garage sale

12 Garage Sale Items That Sell Like Hotcakes

Marla Walters — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 08:30:09 +0000

Spring cleaning is in full swing, which means it's out with the old, and in with the new. So why not earn some extra cash by throwing a garage sale and ridding your home of your unwanted items? Here are 12 perennially popular items that are sure to sell like hot cakes. (See also: 10 Easiest Items to "Flip" for Cash)

1. Gently used clothing, in good condition

Everyone needs clothes, and savvy shoppers know you don't have to pay retail to look good. I once met a lumber "baroness" who confided in me that she bought all of her clothes at yard sales. Good quality holds up, and regular yard sale shoppers know that.

For women's and men's, hang clothes up on a rack, rather than folded on a table or in a box. It makes it much easier for people to go through it, as well as to examine it for stains or tears. For kids' clothing, folding it is fine, but it's nice if the sizes are noted and sorted. Many garage-sale shoppers are resellers, and they may take you up on a "$__ per bag" offer.

2. Tools

My husband is like a moth to a flame when it comes to a garage sale with tools. He not only likes power tools, but also older, vintage ones that are not only still useful, but fun to collect and display.

When selling your old tools, have a power strip nearby so power tools can be tested, or have them charged up if used with a battery.

3. Furniture

If you live in a college town, furniture is sure to go fast. Also, with DIY projects soaring in popularity, more people are looking for furniture that can be remade. Bookshelves will always sell — even old, beat up bookcases can be used for storage!

Make sure any furniture you sell is clean. Old leather furniture can be spiffed up using a mixture of vinegar, olive oil, and a little lemon juice. Vacuum upholstered furniture and treat any spots. Also, suggest a price, but be open to negotiation.

4. Vintage dishes, glassware, and casseroles

Any Pyrex collectors out there? How about milk glass, or Spode? You may have some items hidden away in your cupboards that are hot.

When you go to sell these items, advertise using the brand name (i.e., Pyrex, milk glass, Corningware, etc.); add photos to your ad, too. Collectors will flock to you. (See also: 10 Old Knick-Knacks You Can Flip for Easy Cash)

5. Garden tools

Spring fever also means that home gardeners are eager to start tilling, trimming, planting, and digging.

Be prepared to start up that old lawn mower, or be honest about what isn't working. Handy folks may be willing to take a chance that they can get a broken item running again. We just bought a garden tiller for $15. It wasn't running, but my husband knew how to fix it. Sometimes, a shovel blade or rake may be fine, but the wooden handles are rotting. You can purchase new handles at Home Depot or Lowe's. But price these items accordingly, if a replacement is going to be necessary.

6. Shoes and handbags

Think nobody would want to buy your old shoes? Guess again. Shoes, especially if in good condition and carrying a popular brand name, sell like hot cakes at garage sales. Kids grow out of shoes so fast that size doesn't matter. If they're too big now, they'll probably grow into them later. Handbags are also enormously popular — especially if it's a designer label.

When selling shoes or old purses, obviously, clean and odor-free are necessities. If you still have the original boxes, that's a plus. The key factor with shoes and bags is showcasing any designer brands. Put the designers in your garage sale ad, and place them front and center during the sale. Then watch the flock of shoppers arrive.

7. Costume jewelry

If your jewelry box is overflowing with costume jewelry and statement pieces you know you'll never wear, a garage sale is the perfect place to unload them.

Find a rack of some sort to hang necklaces on (a coat hanger will do, in a pinch). Bracelets can go on a dowel. Just make sure to keep costume jewelry close to your cashier area because sadly, some folks will try to pocket it.

8. Games, toys, and bicycles

Have too many toys and games cluttering up the house? Give them a new home by selling them at your garage sale. Vintage games being popular at the moment, you should be able to easily sell Monopoly or Life. Before you sell these, make sure you have all the game pieces. "Lil' Tykes" plastic furniture is always popular, too. Pump up bike tires for bikes you're looking to unload, and give them a wash.

9. Books

It doesn't matter how fancy or state-of-the-art e-readers become — actual books will always be easy to sell. Make the ones you no longer want super cheap — $1–$3 each — and they'll fly off your shelves.

10. Appliances

I know, you just had to have a Magic Bullet, or a bread-maker, or a hand blender. And now they're sitting on your kitchen counter, collecting dust. I'm guilty of this, too. Luckily, people love appliances, and you can probably unload them.

When you sell them, it's a good idea to have a power strip handy so folks can make sure they work. They should also be spotlessly clean. Check eBay to see what they're going for before pricing.

11. Camping gear

Purchasing new camping gear gets a little pricey. However, used gear is usually still in decent condition, since it only usually gets used a few times each year. Yard and garage sales are the best places to get it, and smart shoppers will snap it up.

Make sure to mention the items in your ad and include pictures. Open up tents so people can see the size.

12. Exercise equipment

So, you bought that trendy elliptical machine when you were still clutching the remains of your fitness resolutions. If you didn't use it, that's OK! time to get it out of your garage and into someone else's.

Specify what you have, and put pictures in your ad. Basic exercise equipment, like weights, will usually go quickly, but older treadmills or exercise bikes may linger, depending on how you price them and how quickly you want to get rid of them.

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This article is from Marla Walters of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

10 Old Knick-Knacks You Can Flip for Easy Cash

Kentin Waits — Fri, 23 Sep 2016 10:30:05 +0000

In August, I wrote about some of the easiest items to flip for cash. But one category of flippable finds deserves special mention: The knick-knack. If you're a thrift store shopper or estate sale hound like me, you see so many dust-catchers that it's tempting to lump them all together in the "worthless clutter" category. Not so fast. If you know what you're looking for, that wonderful kitsch can be worth cold, hard cash. Here are 10 knick-knacks that you can flip for easy money.

1. Bathroom Wall Art

If you're "of a certain age," your parents or grandparents probably decorated their bathroom walls with little art sets of fish, seahorses, or mermaids. Well, those little sea creatures are hot items these days. In July, a pair of vintage chalkware mermaids sold for $131 online. So keep an eye out for brightly-colored sets made of chalkware (a type of molded plaster), ceramic, or Lucite.

2. Murano Glass

Murano glass is glass made by select factories on the Venetian island of Murano — a glass-making hub since the 11th century. Pieces from the 1950s and '60s are still easy to find in the U.S. and can be fairly valuable. Identifying Murano glass is tricky; collectors rely on paper labels, inscribed signatures of well-known makers, and stylistic qualities to determine authenticity. Earlier this month, an eight-inch Murano peacock sold for $190 on eBay.

3. Tiki Totems and Accessories

Tiki-inspired items decorate the basement bars of hipsters across the country. Look for drinking glasses, serving trays, ashtrays, and art — anything that captures the vintage Polynesian vibe.

4. Vintage Taxidermy

Few things scream kitsch like vintage taxidermy items. Depending on the subject matter and skill of the taxidermist, some pieces can go for hundreds of dollars. If you're selling online, it helps to stick to smaller pieces that can be packed and shipped easily.

5. TV Lamps

Like the name suggests, these lamps used to grace the tops of TVs in the middle part of the last century. By providing a bit of ambient lighting, they helped dispel early fears about potential eyesight damage from watching television in a completely dark room. Usually made of pottery and molded in the shape of animals (think panthers, horses, and birds) these little lights can bring $75-$125 online.

6. Concrete Garden Gnomes

Blame it on all those Travelocity commercials — America's affection for garden gnomes knows no bounds. Don't worry about missing paint or thick layers of moss. As long as the little creatures aren't cracked or broken, they sell well. In fact, a 20-inch vintage elf recently sold for $124.99 on eBay (plus shipping, of course!).

7. Mid-Century Fiber Optic Lamps

Funky fiber optic lamps from the 1960s and '70s are feeding collectors' hunger for all things mid-century. Look for lamps that work well and feature chrome bases (an indicator of age). Depending on size, models from companies like Fantasia Products or Cuda can bring $100-$400.

8. Trophies

Vintage trophies — particularly those from the 1920s-1950s — are highly prized by sports enthusiasts and decorators alike. Classic forms crafted of bronze, copper, pewter, or silver with bases made of stone or Bakelite (an early type of plastic) sell best.

9. Head Vases

Figural ceramic vases shaped like heads (almost always glamorous females) were all the rage in the '40s and '50s. Today, finely detailed examples by companies like Inarco, Enesco, or Lefton can rake in $100-$200.

10. Cat and Owl Figurines

In the wild world of knick-knack selling, you learn one truth early on: People absolutely love figurines of cats and owls. Chances are, if you stumble across an interesting figurine of either creature — regardless of the maker — you can flip it quickly for a respectable profit.

Two cases in point: A not-so-special six-inch porcelain cat figurine with no maker's mark sold on eBay earlier this month for $33. And a seven-inch ceramic owl that I wouldn't have looked at twice brought $59. Trust me — the profit from cat and owl figurines alone could fund a modest retirement plan.

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This article is from Kentin Waits of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

13 Smart Garage Sale Bargain Hunting Tricks

Dr Penny Pincher — Fri, 06 May 2016 10:30:04 +0000

Unlike retail stores where prices are fixed and the sales staff has a lot of experience handling shoppers, garage sales are a free-for-all. Many garage sale sellers have little experience setting prices, running a sale, or negotiating with buyers. A smart garage sale bargain hunter can score some great deals at garage sales.. (See also: 5 Things in Your Garage That Have Serious Re-Sale Value)

Here are some tricks that can help you get the best deals on the best items at garage sales.

1. Make Sure It's Built for the Future

Kids will continue grow and will need clothes for many years. You might as well get them cheap at a garage sale. If you find high quality kids' clothes for cheap prices, pick up sizes that are too big now, and put them away for a year or two.

2. Seek Apathy

Try to bargain with the person at the garage sale who is the least attached to the item you are trying to buy. I have been at garage sales where the husband seemed to want to hang on to an item, but the wife has said, "he never uses that" and gave me a great deal!

3. Leave the Car Behind

Use a bicycle or walk at citywide or neighborhood garage sales. You can hit more sales and avoid crawling along in the traffic jams. Come back later with your vehicle to pick up items you have purchased. Sellers are happy to mark your item "Sold" after you pay for it so you can pick it up later.

4. Buy It All

Offer to buy an entire set of items for a reduced price. For example, offer a few dollars to take all of the books in the box, or all of the pans on a table if you are interested in a few of them. People want to get rid of stuff at a garage sale and will usually give great deals if you offer to buy a lot of items together. You can always sell the extras later and perhaps make a profit.

5. Haggle on Prices

At garage sales, the price tags are only a suggestion. Selling items for 20% less than asking price is pretty standard. If you are not used to bargaining, it can be uncomfortable, but garage sale sellers expect to get offers for less than the tag price. The worst thing that can happen is that your offer will be rejected and you'll have to decide whether to offer more to get the item.

6. Hit the First Day

Go on the first day of a garage sale while all of the good stuff is still there. If a garage sale is advertised for Friday afternoon and all day Saturday, go on Friday afternoon. The best items and deals are likely to be gone after the first few hours.

7. Plan Your Attack

If you have several garage sales on your list to visit, make a plan to minimize your driving and maximize the number of promising garage sales you can check out. This will increase your chance of finding bargains and reduce your expenses from driving around.

8. Bring Cash

Bring cash to garage sales. Many garage sales will not take personal checks. Cash is better for bargaining — if you have a variety of bills, you can pull out the exact amount you want to offer and present that to the seller. It can be hard to say no to cold hard cash.

9. Arrive Early

The early bird gets the worm at garage sales! You might be able to scoop up a great item before the sale even gets officially started. "Early Birds" is a term for buyers that show up at garage sales before it starts to pick out the prime items. If you are really interested in an item, you might be able to check it out while the garage sale is being set up — and maybe even buy it before competing buyers arrive.

10. Check Your List

Make a list of items you are hunting. It's easy to get distracted by the wide variety of cheap items and bargains you see at garage sales. I keep a list of garage sale items on my cell phone so I can check my list when I happen upon a garage sale.

11. Check Back at Closing Time

If you see things you like but the prices are too high, stop by during the final hours at the end of a garage sale. If the items are still there, this is a chance to get a substantial discount. Garage sale sellers don't want to deal with leftover stuff after a garage sale and welcome getting rid of one more thing and getting a few more dollars to put in their envelope before the sale ends.

12. Items to Avoid

Although there are lots of potential bargains at garage sales here are some items to avoid:

Car seats: Older models may not be as safe as modern products.
Cribs: Older cribs had safety issues, and it's not worth the risk.
Helmets: They may have hidden damage and no longer be safe. Older models may not be as safe as newer models.
Packaged food: It is likely near the expiration date or past it.
Pets: Puppies for sale at a garage sale may comes with a risk of future health problems due to inadequate screening and vet care that professional breeders provide.
VHS and cassette tapes: The audio quality of old tapes degrades over time and with use. Look for CDs instead.
CRT TV sets: You may need to pay to dispose of this, plus old TVs use a lot of energy.
Old electronics and computers: They may be cheap, but old electronic items are likely outdated and not as capable as a newer items, which likely give you more performance for the money.
Old appliances: These are usually heavy and hard to move, and may have problems that you won't discover until after you get it installed in your house.

13. Look for These Instead

If you are looking for bargains, check out these items at garage sales:

Antiques and collectibles: When someone decides to clear out their attic, you might be able to pick up some interesting, or even valuable stuff.
Exercise equipment: Often found for pennies on the dollar compared to the cost of new equipment.
Books: You can find lots of popular titles for almost-free.
DVDs and CDs: These don't wear out as fast as older tapes and are cheap at garage sales.
Bikes: You can find great deals on quality bikes that have been outgrown or have become clutter.
Tools: Look for quality items and specialized equipment. Older tools are sometimes sturdier than new ones.
Lawn mowers: Sometimes people move to a larger place, upgrade their lawnmower, and sell their previous mower for to make room for the new one.
Sporting goods: A lot of sporting goods for sale at garage sales are very lightly used.
Clothes: Kids clothes, suits, jeans, jackets — these are all fair game.

What are your best tips for getting bargains at garage sales? Share with us in the comments!

This article is from Dr Penny Pincher of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Convert Your Crap Into Cash Without a Garage Sale

Brittany Lyte — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 15:00:05 +0000

We all have extra stuff lying around that we'd love to pawn off for cash — in theory. But let's face it. Organizing a garage sale can be sort of like planning a dinner party without the payoff of good friends, good conversation, and a couple of refreshing gin and tonics. All that sorting and polishing and sticker-tagging and sign-making — not to mention the time you'll spend trying to shoo the neighbor who wants to take home your kid's $500 barely used air hockey table for 20 bucks — and you might not even earn enough to cover your expenses for that bottle of upholstery cleaner. (See also: Have Your Best Yard Sale Ever)

Fortunately, it's true what they say: One man's trash is another man's treasure. The trick to making this maxim work for you is finding the right platform that will put your well-cared-for Coach purse before the eyes of fashionistas who deeply value the absence of scratch marks on the leather strap.

The Internet is a brilliant resource for reaching your best-bet buyers. So is your flesh-and-blood network of family and friends. Here's our guide to getting the biggest bang for your leftovers and unwanteds using the basics of target marketing. It's all about finding your niche.

1. Clothing

The founder of ThreadFlip launched the up-and-coming online marketplace for second-hand garments and accessories two years ago after taking a peek at his wife's cluttered closet. What struck him was that most of the overflow was comprised of perfectly fashionable, cared-for pieces that she never even wears. When he asked his wife and other women why they hold on to clothing they know they'll never put on, they gave him the same answer: "It's too hard to do anything else with them.

Sites like eBay and Etsy work great, too, but ThreadFlip offers the added benefit of a niche audience. This is fashionistas selling to other fashionistas, so you're bound to rake in more cash for those peach-colored stilettos than if you were to try and hawk them on a generalized resale site. (Another excellent option for pre-owned luxury clothing and accessories is Portero).

When you sell on ThreadFlip, the site helps you lure in buyers by marketing your items with high resolution photos. (If you're clumsy with a camera, you can fork over a higher percentage of your earnings and the company will handle the photography for you.) Once you hook a buyer, an empty box arrives at your doorstep. Simply fill it with the items you've sold and call for a pickup. ThreadFlip will ship the box directly to the buyer, and for this the site takes a 20% cut of the sale.

2. Furniture

It's not easy — nor cheap nor in any way desirable — to sell a couch by mail. Sites that facilitate resale transactions with buyers right in your local community are your best bet for larger items, like furniture, swing sets, and pinball machines, that are too cumbersome for the postal service.

While Craigslist is well-known, Krrb (pronounced "curb") is a newer hyperlocal classifieds platform that's on the rise in popularity. The 75,000-member online consignment boutique caters to the bargain hunter with sophisticated taste. High-end furniture pieces go for anywhere between $800 and $10,000 depending on condition and style. Recent listings include a Victorian aquarium, 19th century furnishings, and a vintage mahogany sideboard. There's also a pair of taxidermy goats that's going for $1,500.

In most cases, the buyers on sites like Craigslist and Krrb are willing to come to you. And it's on them to hire a truck to transport the antique bed and night stands. All you have to do is hold out your hand. Ahh, how good it feels to have a fistful of cold, hard cash.

3. Electronics

Here's the good news: Amazon will buy your old electronics in exchange for money to spend on Amazon. And considering the breadth and depth of the Amazon marketplace, credit for this online shopping site is nearly as good as cash.

It works like this: Check the trade-in page to see if your old cell phone or video game console is eligible for the gift-card program. (Books are also applicable.) Then package up your gadgets and send them off to Amazon. The company will even pay for the shipping. Once the company receives the items, your Amazon account will be credited in about two business days.

Amazon doesn't have a monopoly on the electronics trade-in industry, although its service in this department is streamlined and immensely easy. Still, there are other options to explore. Nextworth and Gazelle offer similar trade-in programs with an added benefit: They'll actually send you a check for your outdated iPad. On the downside, Nextworth can often take upwards of 10 days to reimburse you while Gazelle tends to lowball its offering price.

4. Valuables That Aren't Selling Online

There are certain items you won't want to part with unless you're getting what they're worth. Diamond earrings. The teak end-table. Those leather boots you bought on your honeymoon in Italy. You know they are high-value items, even if the bid amounts on your eBay auction suggest otherwise.

Chances are that at least some of your friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors share in your taste and would love to go on a shopping spree at your house. So why not let them? Simply price the items you want to sell and invite a group of people over to browse.

Or, take a hint from the minimalist, world-traveling duo Warren and Betsy Talbot and host a Reverse Birthday Party. The next time your birthday comes around, examine the stuff in your house and stick price tags on all those beautiful, loved items that you could only bear to part with for a fair price. Then invite over the friends and family members you know will appreciate just as you do that antique farmhouse spinning wheel or the cutesy Christmas china set and let 'em loose. In lieu of gifts, your guests will be doing you a favor by spending that gift money — and then some, if all goes to plan — on all that exquisite stuff you need to part with in order to declutter your life.

Take whatever's left over to a brick-and-mortar consignment shop.

How have you turned your old stuff into cash without bothering with a yard sale? Please share your secrets in comments!

This article is from Brittany Lyte of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Have Your Best Garage Sale Ever by Following These 9 Retail Secrets

Linda Condrillo — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 11:00:21 +0000

It's that time again. De-clutterers unite! After a big spring cleaning of your house, it's time to unload your unwanted items and put some extra cash in your own pocket. Why not sell like the big boys do?

1. Advertise, Advertise, Advertise

Big box retailers know the power of advertising when it comes to the big one day sale. But you don't have to take a full page ad out in the Sunday circular to attract a crowd full of buyers to your next garage sale. Classified ads in hard copy can eat into your budget, so unless you're splitting the cost and having a giant multi-family sale, consider free advertising instead on venues such as Patch.com, Craigslist, estatesales.net, and estatesales.org.

In addition to your personal Facebook page, many towns are now sprouting community Facebook pages where you can advertise your sale as well as post photos to attract friends and neighbors. Or, do things the old fashioned way — call or write.

Send a blanket email to everyone in your contact list advertising your sale and include photos of big ticket items, with lots of descriptive keywords. (I thought I'd never get rid of old albums from the 60s and 70s, and I was pleasantly surprised at how many people responded to my email blast).

Helaine Fendelman, a nationally recognized authority in the arts, antiques, and collectibles field recommends sellers pick up the phone and call buyers who might be interested in the items to be sold, and invite them specifically to come to the sale.

Of course, posting signs on telephone poles never hurt — and may attract impulse buyers out for a Sunday drive. Just remember to take them down when the sale is over.

2. Presentation Is Everything

A well-organized (and clean) store makes for a pleasant shopping experience. The same is true for your yard sale.

Assemble larger or higher end items in front and group similar items together. Designating areas for furniture, clothes, toys, electronic devices, and books will make it easier for customers to browse. Have a few power strips handy to test electric devices such as stereo equipment. (Or have them plugged in and working, with pleasant music playing.)

Attract last-minute shoppers to your sale towards the end of the day by tossing several items into a very large box marked "free." Display stuffed animals or other miscellaneous toys in baskets or colorful bins.

Remember, neatness counts. Items covered in dust from the attic or basement will sell faster when cleaned or polished. Put loose parts into clear storage bags. Arrange smaller pieces attractively on multiple levels on tables by placing them on top of shoe boxes or other sturdy small boxes.

If you have a friend who has a knack for displaying items in and around his or her home, chances are they can do the same at your garage sale. Ask for her or his help and in return, offer to sell some of his or her unwanted items.

3. Pricing: Become an Expert

Do a quick search on eBay for the exact same items you have. If you find a match, print out the information with prices and attach to the goods, so customers can see their "potential" worth (and what a great bargain they are getting!). And if you watch enough Antiques Road Show episodes, you'll know you should probably open an old book to see if it's a first printing before tossing into a box for a quarter. (I almost did that with a John Steinbeck novel at my last tag sale.)

However, if the purpose is to get rid of all the stuff you don't use or need any longer, and you're just as happy to see someone get a real bargain rather than spend time researching, set your prices as low as possible (and be prepared for even more haggling). I once went to a garage sale that had a sign that read "Name Your Own Price Yard Sale."

4. Add Ons — A Profitable Selling Tactic

Scoring a great deal on a designer dress at your favorite retailer's one-day sale allows more money to be freed up for matching shoes and a new bag, and perhaps some jewelry.

When personal stylist Madeline Gerris is hosting a Stella and Dot trunk show, she sizes up what a client is wearing and then coordinates accessories accordingly. "If jewelry or accessories are on your yard sale table, have mirrors handy. Observe what folks are wearing and let them know you have the perfect bag, necklace, earrings, etc. that would match that outfit they are wearing quite nicely. If you have clothes for sale as well, pair up accessories with clothing items when the buyer is ready to purchase."

5. The Art of the Deal

Practice your negotiation skills! If someone is interested in an item, deal with them on the spot. This might be the only person who expresses interest in that item the entire sale.

Have plenty of single dollar bills on hand and don't sell any item for less than a buck, even if it means selling two or more items for a dollar. The time you spend looking around for nickels and quarters will eat into your valuable time (not to mention patience). Wouldn't you rather spend your energy striking a bargain with someone interested in a piece of furniture or sports equipment?

Be firm with bargain hunters and run your garage sale as if you were the owner of a discount retail shop. Be prepared for low ball offers and don't take things personally or become insulted with customers looking to get everything for a quarter.

Be kind with children — if there is a toy you don't mind parting with, hand it to the child in front of the parent and offer it as a gift. A small gesture may make a customer more inclined to make additional purchases.

Don't accept checks from anyone you don't know. Prepare for those low on cash by using a mobile app like PayPal to accept credit card payments.

6. Organize Pre-Sales and Post Sales

Ever notice some back to school sales start in July? While you may not need that much lead time before Saturday's big event, Barry Izsak, past president of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) recommends you start your sale on Thursday or Friday and get a jump start on the weekend garage sale games.

Afterwards, and about two hours before you're about to call it quits, slash prices in half. Make one large "50% off everything" sign, and post it in front of the sale. Combine items for special discounts, or offer the "buy one get one free" items.

7. Those Darn Early Birds

Businesses don't open before the crack of dawn, so why should your garage sale?

Some experts in the industry say do not allow any pre-selling the morning of, as that will lead to cherry picking, or worse — catching you off guard before your first cup of coffee. If you're easily distracted, a poor decision could cost you later.

The presence of the family dog, no matter how friendly, also tends to ward off folks looking to go through your items before they are neatly arranged.

Be firm with early birds, or consider adding the words "early birds pay double" to your advertising campaign.

8. Take a Tip From Successful Non-Profits

Consider donating a portion of your profits from your next tag sale to a local charity.

Rick Ostberg, General Manager for a New Jersey Habitat for Humanity's ReStore says, "When folks know profits from the sale of goods will be put to good use, they tend to buy more — especially when the prices are sold at deep discounts."

9. Snacks and Refreshments

Nothing puts people in a better mood than food. And while you don't have to provide free hot dogs and rent a popcorn machine to rope folks into your yard sale, you may want to consider offering or selling snacks.

Enlist the help of your children (or grandchildren) and encourage them to set up their own side business at your garage sale, selling lemonade and cookies. Or provide or sell small bags of popcorn, cookies or bottled water for your customers. The added benefit of selling or providing snacks will also put your shoppers in a better mood, and bargain hunters may just linger a bit longer at your sale.

What worked for you at your last yard sale? Please share in comments!

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This article is from Linda Condrillo of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Best Money Tips: How to Host a Yard Sale

Ashley Jacobs — Thu, 31 May 2012 10:00:42 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some awesome articles on hosting a yard sale, shopping smarter for crafts, and frugal health and beauty tips.

News & Events

Wise Bread Tweetchat (#WBChat) — Don't miss our weekly #WBChat at 12pm PST! We will be giving away prizes!

Be sure to check out our News & Events Calendar to see all the awesome upcoming events in the personal finance world!

This article is from Ashley Jacobs of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Best Money Tips: Tips for Yard Sale Success

Ashley Jacobs — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:00:11 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some great articles on tips for yard sale success, going green, and saving on your next family vacation.

News & Events

Wise Bread Tweetchat (#WBChat) — Don't miss our weekly #WBChat at 12pm PST! We will be giving away prizes!

Be sure to check out our News & Events Calendar to see all the awesome upcoming events in the personal finance world!

This article is from Ashley Jacobs of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

10 Simple Steps To A Successful Garage Sale

Parenting Squad — Mon, 16 May 2011 09:48:30 +0000

A garage sale can be a great way to clean out your closets and make some extra cash. But if paying customers can't find you or aren't interested in what you have to offer, your hard work can quickly turn into a wasted Saturday morning.

Garage sales aren't complicated, but they can be intimidating if you've never had one before. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can follow to ensure that your garage sale is a huge success.

1. Sell The Right Stuff

Don't have a garage sale if you don't have stuff that other people want. Sure, one man's junk is another man's treasure and all that, but if you only have junk, your sale won't be very successful. Big ticket items like baby furniture and appliances, as well as useful items like tools, household accessories, and children's toys, are almost always popular.

You can certainly sell your trinkets too, but you're less likely to attract customers or make a decent profit if that's all you have. Consider designating a spot in your home to collect items you want to sell, and then, once you've accumulated enough quantity and variety, you can begin planning your sale.

2. Make Your Sale Visually Appealing

The same principles of retail apply to your garage sale — the more visually appealing your display, the more likely people are to make purchases. Everything at your sale should be clean and well-organized. Borrow tables and clothing racks if you can. Sort clothes by size to make shopping easier for your customers.

Don't just throw things in boxes, either. If you're selling books or movies, stack them neatly or line them up so that the titles can be read easily. Also, consider playing some background music to keep the mood pleasant, and if it's going to be a hot day, try to have a fan handy.

3. Curb Appeal Matters

People will drive by your sale to determine if a stop is worth their time. Be sure they can tell where the sale is, particularly if you have a rear-entry garage. Tie some colorful balloons to the mailbox or make a sign for the yard. And display some of your merchandise on the driveway, so they can catch a glimpse of what they'll be missing if they decide to keep driving.

4. Advertise

The more people who know about your sale, the more money you have the potential to make. Place an ad in your local paper. Make fliers and hang them on community bulletin boards. Post the date, time, and location of your sale on Craigslist, and don't forget to include the types of things you're selling, and pictures if you have them.

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are also good options for spreading the word. And, on the night before your sale, put up signs at the entrance to your subdivision and the end of your street with arrows and your address.

5. Bundle Small Items

Things that won't sell on their own are often more likely to sell if you package them together. Fill Ziploc bags with a variety of tiny children's toys that you're looking to dump (think Happy Meal toys, bouncy balls, etc.). Bundle leftover rolls of wrapping paper with any extra ribbon and bows. If you have baskets or containers to sell, consider filling them up with goodies and then selling them for a higher price.

Also, instead of selling children's clothes for fifty cents or a dollar a piece, you might make more money (and get rid of stuff faster) if you sell an entire container of clothes in one size or season for a flat rate.

6. Sell Snacks and/or Beverages

People are more likely to take their time and browse if they're not hungry or thirsty. Keep a cooler filled with water bottles and soda, and sell them at cost (or make yourself a little extra profit). Or let the kids run a lemonade stand. Cookies, whether store bought or homemade, are also a big hit.

7. Appeal To Both Sexes

Typically, women shop at garage sales more than men. But a woman will spend a lot less time shopping if there's an anxious man waiting in the car. Men gravitate toward appliances, electronics, tools, and any kind of home repair items. (Yes, I know that's sexist, but in my experience it's also true.)

Do you have extra nuts and bolts or screws lying around your home? Maybe you just finished a home improvement project, and you have some items left that you won't be using to add to your sale.

8. Join Forces

Multi-family garage sales are always well-received because customers expect to find more choices and variety. Ask some of your neighbors if they're interested in having a garage sale on the same day as you do, or organize or participate in a subdivision sale. You'll get a lot more traffic this way, because potential customers are more likely to visit these sales.

If possible, though, encourage each family to host their own sale in their own garage. Dividing items and figuring out who made how much money can be tricky if you sell all your things together.

9. Price It Right

According to some sources, garage sale items should be priced at roughly 1/3 of what the item cost new. However...your customers don't care what you paid for it, and it's only worth what somebody is willing to pay. When you're pricing your items, think about how seriously you want to get rid of them. The cheaper the price, the more likely it is to sell.

Also, make your life easier and keep your prices simple. There's no reason to be stuck calculating sums like $1.35 plus $3.75 when you could just as easily be adding 1 plus 4. And make sure that everything has a price on it. Yes, it's hard work, but if you buy the color-coded stickers that already have the prices on them, it's not that hard.

10. Be Willing To Bargain

Most garage sale shoppers are looking for steals and deals. Price your items so that you have a little wiggle room when they ask if you're willing to "go lower." Be friendly, and be available to answer questions. Customers are more likely to buy if you seem trustworthy, and not like someone who's just trying to pawn off stuff that's going to break as soon as they get it home.

Another great tactic is to only bargain at the checkout. See what they've collected, and then instead of negotiating each item individually, tell them what you're willing to take for the whole pile. (If you offer to throw in something extra, they're very likely to take you up on your offer, and you're more likely to have an empty garage at the end of the day!)

Extra Garage Sale Tips

Be prepared with plenty of change and small bills.
Keep your money in your sight at all times.
Stockpile plastic grocery bags so you can offer bags with purchases.
Check local laws about placement of yard sale signs.
Don't hold your sale on a holiday weekend.

Garage sales can be intimidating if you've never organized one before. Follow these 10 simple steps and you'll be on your way to having your own successful garage sale.

Guest Post Blurb:

This post is by Alyssa Chirco from our sister blog, Parenting Squad. Visit Parenting Squad for more parenting tips and news:

This article is from Parenting Squad of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

How to Have a Successful Garage Sale

Janey Osterlind — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 12:00:09 +0000

I recently had my first garage sale ever as an adult. It was a wild success, if I do say so myself. In dollar terms, let's just say we made enough to go out to at least four gourmet dinners, which is completely worth the effort in my book. How'd I do it? Here are some things I did that might be helpful when you plan your own sale:

Advertising

Letting people know you're having a sale is, of course, one of the most important parts of the equation. I put a posting on Craigslist on the Monday before the sale describing the location, time, and some of the better items for sale. I noticed that others who were posting about garage sales were including pictures and descriptions of some of their priciest items — a good idea, in my opinion, because people will email you ahead of the sale to purchase those items at full price. I also purchased a Friday ad in my local paper ($14), only because I assume professional garage sale shoppers scour these ahead of the weekend.

Finally, I made numerous signs to be put up at major intersections near my home and in my neighborhood to guide people to the sale. Be sure to check your local ordinances and neighborhood covenants for stipulations about signs, though, and always remember to take them down after the sale.

Setting Up the Sale

The two most important things to keep in mind when setting up your garage sale are money and time. As far as cost, keep it low by borrowing everything you need, including tables and clothing racks. For these, I called on friends and family. All told, I'd say I borrowed about six long folding tables, a shelving unit, and a clothing rack, which was perfect for my modest two-car garage.

I say to keep time, as well as cost, in mind because I failed to do just that. Apparently, lugging tables and clothing racks, setting them up, arranging items and pricing them takes some time. Who knew? I assumed (wrongly) that it was something I could knock out on the Friday evening before the sale. Give yourself several days to collect items, set up, and price items. And, speaking of pricing items, I erred on the high side. That way, people will bargain and feel like they're getting a great deal.

I also recommend pricing items either by table (as in, "all items on this table $2") or by type (as in, "all pants $2"). This is MUCH easier than pricing individual items. On the other hand, people don't like to look around, decide what category an item fits in, and try to guess price. So put prices on items that aren't clearly in one category or the other. Lastly, I'd only price in one-quarter increments — who wants to deal with making change in pennies, nickels, and dimes?

Checking Out

Have a cash box ready with plenty of bills and change. Despite the 20 or so $1 bills I had before the sale, I somehow found myself running short by 9 a.m.! Luckily, my parents stopped by (a consequence of living in the same town, I guess), and I hit them up for some change for a $10 bill. Problem solved, but you might not have that luxury. Prepare accordingly. Also be sure to keep the cash box on you at all times. It might seem like a no-brainer, but it bears mentioning.

Business

Here is a hodgepodge of tidbits to keep in mind during the actual sale:

The majority of people will be in and out of your sale within the first half hour, since the serious garage sale shoppers know that you have to go early to get the good stuff! After that, it's a pretty consistent (though sparse) stream until near the end of your sale. Mine was from 7 to 11 a.m.
Don't be afraid to tell people to leave. This is your home, and you should feel safe. I doubt this is the norm, but I had to do it after a strange man decided that it would be appropriate to shout expletives at his wife/girlfriend via cell phone at the end of my driveway. He wasn't buying anything, anyway.
Consider selling other items. In my case, we sold brand-new tailgating chairs (a long story relating to a failed chair store endeavor some years back), but you could also sell baked goods or coffee.
Do something with your barky dog. I thought about it beforehand, but couldn't think of a good solution to keep my giant Boxer from greeting people loudly when they approached. Perhaps you can come up with a solution for your own sale.

After the Sale

The work of a garage sale doesn't end at closing time, unfortunately. After the sale, you might consider selling some of your better unsold items on Craigslist (none of the shipping hassle that comes with eBay). You might also consider leaving some of your larger unwanted items on the curb and creating a "for free" post on Craigslist. Chances are, the item will be gone before the evening, no further hassle on your part required! Other items can be donated to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army, or you might consider posting an ad on The Freecycle Network.

In addition to taking care of unsold items, don't forget to return any borrowed tables or clothing racks to friends and family in a timely manner. And, after all is said and done, consider doing something worthwhile with the money you've earned from the sale. Although I said I made enough at my sale to pay for four gourmet dinners, I think my money will be better served in a high interest-rate checking account. Well, maybe whatever is left after just one gourmet dinner.

What about you? What experiences have you had that led to a successful garage sale? Share your thoughts!

This article is from Janey Osterlind of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

3 Proven Ways to Save Real Money at Garage Sales

Linsey Knerl — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:00:05 +0000

I just ended my whirlwind tour of a recent neighborhood garage sale event in a nearby community. Having been an annual tradition for as long as I could remember, I got up at 7 a.m., took breakfast on the road, and hit the sales with my mom in the driver's seat and my newborn son in the car seat. We hit sale after sale, armed with pockets of cash and an attitude of hopefulness.

Overall, it was disappointing: This year marked the first year I can remember wondering, "where is all the stuff?" Even with the obvious lack of selection, however, I was able to score some great items. Here is how I managed to get those awesome deals!

1. Look for forgotten items

That box of miscellaneous junk under the table, a shelf of unmarked items, or a few odds and ends that seem like an after-thought are going to be some of the best bargains at a yard sale. Why? In the rush to get everything tagged, many sale holders just don't know what to do with certain items. Items with price tags are those that they are hoping will bring in a profit. Those that aren't — they are just kind of there with no realistic expectations.

I recently snagged a set of Bushnell mini binoculars in excellent condition for a quarter because they were sitting on a shelf with no clear destiny. (I had just bought the same pair online for $20.) Those orphaned items are your best bet for coming in well under market price. Go ahead and offer a lowball price, or ask what they want. I guarantee you'll be surprised at the final price tag.

2. Scan all sales, then circle back for competitive pricing

A quick drive up and down a major garage sale route will tell you — in minutes — what the "hot" items are this year. During our recent sale experience we saw many of the same items at the end of every driveway: bunk beds, infant girl clothes, and high chairs. Seems like an odd trend, but one worth noting. I could drive around until I found the item most suited to my preferences and then strike up a deal.

The conversation would go something like this: "I see you have just the item I'm looking for. Since six other houses on in the neighborhood are offering a similar item, however, I'd love to just buy it here and save myself the trouble. Can I offer you $5 to take it right now?" By giving the seller the impression that the item will have to be competitively priced to sell, they will most likely give you your asking price (provided it is, indeed, fair).

3. Ask for exactly what you're looking for (even if you don't see it)

I was desperate to find my son knee pads to use with his new scooter. I didn't want to pay retail. After visiting about six sales with no luck, I began asking each seller if they happened to have any for sale. One of three things will happen by coming out and asking directly:

You will save time at each sale by not having to scour tables of junk for what you're looking for (and possibly can save money by not being tempted by unnecessary items).
You give the seller a chance to consider whether or not they might want to sell one that they own (but don't have out on the tables).
You give the seller a chance to let you know about a neighbor or friend that is selling one at their sale (which gives you a direct lead to what you want, without all of the window shopping hassle). When you arrive to the destination sale, be sure to let the seller know that you came in search of a great price on the item, and that their neighbor referred you. They will appreciate the business and might be willing to haggle on the price.

In the case of our knee pads, one seller could tell us the exact address of a sale that she swore sold them. She ended up saving me much time in my search through over 50 sales!

All in all, I found the yard sales to be a great reminder of how to negotiate in the real world. If you're terrified to try bargaining tactics at your local mall, why not get some practice at the next city-wide garage sale?

This article is from Linsey Knerl of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Zen Spring Cleaning (and making a little cash off it too)

Maggie Wells — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 08:47:04 +0000

This is it. Tomorrow is the beginning of the big day the husband and I have waited anxiously for all winter: spring-cleaning. The kids are going to grandma’s over night and armed with a couple of Dwell Magazines and a few books on creating Zen in the home, we’ve vowed to organize the garage and kick the clutter habit once in for all or at least for 2008. Our goal? Nothing stacked on any surface and nothing double stacked in the bookcases. We want to walk in the living room and see flat surfaces everywhere.

My mother was actually the queen of this. Before every Christmas she’d place two grocery bags in the middle of the living room and tell my brother and I that they had to be filled with things we didn’t play with or read anymore before Santa would come with new things. As a spring take on this, my husband and I are shooting for twenty brown shopping bags filled with things we don’t want or use––wish us luck. It’s good to create your financial goal for spring-cleaning too because it helps you let go of things that may be worth something that you don’t really want or neat. We’ve set the goal of $1000 of selling on eBay from our Spring-cleaning and $300 for a garage sale. That’s almost as much as George Bush’s economic stimulus package for a family of four.

My husband is better at this than I am. As a former eBay Powerseller, he doesn’t even let something in the house unless he can assess its resale value the moment it enters the house. I don’t quite think that way though I’m learning. Here’s a list of a few household items and perhaps the best thing that can be done with them and when.

As I look across the living room and out the window into the garage the number one thing I see cluttering our lives is reading material: books, magazines, comics. You name a magazine and we’ve got an issue somewhere. But our house is a dainty 1000 square feet and there is literally no room left in the six bookcases in the house. If this sounds familiar to you, stop and ask yourself what the hell you need all these books for? Even if you’ve already read all the books in your collection (I’m betting you haven’t, because I sure as hell haven’t) when will you have time?

So, the husband and I had a book chat this evening and I think it was a pretty sound agreement: here’s how we are dealing with the books in the house and in the garage:

•Out of print and rare books stay
•Current reads for research, interest stay
•Children’s books stay
•Books used for school stay (I teach)
•Mass market books, even those we like, go
•Current Best sellers go
•Books we love go if there’s no chance we’ll re-read them in less than 5 years

This is making organizing the bookcases much easier. The living room bookcases will now house out of print, rare, and current reads. The garage bookcases will store books used for school and rows of books scanned and ready to sell on eBay and Amazon. Oh my goodness! Space has opened up! But what to do with the ‘go’ pile?

Garage sale, donate to your local Friends of the Library, sell or swap online (www.bookmooch.com or www.titletrader.com for example). Books I love I often give away to friends and students. We usually send friends not one present, but a Christmas or birthday box of presents. Throwing a couple of good books in gives the recipient good reads and opens up space.

One tip for selling books on eBay and Amazon, go through the book collection and see if you have any college reads. Set those aside and label that box college. Come August, list that box of books on eBay once students have started scouting for this semester’s list. No matter what you charge, it’ll be cheaper than the college bookstore and that’s what they’ll be looking for. Books have such little resell value that the only time to cash in is really at the beginning of each semester.

As they are heading out of your dominion, label the boxes of books appropriately so you don’t have to go searching through them again and again to find out what’s in there.

Magazines and comics, believe it or not, have a much higher resell value. I attribute this to there being more photos and pictures and Americans not having the patience for books without such things. While my husband has ever copy of WIRED magazine ever printed, and I hold onto the National Geographics and Harper’s, most other things we’ve agreed not to hold onto. Yet somehow, there are stacks here and there. It seems a shame to have them go to the recycling. Especially the ones we didn’t get around to reading. What to do?

•The ones with good ads and photos put in the kids are supply bin—you never know when you are going to need to make a collage with the preschoolers.

•Library free table donation
•Waiting rooms need you’re Sun Magazines to balance out the Good Housekeeping––if you have a lot of cool small press magazines drop them around town strategically and it’s as good a political statement as any. Hooray! The religious homeschool kid just picked up your copy of Bitch Magazine: Feminist response to pop culture! Your job is done.
•All music or acting related magazines are going to go on eBay. Because someone somewhere wants that Vanity Fair with Harry Potter and my Bust Magazine with Sandra Oh. Currently my husband is unloading a secret stash of Rayguns he forgot he had. Every one of them got a bid.

Next we have too many DVDs and CDs. If it ain’t something you’ll watch time and time again or is a classic then why have it? Keep The Princess Bride; get rid of Kindergarten Cop. Once my husband has made files of our CDs to play on our computers and iPods, we rarely ever see the CDs again. So why keep them? Occasionally nostalgia will get in the way. I’m not giving up my tape of Leonard Cohen’s I’m Your Man because I bought it for .99 back in the day and it was the first time I’d ever heard him and the record store I bought it at has long since closed (what a sap).

Then there are the hidden items in the house taking up valuable real estate in the closets––the clothes and shoes. My husband insists that he should have no more than six pairs. OMG! Only six?! Yeah, that’s not working for me but I can make an effort not to go beyond 20. If you haven’t worn it in two years it should be in the bye-bye pile. Clothes are another matter entirely. There are clothes you wear and then, if you are like me, clothes you collect. And then there is the matter of keeping at least five different sizes.

I apply the same get rid of stance that we apply to the books:

•Keep rare, vintage, interesting pieces
•Keep functional things you wear everyday
•Get rid of anything that makes you look fat because, it’s always going to make you look fat (odds are it’s not just the clothes)
*Get rid of everything else.

The get rid of pieces do best at garage sales or donations to the thrift store. My advice is to find smaller thrift stores to donate to or make friends with someone who works or manages one. Odds are that if you drop off five boxes of clothes and you see a sweater you like, you can get them to give it to you. I have two I donate to that I also shop at and I try to only buy from them on days I’ve donated. They either give me a huge discount or let me walk away with a free bag of goodies. It feels very freeing to get rid of the wait of five boxes with a simple cardigan in your hand.

Toys! That’s the hard part. There are our kids’ toys and all those remnants of our childhoods we’ve bought on eBay. My husband’s solution for toys and Zen Spring Cleaning was to create a whole wall of shelving in the garage with white storage boxes. He’s labeled them things like “Superheroes” and “Thomas the Train” and “Hello Kitty” and “Lego.” Each kid gets access to one box from the toy wall a week so that there are no more than two toy boxes in the house at any one time plus art supplies and puzzles. We continually sift out toys we don’t want in the house to garage sale, donation, or giveaway prizes.

There's also the karmic side to it. I find the more stuff you give away, the more things you want seem to come your way. My daughter receives hand me downs with the tags still on them and I can't help but think that if I quit giving away her things she's outgrown, my freebies would go to.

Finally, return everything you may have borrowed to their rightful owners. The owners will be mad you are returning stuff they have no room for, but insist. It’ll get the ball rolling for their spring-cleaning too. And have that garage sale next weekend too.

What’s lurking in your closet, garage and living room that you should get rid of? Where will it end up?

This article is from Maggie Wells of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

The stuff I try never to buy new

Paul Michael — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:24:19 +0000

I don't like buying new. It's not that I consider myself to be some kind of Scrooge. I just have a hard time paying more for something than I need to, and often we take that extra hit when we pay for a brand new item. So, I buy second-hand things a lot of the time. Here's my guide to the main items you should always consider buying used.

DVDs and CDs
Why bother paying $21.99 for a new DVD or $14.99 for a new CD, when you can pick up a barely used copy of the same title for at least half the price? The improvements in modern DVD and CD players also mean that scratches and smudges don’t really matter - the technology can deal with them. It’s the only way to get your home entertainment, and even places like Amazon offer avenues to get the titles used. No more excuses, stop buying new DVDs and CDs.

Video games
This is just like DVDs and CDs, only the deals often come quicker and with greater discounts. I recently picked up a used copy of an Xbox game for $1.99 that was still selling for $19.99 in the store. It played perfectly, it still had the manual, and for an extra $1 I got insurance so if the disc did malfunction I could get a replacement or refund. Sweet! On some occasions, a store like Target will knock 75% - 90% off a game. In that case, it’s even cheaper new than it is in the used section of a store like GameStop, so in that case I’ll pick it up. However, those times are few and far between.

Cars
Car experts and sites like Edmunds and KBB will tell you that brand new cars lose around 12%-15% of their value the second you drive them off the lot. That’s thousands of dollars up in smoke for your average mid-sized sedan. Why should you take that financial loss? Instead, buy a car that’s a year or two old. It will usually have low mileage, a good chunk of the factory warranty left on it, and the depreciation isn’t anywhere near as bad for you. That’s smart spending.

Yard toys
I encourage my kids to play in the garden, and there are toys and games for them out there. But why buy new one when they’ll get scuffed up and worn out in days? Once again, places like Craigslist and Freecycle are a good place to find some excellent yard toys for the kids. The slide in our back yard was free and has so far lasted 3 years. It still looks as good as the day we got it (very good in fact), from someone who had previously had it for 5 years. They’re built to withstand all weather and all kids…they are tough.

Workout/exercise equipment
This is an area where you can monopolize on impulse buying and laziness. People will buy a big treadmill, a health rider, an exercise bike or a weight bench in the hopes of getting super fit and ultra trim. The problem is, it takes hard work and dedication. And most of the time, it’s easier to let the new purchase rot in the basement or garage after a few weeks of use. That’s when the garage sale comes around, and you can go pick up an almost brand new piece of equipment at a fraction of the price you’d normally pay. Many people offer them free if you’ll just haul it away and stop them feeling guilty about their over-optimistic purchase.

Most furniture
Have you ever seen the Antiques Road show? Desks, chairs, shelves, bed frames, sofas, tables, they last a long time. Well, they do if they’re built well anyway. I scour Craigslist when I’m looking for furniture. You can often find a solid oak desk with great craftsmanship a lot cheaper than you can get one of those nasty MDF things that you put together yourself. Sure, you’ll need a way to get it home. If you don’t have a big truck, just rent one from UHaul for a few hours for $20. You’ll end up with a great piece of furniture you can hand down to your grandchildren, rather than something that ends up in the garbage after 2 years.

Sports gear
Footballs, tennis rackets, bicycles, soccer balls, badminton nets, you name it, you can find it all used. They’re usually in excellent shape and a whole lot cheaper than store prices.

Houses
There’s a huge caveat on this one; make sure it’s been checked out by an inspector and has the green light. You don’t want to take on major plumbing problems, damp basements or termites. But, if the house is sound, the current economy makes a used home very, very desirable. Sometimes it’s just a few years old; there are homes in my area that have decreased in value by $70k in just a few years. Ouch. But not for you. Of course, the used home sales market is also affecting new home sales. If you insist on buying new, make sure you battle hard with the realtor and look for inventory houses. They just want them sold, you can often negotiate serious discounts and tons of free upgrades.

Plants
I do not have green fingers. No-one in my family does. So, I like to let someone else do the hard work of establishing a plant and giving it healthy roots. Then I’ll pick one up cheap at a garage sale or off Craigslist.

Artwork/ornaments/mirrors
Stores like Goodwill are perfect hiding places for gems like these. There was a story recently about a woman who found an old painting in Gooodwill, got it valued and it was worth over $1 million. That’s not the point though, most of the time you can pick up beautiful framed works of art, often original, and much cheaper than in stores like J C Penney or Kohl’s. The same goes for figurines, mirrors and other home embellishments. Buy them used, no-one will even know.

And FYI, things I would NEVER buy used...

Infant/booster seats – they could have been in a crash and weakened. Don’t do it.
Shoes/sneakers – Once they have conformed to a foot, they’ll never fit your foot the way they should. Buy your shoes and sneakers new, just look for sales.
Mattresses – Yikes. Who knows what action they’ve seen, and they could be filthy inside.
Major electronics/appliances – TVs could be ready to expire, CD players could skip constantly, washing machines could have a cruddy motor. Nah.

This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

How to Get Rid of All Your Crap

Nora Dunn — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 02:14:30 +0000

In my journey from being a North American Entrepreneur to a Professional Hobo, I had to shed a lot of crap. The crap took the form of everything from the emotional to the physical, but for the purposes of this article I will focus on the process (which proved to be quite effective) of shedding the physical junk that clutters our lives.

This process is great not only for people wanting to make drastic changes in their lives like I did, but also for the average bear who needs to downsize the amount of stuff they have.

Divide Into Piles

The first step is to go through everything you own, and categorize. My categories of choice were:

Take With Me (or keep)

Store

Sell

Give Away

Take With Me (or Keep): For myself because of my planned travels, this pile had to be relatively small, as it had to fit into a couple of backpacks. I read once that when faced with decisions like this, women tend to over-pack clothes, and men tend towards "gear". For me this rang true; I used to have a coordinated outfit for every possible occasion, and my boyfriend was a real gear-hog.

The reality of the small size of a backpack forced us to seriously look at everything we owned. If the article of clothing or piece of gear didn't satisfy at least two purposes, it had to go. Everything had be uber-practical.

For backpacker wanna-bes out there, there is a golden rule of packing for a trip: First, lay everything you want to take out on your bed. Then, take half the stuff away. Pack what is left. Then unpack, and take away half again. That's all you really need!

Even for those not backpacking, I think most would agree that we can easily live with a quarter of the things we have in our homes. It might take some adjustments initially, but our real quality of life wouldn't suffer.

So be brutal in your elimination piles! Your keep pile doesn't need to be big.

Store: Storage could take the form of a nearby locker, storage unit, or even friend's closet. For myself, because I refused to pay the outrageous cost of a monthly storage unit, and didn't have family with space to store my belongings, I had to make some tough decisions.

Since part of the point of my journey is to let go of the materialistic values we are conditioned to have, I figured the time was ripe to just let go.

So the items I kept were those I deemed "irreplaceable". This included family heirlooms, artifacts collected from world travel, selected artwork, and pictures/scrapbooks. Believe it or not I managed to fit all this into less than 5 boxes, and truthfully I don't miss any of it. It currently sits in my friend's spare bedroom closet.

Sell: This was where the process got fun. Because of the sheer amount of stuff I had to sell, I took a three-tiered approach to selling my belongings:

Firstly, I took pictures of all the major items I owned (like furniture) that I was selling. Starting two months before I left town, I sent an email to my contact list (about 300 people strong), itemizing the major things I had for sale, and inviting queries by email for more info. I fielded the responses attaching pictures at that time, and serious buyers came over to my place to choose what they wanted.

One month before my departure, I listed everything remaining (which was still quite a lot) for sale. Personally I used Kijiji and Craig's List, but according to Linsey , Amazon and Ebay are also great ways to sell and buy gently used items.

Lastly, for whatever didn't sell using the above methods, I held a giant contents sale over an entire weekend. It was tiring to say the least, but it was also an effective way to eliminate most of what I had, and a few friends even came by to wish me a bon voyage and help me to bide my time as the day passed. Once I resolved myself to the situation, I had fun.

Give Away: There were many items that I knew family members or friends wanted or needed, so I set them aside as gifts. And of course, I also donated certain items to charitable auctions and other organizations that were close to my heart.

Anything left over from the garage sale that would be valuable to a charity also got donated.

There was a very interesting transition that took place over the few months that I underwent this process. At first, I was convinced that everything I owned was quite valuable, and had set asking prices accordingly. For (very) gently used furniture, I generally tried to recoup 75% of my cost to buy. Other items were priced accordingly. But I also found that people weren't banging down my door to buy all my wonderful possessions like I thought they would. Our belongings are most highly valued by only ourselves, as I soon learned.

As the weeks and months passed, the prices came down and down and down again. By the time the contents sale came around, I just wanted the stuff gone, and was practically giving everything away. In some cases I actually did just give the stuff away. I didn't feel ripped off at all; instead I was happy that my stuff was going to a new happy home. I had already said goodbye to these belongings and simply didn't want them to occupy a landfill.

And for your entertainment, here is a quote from my personal blog written the day after the contents sale, when I was exhausted, but elated:

"The more I purge my belongings and move towards a simple and non-materialistic lifestyle, the less I want to accumulate “stuff” ever again. I thought I had purged most of my “stuff” prior to moving into the place we are in now, but alas 2 years of living in one place brought into our repertoire many items that we “simply can’t live without”!

I hope that in the future I can hold more perspective on this point and continue to learn the difference between wants and needs. I can only imagine there are many things we’ll encounter in our travels that we see as “needs” that many native-dwellers would disagree with. For example….shoes. Shoes are pretty non-negotiable for me. I like them, I need them. If I don’t have them, my tender tootsies are miserable. I can’t walk more than a few feet a minute without them. Yet for others, shoes are more of a luxury.

….Shoes, a luxury. Ha! And here I am wondering whether or not to bring my pretty pink high heels, or just to “make due” with my black slingbacks. Yikes!"

This article is from Nora Dunn of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

How to Get Rid of Your Junk

Andrea Karim — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 20:32:53 +0000

Ed's post about moving and getting rid of stuff got me thinking about my clutter. Are you barely able to breathe in your cluttered household? Have tons of stuff that you need to get rid of?

A few weeks ago, I took a seminar called "Commanding Your Clutter" at a local community college. Here's what I learned about collecting, hoarding, shopping, and finally, letting go of all that junk.

Why people hold onto things

I paid so much for it! Yes, but are you getting your money's worth from it? No? Sell it.

I have sentimental attachment to it. This is my biggest problem. See step 4 below.

Someone else will be angry if I sell it/give it away. Our teacher told us that the best way to do this is to contact people by letter or by phone and let them know that although you love them, and appreciate the thought that went into the gift that they gave you, you simply don't have room for it anymore. You ask if they would like it back, or if they have any input as to what you should do with it. This can be a difficult proposition, but many people appreciate the honesty. The other option is to get rid of it and just tell them that you broke it if they ever ask.

My children will eventually want it. ASK your children if they will eventually want it, and keep asking them. See if they want it now. I have this monstrous set of big, fake plastic grapes glued to a piece of driftwood that I LOVED as a child. They were my grandmother's. I used to think that they were magic. Now, I can't think of anything to do with them, short of launching them into the ocean using a homemade trebuchet.

But this is an heirloom! Sez you. If you think you have something of heirloom quality, get it appraised and store it properly. Many of the things that you consider heirloom quality might not be. This is (again) where taking a picture of the object, labeling it, and storing it in an album would be appropriate.

It'll be worth so much money some day! This might be true. But if you're like the 40 Year Old Virgin, consider paring down. If collectibles are getting in the way of your everyday living, selling some of them off now will save you years of annoyance, which is worth a bit of money. You can invest that money and watch it grow, and it will grow faster than the value of the baseball card/action figure/porcelain doll, without a doubt.

Tactics for getting rid of stuff

1. Start small, with one closet or one corner of a room. Our teacher told us to use an egg timer and to work in 15 minute intervals, but that doesn't work for me — I'm better off tackling everything at one go. However, if you are looking at a huge project that can take days, our teacher suggested that organizing for 45 minutes (with 15 minutes of cleanup), one day a week was the only way to get it done while maintaining your sanity.

2. Procure three empty boxes, and label them Keep, Undecided, and Toss. Divide your junk into these boxes, and empty them frequently (in the garbage or at Goodwill, or in your Yard Sale pile). I actually use Keep, Donate, and Toss, because I like to make my decisions straight away.

3. Resist the urge to look through the photo albums and year books during the first round. If you think that the info contained therein will be valuable down the road, put them in the Keep box and deal with them at a later date.

4. Deciding what to get rid of is hard, but it must be done. Our teacher told us the story of a man she had helped on a big cleaning project. He was hanging on to things like a plastic bag from a bookstore in Paris that he felt reminded him of his college travels. The bag, he said, had a special place in his memory.

Fine, she said. Let's get a nice frame for it and hang it on the wall. The man looked at her like she was nuts. You don't frame and hang a plastic bag.

No? Well, let's take a picture of it, then frame that picture. Again, the man stared at her like she had lost it. It finally dawned on him that the bag wasn't the source of his memories, but merely a souvenir, and a junky one at that. Toss it, he said.

Our teacher recommended that we use this rule for each item that we hem and haw over:

1. Would you want to frame and display it?

Yes = Keep.
No = See step 2.

2. Would you want to take a picture of it?

Yes = Take picture, get rid of item.
No = Get rid of item.

If you can take a picture of something that you want to remember, but can't use, do so. Put it in an album with a label. But let it go if it's taking up too much space.

But what should I do with it?

You don't have too many choices, but there are a few to consider:

Throw it in the garbage.
Put it outside with a FREE sign. Better yet, put a $50 sign on it and watch how fast it gets stolen.
Give it away to a friend or family member, or to a complete stranger through Freecycle.
Recycle it (computers, TVs).
Call a junk tower to take it away.
Sell it online.
Trade it online.
Sell it in the newspaper.
Take it to Goodwill or similar charity.

Me, I've stopped trying to sell stuff. Donation is the key to getting rid of what I don't need. The amount of money I can make for selling my junk on eBay or Craigslist rarely makes up for the amount of time that goes into arranging the sale.

Yard sales are a great way to make money, and 'tis the season right now. Get Rich Slowly (via The Simple Dollar) has some great tips for a successful yard sale.

You'll probably be surprised how much stress is relieved by parting with your junk. I was really taken aback this morning when I was able to walk from my bedroom to the bathroom without looking like I was doing the Filipino tinikling all the way there.

It can be hard to part with things, but in the long run, it's worth letting go. When they say that you can't take it with you, they aren't kidding.

Of course, part of the trick to maintaining a clutter-free zone in your home and life is not to accumulate MORE crap. I'll be blogging more about that tomorrow.

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This article is from Andrea Karim of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Who Moved My Stuff?

Ed O'Reilly — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 08:54:00 +0000

If you ever want to take stock of all that you’ve worked hard to purchase over time, and how much stuff you think you need to hang on to, go through each and every possession you own and decide what to keep and what to sell, or give away. You might be surprised at how attached you are to your stuff.

I’m, of course, talking about packing up and moving.

Moving requires that you take some serious inventory of your stuff… and of yourself. Because it’s not just about the things, it’s about your attachment to them.

You might find that after the dust settles from garage sales, selling through ads placed in the local papers and, of course, shipping your packages to your soon-to-be-happy eBay customers, parting with your black suede bean bag, your two coffeepots or the lawn gnome collection wasn’t so painful, after all.

Certainly, I’m not saying everyone should travel the road of Life like David Carradine in “Kung Fu”; there’s nothing wrong with keeping things that are unique and special to you, or are irreplaceable. Likewise, there’s nothing wrong with hanging onto some keepsakes and reminders of people, places and good (or bad) times.

But a material detox, like packing for a move, will bring you face-to-face with how much baggage you’ve been building up… and how much hard-earned money you’ve spent on things you thought would “make you happy” at the time, only to find that, now, you might not remember why you had to have it in the first place.

You don’t have to be packing up for a move to do this; just set aside a little time – maybe on the weekends or in the evening – to go through a box or a drawer. Look at what you are holding, and think about it: I have this; do I want it?

Many people are fortunate in that they have the luxury of acquiring a vast amount of things for later scrutiny, as I’m suggesting. Some have only the bare essentials, but harbor a desire more. And still others have very little, yet are perfectly content. While it seems paradoxical that the less-is-more principle could apply to some, but not all, I will stress, again, that the influence of advertising and television shapes values and priorities so that, despite a chasm in interpersonal relationships, the missive is to feel a little closer to complete with each new acquisition.

Moving On

I’ve read about a flourishing, worldwide group called The Compact that espouses the following ideas:

To go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of disposable consumer culture and to support local businesses, farms, etc. -- a step that, we hope, inherits the revolutionary impulse of the Mayflower Compact.

To reduce clutter and waste in our homes

To simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact)

Basically, the members go for months – or even a year – without buying anything besides basic medical or hygienic needs and food (obviously). They barter or find things second-hand on craigslist.org, eBay, garage sales, etc. The concept is simple: buying more stuff is not the road to happiness.

I wanted to mention this group because, after you’ve cleaned house, inside and out, consider this core idea of escaping the tight grip of media influence and material acquisition.

In a sense, it’s like packing up, moving and starting anew.

The Compact Blog

This article is from Ed O'Reilly of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

garage sale

12 Garage Sale Items That Sell Like Hotcakes

1. Gently used clothing, in good condition

2. Tools

3. Furniture

4. Vintage dishes, glassware, and casseroles

5. Garden tools

6. Shoes and handbags

7. Costume jewelry

8. Games, toys, and bicycles

9. Books

10. Appliances

11. Camping gear

12. Exercise equipment

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10 Old Knick-Knacks You Can Flip for Easy Cash

1. Bathroom Wall Art

2. Murano Glass

3. Tiki Totems and Accessories

4. Vintage Taxidermy

5. TV Lamps

6. Concrete Garden Gnomes

7. Mid-Century Fiber Optic Lamps

8. Trophies

9. Head Vases

10. Cat and Owl Figurines

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13 Smart Garage Sale Bargain Hunting Tricks

1. Make Sure It's Built for the Future

2. Seek Apathy

3. Leave the Car Behind

4. Buy It All

5. Haggle on Prices

6. Hit the First Day

7. Plan Your Attack

8. Bring Cash

9. Arrive Early

10. Check Your List

11. Check Back at Closing Time

12. Items to Avoid

13. Look for These Instead

Convert Your Crap Into Cash Without a Garage Sale

1. Clothing

2. Furniture

3. Electronics

4. Valuables That Aren't Selling Online

Have Your Best Garage Sale Ever by Following These 9 Retail Secrets

1. Advertise, Advertise, Advertise

2. Presentation Is Everything

3. Pricing: Become an Expert

4. Add Ons — A Profitable Selling Tactic

5. The Art of the Deal

6. Organize Pre-Sales and Post Sales

7. Those Darn Early Birds

8. Take a Tip From Successful Non-Profits

9. Snacks and Refreshments

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Best Money Tips: How to Host a Yard Sale

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Best Money Tips: Tips for Yard Sale Success

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10 Simple Steps To A Successful Garage Sale

1. Sell The Right Stuff

2. Make Your Sale Visually Appealing

3. Curb Appeal Matters

4. Advertise

5. Bundle Small Items

6. Sell Snacks and/or Beverages

7. Appeal To Both Sexes

8. Join Forces

9. Price It Right

10. Be Willing To Bargain

Extra Garage Sale Tips

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Setting Up the Sale