Garage Sales

A lot of people around me do them on Fridays now too. Maybe it has something to do with the number of people that work compressed work schedules and have every other Friday off from work. That's very popular around here.

We had a garage sale two weekends ago 'cause we were moving. Not a lot of furniture or large items, but ran it Friday and Saturday 7 am- noon. People were lined up on the street at 6:30 Friday morning. Had more people Friday than we did Satuday.

A lot of the people in our area that come early are flea market vendors or auction professionals. Your results may vary.

Oh, I bought 3 rain barrels at a community yard sale a few weeks ago. Verra handy little things. I usually look for old hand tools or really odd stuff like old electronic test equipment.

Very, very interesting.

I thought it might just be some retarded Oregon thing.

I have always worked weird hours so maybe I just never noticed this transition to people having Friday's off.

Wow Squinney - that is a good word in favor of Fridays for sure. Did you advertise the sale in the paper or just stick up signs?

I had one two weeks ago. I just had it on Saturday, against the norm. A lady came knocking on my door Friday night and bought a table and chairs. On Saturday I was supposed to open at 8 but there were people there at 6:30. Most of the rush was over by 8. I didn't sell everything, but I sold a lot.

Do you live in a swanky neighborhood?

Maybe I'm just out of the garage sale circuit these days.

How are you all advertising?

Blame Antiques Roadshow.

Everyone expects to find a $2 painting worth $2,000 these days.

In my (limited) experience, early birds are definitely the name of the game, some of them pros as Squinney said (antique store owners and such) and some of them hobbyists, or something. Definitely have a die-hard, "hurry up I've got 50 more of these to hit" look to them.

You talking to me about the fancy neighborhood? Ha! That's a good one! I think the secret, if there is one, is your advertising. I listed the best things in the add. I had Fiestaware, which is very collectable, and that was teh draw. Also furniture, especially if it's old, is a big draw.

My mother (who's conducted maybe 20 or more of these over the years) definitely agrees with the idea of what you advertise. Baby clothes are always a big draw. Recently, folks have come looking for vintage computer equipment, probably trying to fix old Amigas and Commodore 64s and the like.

Just newspaper ad Thursday. Friday and Saturday. ($35) Then a few directional signs along the road. Also included phone number (had at least 50 calls Thursday night and into Friday!!) With street address in the ad most people "mapquested" the directons, but a few called.

Aha!

Good tips. Thanks!

I've got some really weird stuff to sell so I'll have to go through and see what might be most attractive.

ACK! 50 calls? I am telephone-phobic. I'll have to consider how badly I want to sell this stuff. Maybe I'll give sorta-directions in the ad.

Directions are good.

Also make sure you make it clear what is and is not for sale. you wouldn't beleive how many people wanted to buy my lawnmower.

Mr wolf and I did one about a month ago. We had to seel everything in a one bedroom apt owned by his grandmother for 20+ years. HOLY COW!
She clipped old recipes.. people..BOUGHT those clippings...
Some of the weirdest things sold and then some things didnt.
Example.
She had a mahogany china cabnet. About 75 years old. With no truck for our use in the near future, we put a 100$ tag on it...
NOONE touched it. Not even a single question about it.
Our signs were starting 5 blocks away at a major intersection and then some in the neighboorhood. We posted an online and newspaper add. We said we were starting at 6 am.. but like others have said, we had a LINE at 530!
Our biggest crowds were from 6-about 10.
Another rush of people after 'church hours' and that was it.
Most of the sales took place in the morning. I am not sure how well it would have done with out the advertising. If there was any suggetion I would give about a garage sale..is to advertise.
Oh yeah.. and be ready to haggle like you have never haggled before. I had people try to talk me down from .50$ !!!

Get used to saying, "Prices are marked." Office supply stores sell a wonderful variety of gummed stickers.

Oh my.

I decided to have the sale this weekend as the weather seems to be holding. What a lot of work this has turned out to be.

In the midst of all this nonsense Mo decided to fill the washer up using the hose and flooded the garage. Luckily I had most everything up off the floor by that time.

Still, I do, he undoes, I redo, and so it goes.

I ran the ad for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, giving directions and listing the "best" stuff - picture frames, oddball electronics, books, wardrobe. Turns out the most expensive thing I have to sell is a camera filter that I paid about $300 for that I'll probably let go for about $75 - I don't use it anymore so I might as well see if I can make a buck on it. Now I only have to figure out how to keep track of the tiny little thing while "playing store" with Mo.

I have put every single marketing skill I have into play. I'm even handing out a coupony-thing for the new studio!

But who knew having a garage sale was so much work? I have a whole new outlook on garage sale-ing. Simply trying to figure out what to charge for stuff has taxed my imagination.

It is an incredible amount of work. Regarding pricing, a rule of thumb is to charge 1/8th what you paid for it.

Can't Mr B watch Mo during the sale?

Hmmm. I don't know if the 1/8th rule will work with a lot of this - some of it was very expensive when it was "the latest technology" but now it is sadly dated. Paid $800, sell for $5. Paid $3000, sell for $50.

Other stuff holds it's value pretty well - like the camera filter. Used at $75 is a bargain.

I'll take a second look at some of the other stuff using that rule though. Thanks!

Mr. B can help on Saturday but he has to work Friday. We're trying to figure out a way that Mo can spend part of the day at work with him. He usually works from 7 to 7 or so and it's about an hours commute so the logistics are daunting. I have a feeling that Friday is going to be all mine.

Managing Mo on Friday could be a thread in itself.

Solution: Give him responsibility.

Is there a charitable cause you support? Can you make Mo a collecting tin?

Four years old is young to handle an all-day responsibility, but could he have particular jobs like errand running and littler control?

You do have another adult coming to help, don't you? Remember, at some point you will want to go to the bathroom.

Managing Mo today could be a thread of its own.

<sigh>

I really thought I could manage Friday but now I have my doubts. After our Mexican Standoff at McDonalds (oh! Won't that be a fun little outing in the middle of such a hard week?) and my subsequent total public humiliation (admittedly, from people who don't know our situation so not so humiliating after all (fvck 'em)).

<sigh>

We'll get something figured out.

All work and no play makes Mo a mean boy.

All work and no play makes Mom freaky.

<sigh>

Other than that, the sale is coming along swimmingly. Almost everything is ready. I still have some prices to stick on things. The total downpour today makes me wary of the "holding weather" and I'm trying to cram a bunch more stuff into the garage that I had planned on having outside on the driveway.

This could get very cozy.

Say a spell to the weather god for me.

The lawn might not get mowed but I'm planning coffee and doughnuts for the early birds so maybe they won't even notice.

I certainly do appreciate everyone's help, advice and counsel.

If it's true that that which does not kill us makes us stronger I'll either be dead or Atlas by Sunday.