Yard Sales: Worth the Effort?

[Ruby Rose]

I'm with everyone else and desire a major house declutter. This means lots of useful (to someone) stuff will be leaving.

 

So what to do? Poll coming.

Edited September 8, 2012 by Ruby Sue

[Kathryn]

I list big things on Craigslist or a local group on Facebook and donate small stuff. I hate yard sales.

[regentrude]

I guess it depends on what you have for sale.

I did one yard sale and that was enough to last me a lifetime; I do not have enough stuff to make it worth my time. I donate, to friends from our local homeschool group first, the rest to a thrift store run by a community organization.

[Just Kate]

Do you have big items? I find that in my area, big baby items (swings, etc.), bikes, larger kids' toys sell really good.

 

The bigger items, the better (in my area).

[tammyw]

This is what I do:

 

- if it's something I think a friend would like/use (say homeschool stuff - books, games, etc. - then I ask first and give to friends).

 

- If it's worth a lot of money, try craigslist (you will make more than a yard sale, since people will be specifically looking for that item)

 

- Donate the rest. Some places will come pick up at your door, so you don't even have to take it anywhere.

[luvnlattes]

I did one yard sale and that was enough to last me a lifetime;

 

This was true for me as well but I know people who LOVE having yard sales and save their stuff for an entire year so that they can have that great sale in the summer. If you've never had one, you might want to give it a try and see which category applies to you.

[MamaBirdX7]

Generally for a two day yard sale we make as much I would working mininum wage for a month so it's worth it for me. On the second day, things are usually half price and then $1 a bag and/or free after noon.

 

Then we donate the rest. BUT we have 6 kids and every year we have A LOT of stuff to get rid of.

[justamouse]

It all depends on where you are.

 

I made some $, but not enough to make my time worth it.

 

Remember it's a deep recession and SO many people are looking to make some extra cash on the side with yard sales-so the market is flooded, so to speak.

[jrn]

I had a yard sale a few weeks ago. Dh never figured I'd crack $50. I made over $100. For me it was worth it.

[Rebel Yell]

Other.

 

If you have a lot of nice things- for example, almost-new brand name children's clothing you are willing to sell for a quarter, then go for it.

 

I don't have nice things to sell. I did the math, and for the hours spent and money made, we could have had DH take on a freelance job, and me take the girls to an amusement park for the day- and still come out ahead.

 

I try to find homes for my "good stuff" and try to sell homeschool items locally. But our last yard sale the lemonade stand my kids had made more money. :glare:

[Crimson Wife]

Multi-family yard sales tend to get better results IMHO. If you have neighbors close by, I'd ask them if any would be interested in participating.

[MamaBirdX7]

However, since it is a recession, more people are looking to buy used instead of new.

[Miss Marple]

When my boys were young, they enjoyed having garage sales to earn extra money selling their "stuff". Now, it's just a big hassle and we get a better deal with writing off the donations on our taxes.

[Carrie12345]

I've never done a one-house yard sale. I've done a couple of group sales that brought in a couple hundred dollars, though.

 

I did just send a bunch of stuff to one of those semi-annual kid stuff sales. I signed up with a service that took my bins and will wash, iron, hang, tag, and deliver my merchandise so I don't have to worry about it.

 

Everything else is donate or trash right now. Trying to prep items for sale would just slow me down right now.

[justasque]

I like to keep an ongoing flow of stuff leaving the house. I have started "give away tables" at several homeschooling activities I participate in. The stuff goes in the car, I take it to that week's give-away, what doesn't go gets taken to Goodwill. Once in the car, it never goes back in the house. Yard sales, to me, mean hanging on to stuff, and that's not good.

[mom2samlibby]

Garage sales aren't my favorite to do, but I've found they are worth it. I did one in July and made around $350. Not bad for a five hour sale. I did mine with 3 other families. Two of the other families made over $200 also.

 

I digging deeper now and plan to do another one in two weeks. Whatever doesn't sell will go to Goodwill then.

[Parrothead]

I just throw everything away. By the time we get done with stuff it is truly junk and not worth anyone keeping.

[TranquilMind]

I list big things on Craigslist or a local group on Facebook and donate small stuff. I hate yard sales.

 

Agree with listing nice items on Craigslist. Although you can make money at a yard sale on the other stuff on a good day.

[LibraryLover]

Funny you should ask. I'm a big donator, but I had a yard sale last weekend for the first times in years. I set it up , sweating the whole time, and got a few bruises. I was wondering the same thing, but I made almost $400. Maybe the hourly rate wasn't great, and it was a pain to drag the stuff out, but I now have almost $400 I didn't have before. I left what didn't sell on the front lawn with a FREE sign. It was all gone the next morning.

 

I believe it was worth it. People are very friendly at yard sales, so I even had a nice time chatting with folks.

Edited September 8, 2012 by LibraryLover

[AndrewsDK]

I craigslist things that are worth $20+.

 

All my bags of smaller items, clothes, etc. are donated to friends who are having garage sales to raise money for adoptions or mission trips.

 

Small garage sales are a hassle, but when you have many people donating to one sale, they can make quite a bit ($500-1500)

[lisamarie]

Multi-family yard sales tend to get better results IMHO. If you have neighbors close by, I'd ask them if any would be interested in participating.

 

My subdivision does a garage sale every year, so I pay the organizer $3 and they do all the work for advertising. It is the only way I would have a sale. It's always the same weekend every year, so people know about it. Three subdivisions off the main road all do it at the same time so there are LOTS of people who come through.

 

This year I make around $300 in one Saturday, and that included a thunderstorm in the middle of it. The weather was terrible and we still made a lot of money. I usually fill my garage with stuff and only have maybe 5 boxes to take to Goodwill when it's all over (after taking all the price tags off since they won't take "garage sale rejects.")

[SunnyDays]

As a couple others have said... nicer or bigger items go on Craigslist. Everything else goes straight to donation, as does anything that doesn't sell on CL.

[Susan in TN]

I vote yard sale if you are having a very big one and can get good traffic to your sale. I actually find selling things on Craigslist to be a major pain if you have more than a couple big items.

 

We've had 2 pre-moving sales where we've made $800. And our stuff wasn't fancy. Just lots of it. The leftover stuff was then boxed up and donated or thrown out.

[Mommyof4ks]

I sell stuff online or donate it, because yard sales are not worth the hassle. My last yard sale was 10 years ago!

[amyrobynne]

I gather things over the seasons, then glom onto a bunch of people's yard sales the following summer and donate what's left in the fall before starting again. This year we really decluttered after renovating our basement and I sold a bunch of furniture on Craigslist too. I ended up making $500 for the furniture and around $250 at 4 garage sales (about half at the first one and the rest over the remaining 3). I offer to stick around for a few hours here and there and only do this if people are asking around for people to combine with to make sure they have enough stuff.

 

I don't live in a very garage sale friendly area and it's tricky to get people to come on the alley. If I lived just off a big street, I'd host my own sale. Probably one day only unless the weather was bad.

 

My mom and her friends used to do a combined 1 day sale with 10 families on the same day as a huge sale across the street. They put up tons of signs and had a potluck breakfast/lunch. At 3pm, they'd remove anything valuable and offer a grocery bag of stuff for $1. The host kept all the bag money for her trouble. At 4pm, they'd pack up everything and bring it to Goodwill. Short and sweet, and fun time spent with friends. Win.

[freeindeed]

I voted donate. I just don't want to deal with the hassle of a yard sale, so I always donate our stuff.

[ktgrok]

some friends I know list things on facebook, as a virtual garage sale, and do well that way.

[Mandamom]

I think it depends on how convenient you are to bigger roads and what items you are selling.

 

This morning a friend who lives in a small town along the main thoroughfare had a yardsale with 3 families. Friend made $80 (selling mostly baby clothes/items); friend's mom made $320 (selling household items and stuff friend and I thought were kind of junky :lol:) and we (just set up our business table) made about $30.

 

We were next door to a multifamily yard sale so a lot of people were coming through.

 

I've never done a yardsale here and I think the only way I would do it if others in the neighborhood were participating.

[Desert Rat]

I voted yardsale then donate.

It really depends on a lot of things though. I do yard sales often. I've also liquidated estates and done yard sales.

Do you have useful things that people would want to buy? Tools, household items, furniture, baby clothes and gear, guns/knives/war memorabilia, dvds (not VHS), sometimes books especially kids, tools and tools. Did I mention tools? I've never had to donate any we had to get rid of.

Things that don't sell- nicknack things, candle holders, coffee mugs, clothes (except baby), vhs tapes, most books. These you are better off just donating. I mean I usually throw them out there with the rest of the stuff anyway, but they never sell.

I have averaged $200 a yard sale the last few times. The last estate we liquidated (a small 2 bedroom trailer-much of the furniture stayed) we made around $1200 from the yard sale and another $150 from ebay sales. She had some great tools!

Good luck with whichever you decide. Happy decluttering!

[sassenach]

I don't mind doing a yard sale, but my dh absolutely hates it. Therefore, I just donate.

[Rhonda in TX]

I donate, then take the tax deduction. Donated goods are worth more than you realize as a tax deduction.

[G5052]

We've tried several neighborhood ones, and I've never sold more than $20 worth despite being very careful to price appropriately. I think we're too far off the beaten bath.

 

So giving to friends or donating is much easier. I usually first send out a list on our church email list, then we donate to the Salvation Army, library sale, or if I see an ad in the paper for a group that is taking donations for a sale to raise money for something we agree with.

 

The Salvation Army is the easiest because they are close to Pilates and other errands and actually have a drive-through window for small donations, or you can go behind the building for bigger things and they come out and get it.

[Sahamamama]

I hate yard sales. Hate going to them, hate having them. All that work for 50 cents?

 

And we live near the end of a tight, dead-end street. There is no through traffic, no place to park, no front yard (it's a steep slope), no side walk, and no point. :tongue_smilie:It goes to Salvation Army or Goodwill.

[Artichoke]

We normally just donate, but this month we're participating in a neighborhood yard sale. Dd has outgrown items that she'd like to sell. Whatever is left over will either go to Goodwill or onto Craigslist to sell.

[Garga]

I think it depends on what you have. If you have great stuff to sell--sell it. But if you have little odds and ends, it won't sell.

 

And if you have super-duper good stuff--craig's list.

[In the Rain]

I would list $100+ items on Craigslist and donate the rest. I hate yard sales.

[Lovedtodeath]

 

I just throw everything away. By the time we get done with stuff it is truly junk and not worth anyone keeping.

:iagree:

[Dad 4 Boys]

We had one with several other families this spring to benefit our baseball team. We had it at the coach's church on their front parking lot. The church is on a fairly busy street. We did really well and had a great hanging out with our friends. It was nice to have it at a "neutral" site and not worry about people coming to our house.

[Ruby Rose]

I think I'm going to list anything remotely valuable on a FB selling page and then donate the rest. I'd rather just get it out instead of piling it in the garage ( not that there is anywhere to pile it in the garage). I've got my work cut out for me.

 

DH starts a new job this week so with him gone, I'm sure to be more productive.

[Baseball mom]

In the past I have always done a yard sale then anything not sold goes straight to Goodwill, that day. The most I ever make is about $200.

 

This year I am really considering just donating it all.