Garage Sale Tips

[gptmca]

1. Arrive early: This is when the best stuff is available, you get to have to best pick of all that is available.

2. Haggle: Don't be afraid to haggle and talk the price down. Start at approximately half of how much you are prepared to pay.

3. If you are getting no where, show your money, take out the maximum amount you are prepared to pay, and don't be afraid to start walking away, the seller doesn't want to lose a sale.

4. If possible don't show too much interest in a particular item or the sell may push the price up if they know you really want the item

[Gruntina]

Originally Posted by gptmca

1. Arrive early: This is when the best stuff is available, you get to have to best pick of all that is available.

2. Haggle: Don't be afraid to haggle and talk the price down. Start at approximately half of how much you are prepared to pay.

3. If you are getting no where, show your money, take out the maximum amount you are prepared to pay, and don't be afraid to start walking away, the seller doesn't want to lose a sale.

4. If possible don't show too much interest in a particular item or the sell may push the price up if they know you really want the item

This is why I do not want to hold any more garage sales. Its very uncomfortable for me to neogotiate prices on the spot.

[gptmca]

Another tip which could be useful is to carry loose change. Producing a large note will not help your chances of getting the item you want cheaply. Have different amounts of change in different pockets so it looks like you just have enough to pay for the item at the price you want. Again, the seller wil not want to miss a sale.

[The Budget Man]

Originally Posted by Gruntina

This is why I do not want to hold any more garage sales. Its very uncomfortable for me to neogotiate prices on the spot.

If you write a price clearly on an article, then put up a sign that says...

I did the haggling last night. I cut my prices and wrote the lowest amount I would accept on the ticket. Please don't ask for a discount as the price is fixed.

Point to the sign each time a person tries to haggle.

The other method that I use it to say to the person that the price was set by my wife and she won't budge. She says the same about me. (we have set the prices in agreement so it is correct.)

You'll miss some sales but it's the total for the day you are interested in. You can always give the stuff that doesn't sell to a charity.

Enjoy Your MOney
The Budget Man

The budget you don't have to haggle over
www.PersonalityBudgeting.com

[Aleta]

Many times we just give things away. I had put some prices on items that my son said was a little high. I said to him, "For every item here, there is a buyer who will want it". I proved this in two different cities where something wasn't sold in one and was sold first thing in the morning in another city. I also take the time to clean up my items and maybe press over any clothing. Presentation is everything.

I did the same as you. I had some items that belonged to my son that I wouldn't budge and most people understand that.

Thanks for sharing
Aleta

[The Budget Man]

Two of my friends are very helpful when it comes time to think about garage sales.

My first friend is always the one I take when I need something. Somehow she can smell a bargain from miles away. I can't recount the number of times she has found just the right thing.

The second friend is a the person you invite to add her things to your garage sale. She helps wit the pricing and is amazing at dealing with hagglers. I've seen her get prices for items that I couldn't even have dreamt of.

Enjoy Your Money
The Budget Man

The best bargain with a budget is one that works.
www.PersonalityBudgeting.com

It must work or it wouldn't be used in over 40 countries.

[PRICEPLUS]

If it is too high and there is no haggling then I just leave. I am sure there will be other takers but if I think something is too high I walk away!

[Aleta]

I have gone to sites about garage sales to get tips. What I see out there is that people going to a garage sale want something for nothing. Agreed, you can't overcharge, but you also cannot basically give stuff away. If you would like to get more money for a particular object, you can go to a consignment shop, or Craigslist.org or a number of places. Then, there is freecycle.com for donated items. A garage sale is a lot of work and you have to make something or you might as well not do it.

[kealina]

Originally Posted by gptmca

1. Arrive early: This is when the best stuff is available, you get to have to best pick of all that is available.

2. Haggle: Don't be afraid to haggle and talk the price down. Start at approximately half of how much you are prepared to pay.

3. If you are getting no where, show your money, take out the maximum amount you are prepared to pay, and don't be afraid to start walking away, the seller doesn't want to lose a sale.

4. If possible don't show too much interest in a particular item or the sell may push the price up if they know you really want the item

while i agree with the first point and part the second post i wanted to say that the rest of the points don't work for me when i garage sale or when i sell things...

early is usually when there is the best variety of stuff choose from for items that most people need/want although you can get some great deals later in the day if you are buying things most people might pass up...

while i do haggle i have a different system than that mentioned... depending on how flexible they seem i simply try to offer a number the is a compromise between what i'd like to pay and what they are asking so that we can both fell pretty good...

for number three, i actually feel like that behavior might be misconstrued by some sellers and make them less willing to sell... people aren't always selling just for the money although it is very helpful... most just have too much stuff and are selling some...

and for number 4. I don't jump up and down in glee when i find stuff but i also don't pretend to be uninterested... i simply pick up (or point at) an item, ask the price and then proceed to ask questions about the item because i like knowing stuff like that if i end up buying it... as a seller i enjoy the idea that somebody will enjoy and use something i've sold them and i try to pass that feeling on to those i buy from... i think if more people knew that their items were being loved and enjoyed by someone who normally wouldn't be able to afford it or normally wouldn't spend money on it (like me) they would feel better...

[The Budget Man]

I was helping a friend's daughter collect a fridge etc from a garage sale and got talking with the lady who had run the sale, she was quite a character.

One of her comments is worth noting. We were loading the fridge on the trailer when she commented that she had had so many enquiries for the fridge that she ended up selling herold bar fridge as well.

This is interesting. The lady had been able to sell another item she had not intended to get rid of yet.

When I next have a garage sale I'm going to try and sell of those extra things from around the place too.

Enjoy Your Money
The Budget Man

www.PersonalityBudgeting.com
The place to start when it's time to budget.

[Aleta]

You are so right. I had the same experience. I had a lawmoyer for sale and it was sold and was asked if I had another one. Guess what? We had a push mower. The guy was happy as could be and we got rid of something else. Sometimes they will answer your ads and ask for something that you never thought of selling. I had a vaporizer bottom sitting around close to the garage sale that had the machine part not working, just the bowl. The person said is that for sale. I was going to throw it away. Sometimes people need parts. You just never never know.

[Oliver21]

First let me say that having a successful yardsale is HARD work! I'm not going to sugar-coat it and say that it's a piece of cake. Let's say you have a busy yardsale that started at 8am, by 11am, you'll swear that it feels like 4pm and you'll be ready for a nap. After my last yardsale, I ended up with a 2" wide black and blue mark on my leg and I have no idea how I got it.

Find out if there are any restrictions your neighborhood or local government may have regarding yard sales / garage sales. Some areas may require a permit and have a limit on how many yardsales (or garage sales) a person is allowed to have per year or whatever.

Advertise your yardsale on the web for free!! There are several places online that have free yardsale ads. Check out my Related Links for details. Your local community may even have it's own website with free online classifieds.

[amykelley]

Great ideas, I dislike haggers....
I will post a sign next time...

[coloradoevie]

I too am NOT a haggler. If there is a price on it that I consider way too high, I don't even try. I figure if people thought it was worth that (high) price, then I would just be insulting them. I have offered what I had in my pocket for small items... (i.e. 75 cents for $1 item) but I am just not comfortable haggling.

[Aleta]

Having a yard sale is a lot of work, but breaking down preparations will make it easier. A couple of weeks before the sale we dedicated a room to the items that were going to be sold. We covered the bed with a sheet and only put items there that were clean. You get a better idea of what you have when you can start placing it around the room. It also gives you a chance to start pricing items and grouping them. We used saw horses outside with a piece of plywood for a table top and just covered it. Keep extension cords close by to an electrical outlet so the person can try it out.

We also made a pasta dish the day before that only had to be heated up so that we wouldn't have to cook and also during the day we just had sandwiches and fruit. It's good too if you have or can borrow a pop-up canopy. That is extremely important for the heat. My husband and my son was a great help. My son came down and brought items that he had in his garage sale that didn't sell where he lived but sold in our local with no problem. Each area buys different types of items. I also kept the plastic bags from the grocery store and newspaper to wrap certain types of articles. They seem to appreciate it. Something that sells well is DVD and CD's. They seem to go first. Games are also popular as are books.

[nagol7]

Having a yard sale is fun!! My husband and I have two per summer. We have a section of the basement that we allocate just for yard sale items that we collect throughout the year. My husband does a lot of cleanouts so we get tons of free stuff. When ever we are bored and have no other projects going on, we pull out a box and start pricing items. This alleviates most of the stress the day before the yard sale. We talk ahead of time on the higher priced items and what is the absolute lowest we will go. Anything that isn't a higher priced item can go for whatever a person offers (the point is to try and get rid of this stuff and make a small profit) If someone makes an offer that won't work for either of us, we simply explain the lowest we will go is ___. If they don't like it, let it go. Someone will buy it or you can keep it, donate to charity whatever. We had an old coal stove in our basement that we did not want, after my poor husband lugged it upstairs we decided it had to go. it was valued at 500+ dollars but we tagged it a 100.00 and agreed 50 would suffice if someone offered. One man was rather rude in his haggling and was determined he could get it for 30. We both calmly stated that the lowest we would go was 50, 60 if we delivered. He got rather upset and left. Within an hour he came back and bought it for 60. Moral of the story- yard sales are fun, don't try to plan one over night and there will be little stress, be stong and reasonable- life is too short

[leggzz66]

i have a small memo book. Ive went thru each room and wrote in this pad, measurement of room, windows, how many and measurements, closet door, light switchs and plug ins. Not ever set is standard, so always take note. Size of hallway doors to bathrooms/bdrms etc, size of shower/baths, and note light fixtures also, one bulb, 2 bulbs, or size of ceiling fan. I keep that pad in a box, along with a seamers tape measure, batteries of all sizes, a pen and calculator. This way i can test items that require batteries, and measure items and compare in my book. Alot of people when upgrading thier items, thier older items they sell may be appealing to you, such as a set of shower doors for example, or blades for ceiling fan, or new light cover for one, etc. You can buy everything i listed at the dollar tree all for about ten dollars. In the long run, you will save that and more, especially, when you see a little handheld game for 2 bucks, want it, but not sure if it works? waste of 2 dollars if you dont test it first. other items for household, u know whether it is right for you or not if you keep your measurements with you. Such as Drapes, for example, wether it will cover your window span, or if they are long enough or too long, etc. I buy 8 packs of batteries for one dollar at the dollar tree, has saved me a few times from a bad purchase.

[thkgranny]

What wonderful ideas! I will add those to my notebook I carry around. In mine is our clothing sizes and measurements. I also take a thermos of water and some homemade snacks so I don't feel the need to stop at a fastfood place to eat!

I have a wonderful DIL that loves to go to yard sales. We will discuss what we're looking for the night before and plan our route to save gas. Discussing our needs before helps when we arrive - if we see something the other needs, we'll point it out to them. Saves valuable time! We usually start early and are done in a couple of hours.

The most successful yard sale we had was offering a plastic grocery bag of clothes for $2. My 2 DIL's and I got rid of just about all of our clothing (which was purchased at prior yard sales). Other items were priced and set separately. I live by a church and have plenty of off-street parking. We are doing this again this year!

Another post suggested posting your yard sale on local websites - never thought about it! Will do that also!

New to this site and so glad I found it!

[ScrimpAndSave]

I love garage sales!

Great tips...thanks!