So Saturday we had a garage sale. Photos are from 2010 so you know how long we've been working at this.
First of all there is one of us who doesn't believe in throwing things in the trash. Throwing things in the trash is a fast and dirty way to get rid of stuff. If you can believe it I found book makers on the sale Saturday!
After that there should be a free bin. Anything in the bin is free.
Then prices should be reasonable as garage sale customers want things for cheap. We have tried not putting prices on articles and asking for offers. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
Then stuff on garage sale should have some quality.
Well, we were disappointed Saturday. After you spend all winter putting things in a garage sale pile and then haul it upstairs and outside and sit all day ...well . it's a lot of work.
On Saturday we sold very little. There wasn't a lot of traffic.
The only bright spot was that we sold more stuff from in the house that was not on the garage sale than actual stuff on the garage sale.!
We had some table clothes and sheets for sale. One lady wanted them all. Then the Micro Manger in her lightning quick logic said that there was more in the house. So the MM brought out more table cloths and sheets and the lady bought them. Can you believe that the MM still had our wedding table cloths. They were sold. Yes, the wedding table cloths have been kept for 52 years and never used.
So we looked at each other and said, " This is not worth it." We'd planned two garage sales so we'll go through with the plan. What plan B will be you never can tell.
Ah, that's the problem. Perhaps easier to put some of this into church bazaars.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of a sale whatever is left goes to a thrift store.
DeleteI see things in your yard sale that unfortunately people who go to yard sales will not appreciate the value of, and you are unlikely to get what they are worth. Have you considered Kijiji for selling? If you are still planning a second sale, advertising may be needed to bring a bigger crowd, either paying for a "yard sale ad" which you might be able to get for a better price, or putting up page-size posters in the neighbourhood. We had one yard sale where there were only a handful of people came in the five hours we were set up! It was a peaceful morning but as a sale it was a complete bust :)
ReplyDeleteKijiji used to be good but now it's useless.
DeleteI enjoy going to sales, usually get home with very little.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see what people have been keeping.
DeleteWe had a sale before we moved here and sold just about everything. People want cheap and we didn't want to deal with it anymore. Most items sold between $5-10. A couple of items for a little more. We made around $300 and were happy with it. Good luck in the next round.
ReplyDeleteThat's a successful garage sale in my opinion.
DeleteI hope to have a sle in early JUne...we will see. It is alot of work.
ReplyDeleteThey're a lot of work but one of the few ways of moving stuff out of the house.
DeleteI just donate stuff to GoodWill, a charity thrift store.
ReplyDeleteDid you advertise in the local paper? It really is a lot of work. We always put prices on our items though. I think people are sometimes too shy to make an offer. We had a giant sale before we left the mainland for Hawaii.
ReplyDeleteSad nobody came by, it is the internet world nowadays I think...
ReplyDeleteI did a garage sale to clear my grandpas place after he died and one for my brother in laws place after he died and another when we inherited the junk in an old house but all of those sales were over twenty years ago when people actually wanted to buy stuff and I was a lot fitter.
ReplyDeleteThese days I put photos of everything on Facebook Pay it Forward groups or Facebook marketplace. When you do it that way, the people who want it have to come and get it and you only have to do it one item at a time.
I wish you luck. I'm hoping to give a lot of stuff to my kids when they move out but I suspect they will want new things and I'll be left with the stuff
Good for you and the MM. We badly need to downsize but our last garage sale was years ago. I am thinking of asking the son and his wife to come over with their stuff. We have an annual garage sale organized by our Home Owner’s Association but its popularity has gone down greatly these past few years.
ReplyDeleteDid you advertise and put signs on the main roads? It really helps to get the word out and direct people to a sale -- though it's been years since I've had a garage sale and since classified ads have basically disappeared I'm not sure WHERE you'd advertise! Also, maybe you could link up with some neighbors and organize a larger, neighborhood sale? Or participate in a rummage sale organized by someone else? Just a thought! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHey, I'd buy that trellis! Can you mail it to me? :)
ReplyDeleteYou could donate some of the items to The Salvation Army Thrift Store. This way you will be helping out a praiseworthy charity.
ReplyDeleteWow! Table cloths that have never been used for over 50 years. That's really something. The only person I know who has kept something as long is a dear friend who has clothes from her early 20s and she is now in her 80s. Good luck with your next garage sales. I just end up giving everything I want to get rid of through Freecycle. It works pretty well. The hard part is being home at the times when everyone wants to come by and pick something up.
ReplyDeleteHi Red, Great story ... good luck on the next sale!
ReplyDelete