should I bother having a yard sale? (Clayton, Earl: fit in, for sale)

[bonnielisabeth]

We are going to be relocating to the DC metro area late this summer. We, like most other folks, have realized that we have a lot more stuff than we really need--most of it falls into the housewares and decorative stuff categories, along with some clothes.

Have any of you had much luck making any money from a yard / garage sale without hardly any big ticket items? We'll be keeping most of the furniture...

I am trying to figure out if it is worth all the work of pricing and holding the sale or if we should just donate stuff to charity instead and maybe sell a few things on Craigslist.

What have your recent experiences with yard sales been and are they worth it?

Thanks!!

[mjbl]

My niece has had several successful yard sales during her breaks from college. She put a lot of effort into it though. Flyers in local stores the week before and flyers/posters up the day of and she even advertised in the local paper. People always seem to drop by the evening before to "just look" at what you have for sale. I also know people who have had a lot of success with Craig's list. The best tip I have ever heard for selling clothes is to gather up paper bags at grocery stores and sell bags of clothes for $5 or $10. As much as will fit in one bag goes for that price.
Good Luck!

[Moonwalkr]

We've always donated and got pretty good tax writeoff that way. However if you need quick spending cash I hear that's a decent way to spend your weekend mornings.

[SunnyKayak]

yard sales by nature are not a money maker.
They are a way to get rid of stuff you do not need out of your hair.

[ferrickhead28]

I'm having one tomorrow! (Cobblestone in Clayton..ya'll come out!) Our community is having a huge one, 10+ families. I think if your neighborhood has a big one, its best to join in then. More traffic that way.

Otherwise, advertise on craigslist under "garage sales" and take a few pics of what it is you are wanting to sell. I did that last year and rid of EVERYTHING. It was great.

Good luck!

[kelly237]

I used to do the Yard Sales and always made about $200 but have decided they are
too much trouble. The final straw was a few years ago when we stored, planned,
advertised, put up signs, found tables and priced . It ended up pouring rain on the sale date so I took it all to Goodwill and declared I would never do another yard sale.
I am cleaning out an attic and if it is worth anything I put it on CraigsList or ebay
and the other goes to charity. I used to enjoy talking to all the neighbors that stopped by for the sale but lately large crowds come that make me nervous. (I know how that sounds but I'll say it anyway)

[Legal Alien]

We've had a few yard sales before to offload our "junk" but only as part of our former subdivisions group sale. I think we made around $300 one year when we sold a bunch of kids toys and clothes. Some of the professional yard-sale buyers can be really annoying, as they haggle over items that are already very cheaply priced. On the plus side, it was a great way to meet neighbors. A few years ago I was mowing my lawn during our subdivision's annual yard sale. We weren't participating that year. I went inside to get a drink of water and returned to find a group of hispanic guys examining my mower.They asked me how much I wanted for it

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

I had a yard sale in November. I made $450, it was definetly worth it. I also had CDs and books along with the other things you mentioned.

I did it over Friday and Saturday. I did the most business EARLY on Friday. People came in almost in a fever trying to buy something before anyone else. One woman was pointing to things that weren't even in the sale area.

In my area, advertising is what did it. We advertised in the local papers and thats where the die hard fans look. AND be ready for them to show up early.

[Korillian]

I've had better luck over craigslist than I ever had at a yard sale.

That being said, I think it depends on your personality. Some people like the haggling part of yard sales. I don't. You do get some haggling on craigslist but it's pretty easy for me to just say the price is firm over the phone.

[welovedurham]

I love a yard sale! If you can get some neighbors together, you'll do better in terms of moving stuff and making money. Otherwise, if you don't have kid stuff, antiques, or really good stuff, I think you would make more with the tax deduction at Goodwill.