If the weather forecast holds true, we’ll be holding what has turned out to be our annual garage sale this weekend. I’m feeling particularly ruthless and in need of a good purge this year… everything must go! Three boys for the price of two, and I’ll throw in a well-broken in and still in prime condition husband for free!
We’re finally carpeting the basement to turn it into a proper playroom for the boys, so a lot of stuff I have stashed down there has to go — like the papasan chair I so adored when we got it as a wedding present nine years ago but has languished as a cat bed these past few years, and the book cases used primarily to store my class notes and essays from university. (The papers will stay, just in a different hidey-hole. I’m not feeling THAT ruthless!)
It’s also time to start recycling some of the boys’ lesser-used toys. I’ve been keeping nearly everything for Lucas, but recently realized he’s going to be adding his own share to the collection through his birthdays and other gift-worthy events. I’ll keep the really good stuff like the Thomas trains and the Little People garage, but we can probably part with the Caillou treehouse we bought for $2 at another garage sale four years ago, and our collection of Hot Wheels cars and Rescue Heroes could do with a little pruning. I imagine I’ll have to either banish the boys to Granny’s house for the duration, or offer them at least some sort of compensation for parting with toys they haven’t even glanced at in the last year or two. I might even let them take back one item each from the piles I put out — think it will work?
I’m vacillating between putting little masking tape prices on everything, and just leaving items unpriced for best-offer. What do you think? Myself, I hate it when things don’t have prices on them at yard sales and often won’t even inquire about the price unless I find something I really like. I’m also not much of a haggler, and always feel a little foolish when I try. On the other hand, I’m often willing to take just about any price to get rid of something during a garage sale I’m hosting, and would hate for someone to walk away just because they’re put off by the price sticker.
What’s your preference, price or no price?
I prefer prices too when I go to garage sales Here’s what I would do: price big-ticket items; smaller items go into a big with one tag on the front (i.e. “Anything in here for 50 cents — three items for a dollar!”)
We could maybe take that Caillou treehouse off your hands :).
We hosted our own garage sale 2 weeks ago where I priced everything and did one this weekend with friends where I didn’t price anything. The result? I found myself cutting prices on the marked items anyway so I’d save yourself the time!
Just make sure anything in the sale your husband may be partial to, you know what he would like to sell it for. The look on my husband’s face when I told him I sold a favorite clock of his for a dollar, was the cross between anguish and deep thought as he silently calculated the cost of a divorce!! LOL
Have fun!
I’d also price big items then everything else lump into priced bins or piles. I once helped with a church rummage sale and kids loved digging through the bins looking for a treasure. (A friend of a friend was on the beach with her kids in some exotic locale and someone actually offered her money to buy her kids. She of course declined but I think at times regrets it 🙂 — so never say never…)
Good luck!
I’m gonna agree with everyone else — price the big stuff, maybe mark it up a little beyond what you’re willing to take to encourage haggling. Then have bins of stuff for $1.00/50 cents/25 cents and a FREE bin. Free bins are cool because even people who don’t see anything else they like will root through the free bin and when they find something they want, will feel guilty for taking it for free and look around for something to buy as well.
I agree. Big stuff gets a price tag, little stuff and clothes get a “anything in this box/on this table/on this rack for X or 3 for Y.”
Our last yard sale happened just after Katrina, and since our goal was to get rid of stuff more than it was to make any money, we made a sign that said “All Proceeds to Red Cross for Katrina Victims” and we ended up sending a check for over $400. After the sale, we posted a sign thanking everyone and telling them how much we were able to send.
Gotta put prices on the big stuff. Nothing I hate more than the confused look on a seller’s face when I amble up the driveway and inquire about a semi new pillow. “Ummm…four dollars?” I feel like they made up the price by evaluating my degree of gullibility. Plus, the lesser the human interaction the better.
I just had my first (and probably last…) garage sale ever – in Havana, Cuba. Since we are anal retentive, and didn’t want to have to explain everything over and over in Spanish, we priced everything, except the “everything for 1CUC” boxes. We made lots (and our son will be buying himself a wii from his proceeds), and massively downsized for our return to Canada… We did cut prices – especially on stuff we couldn’t explain – computer motherboard, Vonage phones, shake ‘n bake… People bargained a bit, but not really. I think it helps to have NO competition anywhere!
I like prices on things. Both as a shopper and a seller. Hopefully the weather is good for you. Last year I had my yard sale on the first nice weekend of the year and it was a hit. I sold almost everything and a lot of it at full price. I was so happy. With the weather we have been having, you may get that kind of enthusiasm as well!
I like prices, with the option to haggle!
I always like having price tags. Sometimes I haggle, but mostly I just pay the listed price. When there’s no tags I always ask the seller what they want for the item. If they ask, “What do you want to offer?” , I’m always stumped.
I too much prefer prices — I’ve been known to walk away rather than embarrass myself by asking how much something costs. Price the big stuff, cluster the little stuff on tables/in boxes.
Of course, I have such a fear of garage sales (that nothing will be purchased; that all those people will show up, roll their eyes, and leave, disgusted that I ever thought anyone would want this stuff) that I just donate everything. That saves the pricing anyway!
I’m not a haggler myself and would prefer to see prices and clusters for $X. I am, in fact, too lazy for yard sales and usually just take things to friends or charity. For my biggest, most expensive things (crib, etc.) I went to Boomerang Kids to sell them on consignment.
I agree – tag the big stuff. Smaller stuff I make signs with a general list of what I want for things. But I’m always willing to take less. Garage sales are for purging and recycling, not for making the big bucks, right? 😉
Last garage sale I went to, the seller had put little coloured dot stickers on the items and then had a sign up with the colour dot and the price: red dot = $1, green dot = $.50, etc.
It was kind of the best of both worlds – you knew the cost of everything, but the seller didn’t have to spend hours writing $1 on little pieces of masking tape.
I don’t think I have enough stuff for a sale, and no one in my neighbourhood seems to hold them. I’m hoping the school holds one again this year, because I probably have enough stuff to rent a table.