Frugal | Following up on this morning’s post: Should I have a garage sale?

15 Responses to “Following up on this morning’s post: Should I have a garage sale?”

1. Anastasia on April 29th, 2008 9:25 am

   I think you could suffer from a potentially bad sale because it is on a Friday only. But on the other hand, if you can make a few bucks and lessen the number of loads to take to the donation place, then you should try it.

2. Daphne (One Mom In Alabama) on April 29th, 2008 10:09 am

   I think it’s worth a try, at least. I’ve been wanting to have one and don’t have any big ticket items either. Your post help me decide to go ahead and try!
   This Friday would be a great Friday to try on. It’s the beginning of the month, when some people get their checks in; my mother’s favorite time to yard-sale!
   Good Luck!!

3. Lee on April 29th, 2008 12:15 pm

   I say, go for it. You’ve already done the research and know how to have a successful sale. It’s kinda short notice, but it’ll make you get going full speed ahead…getting rid of more clutter and making some extra money as well. Just don’t forget to get the signs up immediately and the ads out,(probably today) so more people will know that it’s coming up. You might need to tank up on coffee to get an energy burst!

4. Lynnae on April 29th, 2008 12:27 pm
   Here’s my latest thought. I just found out that our town’s “yard sale day” where the community center encourages everyone to have a yard sale and puts out a map, etc, is on Saturday the 10th. Now, I know I can’t do a sale on Saturday, but in years past, a lot of people start on Friday.

   Sooooo….if I can make myself look at all the junk that’s gathering in my living room for one more week, I should have my sale on the 9th! More people will be in my small town shopping, and I can use that to my advantage.

5. Mrs. Micah on April 29th, 2008 5:30 pm

   Advertise it as an early-bird sale of sorts.

6. Lynn on April 29th, 2008 5:41 pm

   Our street is having one big garage sale this weekend. They sent out flyers two weeks ago asking for street residents to participate. This way shoppers have lots of houses to search in one day. Thanks for the tips about price stickers. That will save a lot of time and effort of everybody’s part! Would it be prudent to put out my daughter;s crib and crib matress? Do people actually buy such large items at a garage sale?

7. Lynnae on April 29th, 2008 6:01 pm
   Lynn - Definitely put out the crib and crib mattress! Large items generally sell really well at garage sales!
8. Working Rachel on April 29th, 2008 8:13 pm

   I say skip the garage sale. Why? Because it sounds like you mainly just want to get rid of the stuff, and after any garage sale there’s always a lot of stuff left over, which you’ll have to throw away/cart across town anyway.

9. MITBeta @ Don't Feed The Alligators on April 29th, 2008 9:04 pm

   Why the Friday only restriction? Certainly you would do better on the weekend…

10. Lynnae on April 29th, 2008 9:34 pm
    For the next 3 weeks, my kids have soccer all morning on Saturdays, and then my husband works in the afternoon. And Sundays we’re at church all morning. That leaves Fridays. And I really don’t want to wait another month to get this stuff out of my house.
11. Shanti @ Antishay on April 30th, 2008 12:17 am

    I say HAVE THE SALE. What is there to lose? A few hours? It’s worth it to try and get every last penny you can out of your things.

    BTW, I’ll be in Corvallis May 9-11… I should stop by your sale! LOL… have anything good?

12. Daisy Olsen on April 30th, 2008 6:43 am

    I think that if you have the patience to have the sale then go for it! Personally, I’m leaning toward getting a dumpster for all my old stuff.

13. jillbilly on April 30th, 2008 9:00 am

    I applaud you for your ambition - nothing drives me crazier on those “clean up/organize” shows than the huge piles of cash they wave around after their garage sales. Where are they selling, Madison Avenue?? That being said, I have had the best success-to-effort ratio during a publicized neighborhood event (like your upcoming Town Sale Day, or local house/garden tour) where there are sure to be plenty of suckers-er-customers. Also consider putting things into bins grouped by price, clearly labeled. This eliminates the agony of pricing individual items. The 25-cent bin was particularly popular with the youngsters - put your kids in charge of that one. One more thing - make sure you check with your local zoning authority; Chicago requires a permit for any sort of yard sale. Nothing kills a hot market faster than an untimely arrest Good luck!

14. Angela on April 30th, 2008 11:13 am

    Okay Lynnae since we live in the same area all the people I know who have had yard sales say they sold the most stuff on Friday. If you are serious yard sale shopper you go friday and beat the crowds and get first dibs. You can advertise on Craig’s list for free. To other readers I bought my kids crib (which Sam used briefly)at a yard sale and other big items even my daughters bike (which was in perfect condition for $20). Say Sam hasn’t outgrow his bike Yet? Personally I had one yard sale and it’s not for me I just donate or give away.

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