Yard Sale HELP!!?
Question:I have never had a yard sale. I have went to a few and I know not to put things on the ground.as I hate bending over to look at them. I have bright signs up so that's taken care of it. I really need to know about clothing and pricing. I have everything from shorts/shirts to nice dresses. I don't know what to price them at and also lots of sandals and purses?? Last how do I place them? In boxes on tables? Just folded up on table? I would really like to hang them but I don't have a fence or trees. I live in a duplex type subdivision. Any suggestions about that? Thanks
Answers:
We have a yard sale every year. I have found that people rarely search through boxes for anything. They might go through things on a table, but then that gets to be a stirred up mess and you constantly have to straighten it up. Hang clothes on some type of a bar placed between two step ladders if nothing else. People will go through clothes on hangers before anything else. If you have a ton of clothes and just want to be rid of them, have a $1.00 a bag sale. We pass out Wal-mart plastic bags and you will be surprised how much can fit into one of those bags and the stuff is GONE. However, in our area we charge $1. per shirt and usually $2. to $3. per dress. Winter coats or nice coats usually around $5. If someone wants to buy 7 shirts, however and only pay $5., we usually do it just to be rid of the stuff. We also put signs around that say, "Everything Negotiable---No reasonable offer refused." That way if you would be happy with getting $1. for a dish you have placed a $2 sticker on...everyone will leave happy when you sell it for a dollar. Shoes we usually price at $1.00 to .50 cents, pocket books usually $1.00 but it depends on the area you are in. I watch shows on TV and I am surprised at the prices they get at flea markets and such. The best things that sell for us are puzzles, books and cookbooks.
You should be able to figure out prices if you*ve been to yard sales before. I think it depends on your area. As for hanging, can you put two ladders (borrow them?) with a long pole between them? I think things in boxes would work (if you have the sizes marked on the boxes) otherwise just folding them neatly woul work, but be prepared to be constantly refolding them as people look at the dresses. You can always get boxes from liqour stores for free. Just call and ask what days you could get them.
Grrrr!! garage sales in my opinion are never fun unless your a veteran at having them (which Im not). As far as pricing goes that is a hard one, but above all base your prices on the condition of the clothing and is it a current style; i.e., no holes, rips/tears or stains then just use your best judgement. I read a website tip somewhere that suggested visiting your local resale/consignment shops that will give you an idea of what they sale things for and just adjust your price as they price a little higher so they make their money and the person that brought the item in makes money. As far as displaying your items can sometimes be difficult. I have the same situation I don't have any place to hang clothes either so for my last garage sale I went out and purchased from our local store a garmet hanging rack put it together and used it. It can be disassembled for storage. You can lay out your shoes on the ground and use empty boxes for purses and or belts. If you lay out your clothes on some type of cloth/tarp don't drive yourself nuts over keeping things folded neatly because the people stoping by your garage sale will sift and toss things to the side. I price nicer items higher and leave myself room to come down several dollars. You can bet that you'll never get what your asking as most avid garage salers will shake you down and ware you out until you've almost given the item away just so you can get rid of them (the person that is). When we have garage sales usually beginning around 7am-2pm, I watch what is moving and what is not and around 10 or 11am I will start marking prices down in hopes the stuff will move faster. Words of advice is its always good to have a couple of friends there to help out. Its very easy for someone to walk off without paying so the extra eyes watching over your belongings is good idea. It can get pretty hectic and garage sales are a good place for theives. You want to keep your items of more value closer to you so that you can watch over them. For example, we had a bad experience several years back when someone walked off with a tent that we had put out for sale. We paid over $300 for it so when they quietly walked off with it we were $200 in the hole. Computer(s), hardware, games, dvd's and music you want where you can watch over them. Good Luck and I hope that I was able to give you some insight.
More Related Questions & Answers...