Moving Yard Sale - questions (movers, furniture, cheaper, more expensive)

[Avalon08]

I'm moving out-of-state and selling almost everything I have. I've had yard sales before but nothing of this magnitude. I'm pricing everything to sell, and am putting price stickers on everything because I hate yard sales with no prices. I also have a bunch of free items -- free is usually popular.

But I'm wondering how to handle this part -- I have a box of quarter items and a bunch of dollar items that I just wanted to put in a box marked with the price. But what if people start picking up a bunch of different items from each box, how will I deal with that? I won't remember which was .25 and which was 1.00. And I'm afraid of a crowd that I won't be able to closely monitor (I only have a few helpers).

Any tips would be appreciated. I am a nervous wreck about this as I've read a lot of yardsale horror stories. Thanks in advance!

[L0ve]

You really don't need to have a yard sale. Just get everything set up like you have it, then toss an add on Craig's List. I did this with a title of "Moving Sale, Everything under XXX price." Schedule appointments when people call. I had everything gone within 2 days doing this and I didn't have to camp out for hours each day waiting for random people to pass by and see a yard sale sign.

[kygman]

Why price anything? When my wife and I moved from my place and her house to our house, we advertised a free yard sale from 7 AM til it was gone. Everything free, first come, firts served. I got there at a quarter til 7 and left around 9 AM with just a few things left. What was left went to Goodwill Monday morning.

[twingles]

You can get colored sticker dots at business supply places. Put blue stickers on the 25 cent items and red on the dollar items or whatever. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's not going to break you if things get mixed up.

[Avalon08]

Thanks for the quick responses!

You really don't need to have a yard sale. Just get everything set up like
you have it, then toss an add on Craig's List. I did this with a title of
"Moving Sale, Everything under XXX price." Schedule appointments when people
call. I had everything gone within 2 days doing this and I didn't have to camp
out for hours each day waiting for random people to pass by and see a yard sale
sign.

I thought of that, but that really cuts down my audience. People that are looking for quarter items are not going to schedule an appointment, nor do I actually want people in my house. (I live near one of the roughest cities in this metro area.) But the quarter items will attract people to the more expensive items. I'm having enough problems trying to get rid of the furniture on Craigslist. Quick story: A young woman named Tiffany came to look at my D/R set, wanted to buy it, asked if I was selling other things, I showed her around, and she picked out many items she wanted to buy. But FIRST, she had to go to the ATM (okaayy, but hmmm). She left and as time went by, I texted her and asked if she was lost. She texted back that she had a "fender-bender", it was a bad sign and she was going to pass on the furniture. (Someone else eventually bought it.) So yesterday I posted my sofa, and a woman named "Janet" responds that she wants to see it. Thank God I noticed her phone number was the same as "Tiffany's"! I don't know what her scam is, whether she's casing the joint or what, but it is very unnerving.

Originally Posted by twingles

You can get colored sticker dots at business supply places. Put blue stickers on the 25 cent items and red on the dollar items or whatever. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's not going to break you if things get mixed up.

Well, that's what I was trying to avoid, having to sticker each item, but I guess that's what I'll have to do.

As for giving away all the items for free, that's not gonna happen. Most of my stuff is new and way too nice to just give away for free. But I'm sure I'll get haggled down to "almost free", LOL.

[Electrician4you]

When I move what I don't want I take to the Salvation Army. So ending two days to make $40 is not worth it to me. I rather. Pack stuff and get tax deduction.

[Avalon08]

Well, we'll see how it goes, I'll let you know how much I come out with. More and more things are going in the trash or the "free" pile. :-)

[don1945]

You are being smart to sell of your unwanted stuff rather than move it a long distance. We paid to have our stuff hauled cross country twice and we could have bought all new stuff for what the movers charged.

Anyway, yes, you should hold a garage sale, you will make some good money toward buying new things. It sounds like you have it down pretty good, and if you have young kids put a cooler out with cold Cokes and bottled water for sale at $.50 to $1.00 because people appreciate it and the kids will make more money than they will believe.

The dots on the $ .25 and $.50 items is a good idea, easy to do and it will keep them straight. The only thing I will add is plan to start early, these people will be banging on your door at 7:30, regardless of the hours you post in your ad. Also, have LOTS of change in small bills and also coins. People will be giving you big bills and it is tough to have to run out and get change during the sale.

Oh, and get one of those pens that checks for counterfeit bills and use it. Crooks love to buy a $1 item and get back $ 19 in good money for the phoney $20 they gave you.

Have fun.


Don

[Dogmama50]

Why not just put the .25 and $1.00 together in a .50 box, less confusion.

[ElleTea]

PLEASE price (almost) everything. Here is my experience...

Last summer I had a garage sale with a friend. She said she never prices anything, I priced almost all of it (I found stickers pre printed with prices at Dollar Tree) except a couple of 25 cent and 10 cent tubs. (People loved those, BTW. They dug through them like they were digging for gold and bought almost all of it!) As the sale went on, my friend was inundated with "how much is this? how much is that" and she was just making up prices as she went on. SHe got frazzled and snapped at a few people by the end of the day. My stuff? All priced. All i did was collect money

I also went to a uniform shop and bought a waitress apron, the kind with pockets. (A cheap similar thing can be found at home improvement stores.) I kept all of my money on me at all times, and wrote down every sale in a little notebook in my pocket so I could tally up my profits. (Friend wrote nothing down, had no clue what she even made)

The moral of the story...I knew I made a few hundred bucks, and I was relaxed and happy at the end of the day. My friend who didn't price anything? She had no idea what she made, was sure someone ripped her off (she had a cash box she left sitting on a table) and didn't understand why she didn't make more money.

25 cent items add up FAST. And as I said, people seem to like rumaging thru bins. Just have an idea in your head which items are 25 cents and dont be afraid to say what the price is when they pay. ALSO, beware of people trying to scam you. I had a woman try to pull a switch on me by walking away with free/cheaper stuff. (she kept saying she wanted this, no she didnt, she wanted that) She didn't know that I do accounting for a living and can keep track of all of the prices/numbers in my head. I called her out on her scamming ways and she paid up.

Advertise on Craig's List, put signs on every corner (I made signs with HOT PINK poster board from Dollar Tree) and don't forget the goal is to get rid of stuff, so let it go cheap if that is what it takes. My last sale I advertised as half price after a certain time, and got rid of lots at the end.

OH! And most importantly...what doesn't sell, pack right in the car and donate. Do not put it back in the house!

Good luck!