etc. with a razor blade and a little sanding here & there. It looks like expensive distressed pine now.
I am glad I talked my husband into getting an oak dining room table and matching chairs instead of the chrome ones he was looking at. The oak is so much more durable at the same price. (He bought them at a JC Penney's that was closing.)
We also have some - fiberboard - from Ikea's BARGAIN section - and used 2 of their matching narrow CD towers for storage in the bathroom. That stuff is a compromise with my husband, who hasn't totally been converted to shabby chic. He is still getting used to the idea of vintage and that it has resale value.
I like to collect and every once in a while I do a clear out - really to make room for more collecting! And with vintage, you can make some money - so at least sell it for what you paid for it, so you have gotten use out of it GRATIS.
More later on how the sale panned out. My friend who is into antiques said that nothing would sell - but I have already sold several items before the official sale tomorrow!
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