Yard sale time -- How much to charge?

[catnapper]

I'm getting ready for a yard sale. I'm actually organized this year! :eek: :eek:

I have done so much prep work to get stuff in one area to move out on the day of the sale. I even posted signs!

Now, how much do I price stuff?
Here's some of the stuff:
* blankets, towels, sheets, etc.
* furniture (sofa, chairs, tables)
* picture frames
* office stuff like fax machine and printer
* Cameron clothes
* childrens bike in ok shape, kids toys
* Christmas decorations -- from ornaments to larger items
* Pet supplies, like collars, coats, few toys, beds, litterboxes (unused of course)
* purses
* VERY expensive treadmill. Not sure how well it works since it sat unused since the day I bought it 8 years ago. (of course hubby HAD to have it)
* craft items
* old porcellain dolls the girls played with (I noticed I'm missing 90% of my valuable collectible ones. :( BUT if I haven't looked at them in 8 years and am just bow noticing.... guess I can't bee too upset)

I have more stuff, but can't think of it right now. I'd just appreciate some guidelines as to what you'd be willing to pay for the above stuff. Most of it is in excellent shape, otherwise I'd have freecycled it instead of trying to sell it.

[beeniesmom]

* blankets, towels, sheets, etc. 1 to 2 dollars each
* furniture (sofa, chairs, tables) 50-100 dollars
* picture frames - 5 - 10 dollars
* office stuff like fax machine and printer 20-30 dollars
* Cameron clothes - 2 to 3 dollars a piece
* childrens bike in ok shape, kids toys bike 15-30 toys 3-5 dollars
* Christmas decorations -- from ornaments to larger items 2-5 dollars
* Pet supplies, like collars, coats, few toys, beds, litterboxes (unused of course) - 1 to 2 dollars
* purses - 3 to 5 dollars it depends on the brand maybe much more
* VERY expensive treadmill. Not sure how well it works since it sat unused since the day I bought it 8 years ago. (of course hubby HAD to have it) 20 - 40% what you paid for it
* craft items 2-10 dollars
* old porcellain dolls the girls played with (I noticed I'm missing 90% of my valuable collectible ones. :( BUT if I haven't looked at them in 8 years and am just bow noticing.... guess I can't bee too upset) not sure

[kitten645]

I do not envy you. Doing a yard sale tests you faith in human kind. No matter WHAT you price things at, people will offer you a dollar...that would include the treadmill :rolleyes: The early birds are the worst. And they WILL steal stuff. I kid you not. I've compared notes with all my friends and nearly every one of them have had that happen to them.

http://www.crazyauntpurl.com/archives/2005/08/we_sailed_the_y.php

Check out this funny blog about yard sales. :p Good luck!
Claudia

[catnapper]

Thanks for the blog link! Yeah, I've had stuff stolen at yard sales. And this one will be HUGE. Thank goodness I'll have my mom and daughter to help.

Hubby wants to wake at 5:00 to start setting up. I say, 6:30, and if people come by while we set up, I will slap them and tell them twice the price I expect! :p I might even put a sign on the house that says "Any browsers before 7:30 will be subject to a cranky woman who doesn't do mornings"

I'm REALLY hoping this sale works well. Last year, I made less than $30 -- but it was thrown together at the last minute. I need to make a good chunk of change to pay bills!

[Moesha]

Part of what you charge depends on how badly you want to get rid of the clutter. :)

[catnapper]

Part of what you charge depends on how badly you want to get rid of the clutter. :)
I want it gone!

I just realized that the day of the yard sale is also a HUGE event on Main street - I've known about the event for weeks thanks to radio ads, but it didn't click in my brain until tonight. :o Main street isn't even a full block from my house and most people park behind my house for events. So I'm gonna get free traffic! :D

Adding to my list:
* Power tools and yard tools
* books and VCR tapes for kids
* paperback and hardcover books
* a working oven with cabinet (don't ask how we got it! ;))

[Twisterdog]

If you want it gone, price it low! I buy lots of towels and rugs at yard sales for my kennel. I'll pay a quarter for a towel, and a dollar for a nice rug with the rubber backing intact, no more. Because I can ALWAYS find them at that price, at the yard sale down the street or across town. Same thing with toys, book, movies and clothes - EVERYONE sells them at yard sales.

[Catty1]

One thing my mom was told at a yard sale she had years ago was not to put price stickers on everything. "You have a sense of what you will take for the item," she was told, "so you don't need to put stickers on everything."

She saved herself a lot of effort and just used good old-fashioned haggling instincts! :D

Have fun!

[Moesha]

I am so not a haggler. I want to see a price. If I am willing to pay the price, I'll buy it. If it is too high, then I won't. If it doesn't have a price on it, I won't buy it because I won't ask.

[jenluckenbach]

So, How'd the sale go???

even though I am too late to comment, I am JUST like Moesha.





I am so not a haggler. I want to see a price. If I am willing to pay the price, I'll buy it. If it is too high, then I won't. If it doesn't have a price on it, I won't buy it because I won't ask.

[catnapper]

So, How'd the sale go???

even though I am too late to comment, I am JUST like Moesha.

It next weekend. I'm REALLY trying to be organized this year! :D

I learned the hard way in years past to tag everything. People won't ask and if they do, and I say "um, offer me something" they WON'T, not even a $1 for a VCR. They just won't offer anything. So this year I have everything organized according to category, and everything that can go as the same price will be placed in a box with a sign "All books 25 cents, or 5 for $1" etc. Everything else will have individual tags on them.

As for haggling, it seems thats everyone's favorite past time around here. So I just tag it a bit higher than I expect to get for it. I can't remember more than 3 or 4 people who paid what I'd asked for... everyone else haggled. Most people bought something, so its not like people looked, saw the prices and left.

I'm thinking about pricing everything TWICE what I want. That way, if we get early birds, they can pay more for being pains in the you-know-what ;) and then I can tell everyone else throughout the day to take half off my tags.... I work sales, I can spin it ;)

[jenluckenbach]

How'd the yard sale go?

[catnapper]

How'd the yard sale go?

Oh my goodness! I forgot to update everyone - thanks for asking. I made $500!! My coworker and mom both made $50 each.

I wonder if I have enough junk to run another yard sale in a couple months. I know I forgot to put a lot of stuff out. It was chaos!

[jenluckenbach]

EXCELLENT! :D :cool:

[moosmom]

Look at the item and ask yourself if you'd pay that price? If the answer is now, drop the price a nickel or dime.:D