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]

Re: Garage Sale Tips

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]

Re: Garage Sale Tips

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]

Re: Garage Sale Tips

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

https://www.PersonalityBudgeting.com

[Aleta]

Re: Garage Sale Tips

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]

Re: Garage Sale Tips

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.

https://www.PersonalityBudgeting.com

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

[PRICEPLUS]

Re: Garage Sale Tips

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]

Re: Garage Sale Tips

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]

Re: Garage Sale Tips

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]

Re: Garage Sale Tips

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

https://www.PersonalityBudgeting.com

The place to start when it's time to budget.

[Aleta]

Re: Garage Sale Tips

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]

Re: Garage Sale Tips

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]

Re: Garage Sale Tips

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.