Being a real-estate broker, my clients have borrowed
my Open House signs for yard-sale purposes, and I have interviewed a
few of them for my article, as well as added my personal insights from
experience.
Let’s start with your garage or basement…one of the
greatest sources of hidden cash is right there in front of your
nose. Remember, “one man’s trash is another man’s
treasure.” I remember making over $1500 cash in one weekend,
skipping golf and a Fourth of July barbeque, just to get rid of
unwanted junk in my basement—sports equipment, yes, that rescue wood
that I never could hit, the skis that have not seen snow in six
winters, and a bicycle that has seen better days. Rather than
leave this contraption hanging from its hook, with a little oil and a
tune-up, this unused piece of equipment can guarantee a great work-out
for its new owner. And, let’s not forget the extra dryer that got
left when my washing machine broke down, and I had to buy a new
washer/dryer set for the sake of uniformity, the discarded dryer just
sitting there, useless and abandoned, occupying space as a stage for
boxes of more unused and useless stuff.
What about old clothes? For the hopeful woman
whose girlish figure seemed to vanish when the babies came along, but
whose hope of fitting into those size-4 jeans still haunt her, I have
two words for you--MOVE ON.
Because hanging onto old, smaller
sized clothing will not only use up valuable closet space, your
teeny-tiny wardrobe will continue to tease and taunt you about your
more “ample” physique which a woman turned “mom” cannot realistically
hang onto unless 5 days a week at Lifetime Fitness can be part of her
daily schedule, in between parenting and housekeeping, not to mention
her career, if she has one.
Therefore, clothing, which can include your hubby’s
and babies’ old clothes could be a fantastic addition to your
inventory.
Old books, small kitchen appliances, unwanted CD’s
and DVD’s, furniture, tools and office equipment are all possible
saleable items in a garage or yard sale.
Nothing is off limits, and everyone is looking for a
bargain, especially these days. Just make sure that when you
start clearing out your garage or basement, you start organizing them
into sections so that you do not get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of
your “stuff”…and believe me, it could be daunting to suddenly see a
mountain of “stuff” that you have no clue was in your basement or
garage all these years, unless you are one of the few who faithfully
cleans out their space and is organized enough to know exactly what is
in their home, and how it got there.
For the majority, for which I am part of, I have no
clue how I was able to amass “stuff,” and even more disturbing, is why
I hung onto “stuff” after all these years. Nevertheless, taking
the time to finally get rid of them, and make money from what is
literally trash to me, gave me some sort of satisfaction when I held my
2 day garage sale and saw these items disappear right before my eyes,
while the wad of cash in my pocket grew thicker as the day progressed.
Some may contend that this was a waste of time, but
to them, I say it was an exercise in exorcising myself of the past, as
well as a nice way to make a little money on the side.
E-BAY may also be a good way to dispose of unwanted
collectibles or equipment. In fact, your local library has books
on how to trade and sell on E-BAY and how to set up a PayPal account
which would be the most efficient way of collecting your money.
CRAIGSLIST is another option, but I am not a
“techie,” so I had opted for the yard sale. These two websites
are also great for checking to see how much you could sell your items
for. “Leftover inventory” is then donated to the Salvation Army.
For your more expensive, “designer” wardrobe or
brand-name apparel, CLOTHES MENTOR and PLATO’S CLOSET buys “gently
used” designer labels outright for about a third of the original price
and sells them to the public.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENT! (L-R) Girlie, Mike Aloba, Ces Caguiat, Bently and
Brent Pascual.
These are not sold on consignment and they pay you
cash on the spot. Designer jeans with specific labels, sweaters,
sports shirts and even t-shirts are sold by CLOTHES MENTOR which
markets to a younger clientele, while PLATO’S CLOSET is more for the
business woman, so career wear like business suits, blouses, skirts and
pants will be what they are looking for.
They also accept shoes and handbags, as long as they
are still in style, in good condition, and have been washed or dry
cleaned. Note the word “in style,” so your mother’s disco wear
and platform shoes may not be hot items to try and sell to these
establishments.
The popularity of these specialty clothing stores
have gained momentum in these trying times, so check it out on their
websites as well.
PLAY IT AGAIN SPORTS is also a buyer for used, but
not abused sports equipment, but they will offer only a fraction of its
real value.
If you do decide on a yard sale, preparation is
key. Decide on a weekend, then check the weather forecast for
those dates, but prepare for inclement weather as well. You may need to
have a space ready in case you need to put everything back in the
garage quickly. If you have an advertising budget, the local
newspapers usually give a “garage sale” classified ad rate.
Another good idea is to hold a “neighborhood
garage sale” to defray the cost of advertising and attract more bargain
hunters for that weekend. You may need a village permit for that,
so please check with the village.
Prepare your directional signs. Hardware stores
carry signs which are cheap but the better way is to borrow some from
your local realtor, like me! Just make sure you print out the
letter in black, bold letters which will include the address, the date,
the time, and if you have extra space, an idea of your
merchandise.
I included the words “golfing, sports and
fashion” in mine, since I had a lot of old clothing and golf equipment
like clubs, practice nets and tons of jeans, sportswear, shoes, even
lingerie, which to my surprise, was my best seller---yes, go figure!
After hauling out your “stuff,” plan on how to
“stage” your sale area. STAGING is a term we use in real estate
which means preparing the home to show in its best possible
condition. This can be applied to your garage sale as well.
If it is a nice sunny, day, it will be a good idea
to have a couple of display tables for your “knick- knacks” and little
items like souvenirs, trinkets and small collectibles, as well as
another table for technical and office equipment which gives your
shoppers easy access for inspection and assessment. Group items
together in piles or sections, i.e., sports equipment, clothing,
housewares, etc. Have a working space or table where you can
easily keep track of the flow of people, as well as be visible to
answer questions or agree on a price.
It might be a good idea to ask a friend or family
member to host the yard sale with you just to have an extra pair of
hands and eyes.
Use “Post-Its” or stickers for prices. It
doesn’t mean that you wil get what you ask for, in fact, you
don’t----they will always talk you down from the posted price, which is
where the fun is. The tags are just to remind you what you wanted
to sell the items for in the first place, and gives the buyer an idea
of where you want to be at in terms of a price point reference.
It also keeps you from fretting when someone asks you, “How much do you
want for this?” Trust me, no one I know or talked to ever sold
anything for what they asked for, otherwise, your “stuff” should have
been sold in a store.
Start early, and make sure you have enough change in
one dollar bills and quarters. Historically, garage sale shoppers
start scouring for your signs as early as 8am, and on a Friday, with
sunny weather, you could get a steady stream of customers until
closing.
Your children can also get involved selling pop,
juice or water especially on a hot day, and shoppers appreciate this
gesture, even for a price. Just don’t play “7-11” and charge them
exorbitant prices for the courtesy.
A little upbeat music in the background also helps,
think ”Abercrombie and Fitch,” not the piped in “mall music” when you
choose the tunes.
.
When selling used appliances, make sure you have a
spare outlet in the garage to plug in DVD players, electric fans and
lamps, while radios and TV’s for sale would be more attractive if they
are on and visible. I had my old 52- inch Sony TV on, with the
movie “Titanic” playing over and over again until it sold on the last
day, VCR player included, the DVD player sold first. My buyer had
to rent a flat bed from MENARD’s for a reasonable $17 for two hours to
haul it away, so the price I gave more than compensated for the extra
cost.
Have shoes lined up and visible on a mat or blanket
on the lawn or garage floor so buyers can try them and inspect them,
while clothes should be hung on hangers for close inspection and
attract buyers to come and try them on.
A mirror will be good to have on hand for wardrobe
selections and try-ons. Fastening a temporary line or using
rolling shelves for clothes is a great way to showcase
them.
Dumping them in boxes may be practical, but having
some clothes out will definitely make the merchandise look more
appealing. Remember, the objective is to get rid of “stuff” for a
price, if possible, so “staging the goods” can be crucial to your yard
sale.
Have bags available for the buyers, especially for
the small goods and articles of clothing.
Finally, dress in comfortable clothes and wear a big
smile! A welcoming attitude will put your potential
shoppers at ease and may even bring you additional buyers if they like
you and your “stuff.”
I have had families come back for the next two days
with their friends, and even sold my bigger appliances to their
relatives when they came back again.
Sure, the fastest way is to donate all of your
“stuff” in the beginning, but for families strapped for cash in these
trying times, a garage or yard sale is another way of making the best
of a bad situation, and a good way to teach young children about
business, sales, public relations, and donating to the less fortunate,
all in one weekend! After all, these are items that were once
valuable and useful to you and your family, and may also be useful and
valuable to the next family that buys it.
So enjoy summer, and make money while helping
to “recycle” your “stuff” through the garage sale, second-hand shops or
E-Bay, and donate the rest to charity!
Please enjoy our summer family photos of golfing,
camping, and birthday get together. Summer is only a few more
weeks so let’s all make hay until the first leaves of autumn start
falling….until then, God bless us all for our health, our sanity, and
our families.
