Merry Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 We're trying to decide if having a garage sale is worth the hassle. It will be very hot this weekend here in the Midwest. We have mostly clothes and books for sale along with a pressed wood desk and a weak metal cabinet. Some toys and a few knickknacks. No appliances or kitchen stuff. We pretty much have to do it this weekend or don't have one at all. We have some pretty good video games and dvds but wouldn't we get more money for at used game and video stores? What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I wouldn't do it. Clothes don't generally bring that much. Nor does it sound like the books and furniture would get you that much either. That is alot of work for not much money. I'd take the nicest clothing and find a consignment sale, find a used bookstore that might take your books, and send the video games etc. to a resale shop. The rest I'd send to Goodwill. But then I hate having to sell things anyway....it might just be me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grace'smom Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Depends on how you do your taxes. Clothes can be deducted very easily if donated, and you'd get more of a deduction than you would get at a garage sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 (edited) We're trying to decide if having a garage sale is worth the hassle. It will be very hot this weekend here in the Midwest. We have mostly clothes and books for sale along with a pressed wood desk and a weak metal cabinet. Some toys and a few knickknacks. No appliances or kitchen stuff. We pretty much have to do it this weekend or don't have one at all. We have some pretty good video games and dvds but wouldn't we get more money for at used game and video stores? What do you think? If you do decide to do one, the one piece of advice I have that has been what keeps me doing them (although I only do them every few years) is to make everything for the most part ONE PRICE. Don't price individual items, except for those that are more than the individual price. For example, at my last one the price was $1.00. When people would walk up, I'd say loudly "Everything's pretty much $1.00 -- some things are marked more, and some things like book are less." I had probably 20 or so "bigger ticket" items that were marked more. Most people are fine with this and they'll ask if they wonder a price on something. In this way you make some money, maybe not as much as if you'd priced everything individually, but you've made some and you've cleared some things out. At my last sale I made $240 with this method. It's the pricing, to me, that's the biggest headache. [side Note: our church just did a yard sale, pricing individual items, and made $950 -- so sometime it's very worth it if you have a lot of stuff.] Oh, and another piece of advice -- if you live in a good location (some busy streets nearby) and have Craigslist for your area, don't mess with putting an ad in the paper. The ad in our local paper a minimum of $30. I advertise on CL and then put out double sided signs (glue to a cardboard box with a brick inside the box) on several intersections. Edited August 5, 2010 by milovaný Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I don't do them anymore. I did two and it was just so exhausting, that I swore I wouldn't inflict that upon my family. I just donate things now. It wasn't worth the time for the little we made. If I have things that have value, I use craigs' list or a local online garage sale site. Even that is a fair amount of work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 We just don't get the traffic no matter what we do, and it's just easier to have one kid help me load and one be the list keeper. Then off we go to donate. Then I total up all of the values (there are several lists online), and take it off my taxes. For about half the effort, I make more $ in the long run. Friends who live in developments that have community-wide sales seem to do OK. Not here though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I've done a couple. It's nice to have the 50 or 70 bucks. I donate things as well. Sometimes I want the easy cash. Of course, I just put things out, I don't get all fancy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Depends on where you live really. In our area clothes are huge draws to garage sales - especially kids clothing. And with school starting in a couple of weeks people are out looking hard. But I have friends in another state that said clothing never sells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meena Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 My experience has been no. I spent hours preparing for a multi-family garage sale last year, and it was such a flop. I'll continue to shop at them but will not conduct one of my own again. Books go on PaperbackSwap or sold online, nice clothes go to consignment, more valuable items go on Craigslist. All else is donated to friends or charities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ourjourneys Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 :iagree: Exactly my thoughts and experience. I love to shop at them but do not want to spend my time doing one. My experience has been no. I spent hours preparing for a multi-family garage sale last year, and it was such a flop. I'll continue to shop at them but will not conduct one of my own again. Books go on PaperbackSwap or sold online, nice clothes go to consignment, more valuable items go on Craigslist. All else is donated to friends or charities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beezus Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I did a garage sale once with my sister, and it didn't seem like the amount I netted from it was worth the effort I put in to getting ready for it. Like a previous poster, I might sell books online or list them with Paperback Swap. Other stuff I give to family or friends if they can use it, or else give it to Goodwill. The donations amount to a little bit of help on my taxes and I don't have to bother about the extra stuff any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alte Veste Academy Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I don't do them anymore. I did two and it was just so exhausting, that I swore I wouldn't inflict that upon my family. I just donate things now. It wasn't worth the time for the little we made. If I have things that have value, I use craigs' list or a local online garage sale site. Even that is a fair amount of work. This is where I am with garage sales too. I truly think that donating the little stuff and getting more for the larger items on Craigslist (vs what people are willing to pay at a yardsale...always with the bartering) evens out my take in the end. Plus, with a garage sale, there are always items that don't sell that you have to list or donate in the end anyway. I'm taking out that very time-consuming and exhausting middle step of the garage sale. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseball mom Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I usually have 1 a year. I don't make a lot but like having the few extra $'s. Sometimes I pay a bill, sometimes we go out to eat, sometimes I buy school books with it. Like previous poster I pretty much do a set price. Most of my stuff is small but I end up having alot of stuff since several people usually find out I am having a yard sale and donate to it. One year I had tons of children's clothes. I said all children's clothes were 25cents. People went crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merry Posted August 6, 2010 Author Share Posted August 6, 2010 actually our neighborhood does have a community wide garage sale every year in May so if I do one, I should have it at that time. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockey Mom Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 We made $400 at our first garage sale two months ago. That said, clothes and books were the ONLY items we had that didn't sell. Even at ten cents a piece, no one took that stuff. Surprisingly, our biggest seller was our boys' 'coke and water' stand. We bought cases of Coke, Diet Coke, and generic bottles of water for $20. The boys ended up making over $60. Some of that money was just donated to their efforts, but because it was so hot outside, a lot of people just stopped for the ice cold water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.