first ever yard sale

In the past, when we were finished with our clothes we'd give them to friends, family, or Goodwill, etc.

Not this time!

Our neighborhood association announced a yard sale. They did all the promotion in the local papers and posted signs. Advertisement was great.

My youngest son recently grew inches and outgrew many of his clothes. He asked if we could sell them at the yard sale. I obliged him.

He got out his prized bike that Nana gave him, which he had also outgrown. We gathered his clothes and shoes, some of which had hardly been worn. We threw in a couple golf clubs and lamps to make it look like we had more to offer.

Never again. Going to yard sales is one thing, but having them is another! Fortunately we didn't spend much time gathering "stuff". We just cleaned out his room, folded the clothes in piles, didn't ticket a thing, and went for it.

After two hours we brought everything in and I told him I would gladly give our clothes to friends, family, Goodwill, etc. Right back where we started.

People were so cheap. They wanted everything for nothing. One lady ever stole something.

Any yard sale experiences?

[ October 02, 2004, 08:29 PM: Message edited by: Dotsie ]

In the past I've had a couple of yard sales when I was moving. I made a few hundred dollars each time, but boy what a lot of work.
After going through that a couple of times, I was about ready to pay someone to just haul the stuff off.
Once my daughter, Becky, who was about nine had a carnival in the back yard while we were having a yard sale. She had a blast and made money too. Problem was, she decided to have games and make her prizes out of that salt dough stuff that you bake then paint.
Well a piece of it dropped on the burner in the oven and shorted the whole thing out. Cost me more than a hundred dollars to fix. Overall, the sale was a wash. But at least Becky had fun.
smile

I had a garage sale maybe 10 years ago. I sat there all day, with my jewelry and a lot of odds and ends from the house. I think I made $40.

Now I give old stuff away to Goodwill or my local community "used treasures" sale to benefit low income residents. ANYTHING but sit in my garage all day.

For a time when I first came to Nevada, I would hit other peoples sales and the oldest junk stores around then double, sometimes triple the prices and have my own sale. I made sure everything worked and was clean and I guess I was lucky because I made pretty good money. I have several sales a year. Getting ready for one soon. I have some gorgeous antique jewelry from my sister she left a jewelry box full when she died and I have a box of homemade brightly colored fishing lures my son made and a ton of just plain junk that Earl, my ex left behind. I always invite a few friends over and tell them bring some stuff to sell and I make a big pot of mustacholi and we party down....

As to yard sales, this is the first year that I actually found it somewhat worth it. In the past, one year I made $8 but the cost of the adds were $20. Last year it rained and I only had girls clothes, but I did make $82. This year I was motivated. I was trying to clean out my home. I have always been a pack-rat, but lately I have changed. I still have problems sometimes. This year I have cleaned out my attic, had boxes put there 18 years ago. I actually got rid of alot of Christmas decorations. However, none sold, weird. My parents moved into assisted living last spring and it became my job to empty out their 3 BR apt. With lots of help from my children we finished mid June.Yeah! However, some of it arrived at my house. I decided to keep some, but would get rid of some of my stuff-I actually sold furniture, even the dressers I grew up with and my daughter has used. This also was aided by the fact that we are in the process of moving her to the Guest Room. Consequently I am acquiring new book shelves and redoing both rooms, that means prep and painting, curtains (I don't sew), and even tearing out existing closet and putting new ones on entire wall with window seat as part of it. A lot of work. Anyway, the yard sale was good, rain stayed away. I made $277 but my husband still took 2 full loads to Goodwill. Most of my mothers stuff went to her churches Thrift Shop. I will continue to purge, don't think I'll do any more yard sales for at least a year. By the way, I was the organizer for the neighborhood day of yard sales, fliers to 240 neighbors, adds in papers, and signes made and placed, and taken down to reuse. I did volunteer for this job. Next time someone else will hopefully do.

I always do really well with Garage Sales. In the summer months, they are a good source of mad money for me.

I have them for two days. The first day, I sell what I can and on the second day, I give away what is left. The last time I did that, I was so blessed. People were thrilled to have things... especially the kid's clothes... for free. A man showed up and when I told him to take what he felt he could use, he started to cry and thanked me. A little boy that got a new coat for free just kept saying thank you. I felt so good I could hardly stand it. (I don't advertise that the second day is free BTW. I figure God will send whomever He wants to benefit.)

I also have a website about having a good garage sale. You can visit it here: Garage Sale Chick.

Gotta run. Too little coffee equals mean old woman!

Sher...perfect timing. I was to supposed to have mine last week-end but didn't. It's tomorrow and Saturday now. It happened for a reason...I will be having the second day deal you spoke about. Great Idea...and more fun I'd think.

I use to have them all the time. I hate um. It's a lot of work and you'll have stuff out there marked 20 cents and someone will come up and say "will you take 10 cents for that?" I usually just say "oh you know...why don't you just take it. My treat." Puleaseeee....

I also do the second day thing but I'm afraid I'm not as nice as Sher...I tell everybody that comes up that they can have everything they can fit in their car for 5 bucks. It's fun to watch everybody scrambling around to try and cram one more thing in their car....what a hoot...

I hate the clean up afterwards too.

JJ

JJ...you make me cry at 6AM and crack me up at NOON...too much
I gotta get back to my rat killin'...see ya later

Chick! I thought I was the only one who used that phrase...I said that once to Dotsie over the phone "well, I'll talk to ya later, I need to get on with my rat killing." Dead silence....

I said...ah..it's a phrase Dotsie....

"oh" was the only reply. I think she thought I had rats. True story. Would I lie?

JJ

Sheesh thanks for explaining that phrase, never heard it before and was about to ask Chickadee
WHAT???? You saved the day Queen...

Chickadee,
Did you hear that 'rat killin' phrase in Canada? Surely not. I bet you got it here in Oklahoma. We got lots of rats. I've been married to several of them.

I bet Canadians don't even have rats.

Just another sign you may be turning into an Okie. Oh my lord there could be two of us on this site alone.
Watch out world!!
smile

egads, yard sales! My HOA complex has one once a year. Haven't done it in a while, and now I know why after doing it last year. Getting up at crack of dawn to get things out and people are there before me! Pawing thru boxes before I can even open them. I used to sell Giorgio products and people would balk at paying $10 for the $55 bottle of cologne! All the junk sold but the good stuff, marked $5 and up just sat. Much better to give to charity and get fairmarket value deduction on income tax. But it's great for people watching and wondering what they are gonna do with all the junk...

I participated in our neighborhood yard sales until my girls were in middle school. They were a great place to get rid of and to find baby equipment and big toys like the Party Kitchen. I also sold stuff in the PennySaver -- car seats, play-cribs, and our bicycle trailer.

At my first yard sale, I was the victim of a two-person team -- while one woman kept me busy, her partner stole stuff off of my table.

I don't bother with them anymore -- I just donate stuff to the Goodwill. It's convenient and I get rid of the stuff on my own schedule.

Another experience of theft at a yard sale. Isn't that sad?