Yard sale pricing ...
By ebsharer
@ebsharer (5515)
United States
August 14, 2008 1:48pm CST
Hi all! I need help! I am having a yard sale this weekend and I have been pricing things for a week! I am wondering if I am pricing to high or low. How do you price things for a yard sale? Do you take in account how much you paid, where you bought it, if it is still new or obvously old? Do you think I want 5 bucks for this so I will put 7 just in case some one wants to play bargain shopper?
I have a few items that are new. Still in the original packaging new! For example one of the items is a toaster oven. It was 9.99 and that price is on the package. It isn't directly from the store but it isn't used either so what to do??? There are a few other items like that.
Then there are the "like new" items. For instance I paid $1100.00 for a china hutch last year. It is in PERFECT condition. No scratches, no bumbs, looks like it just came from the furniture store. What do I sell that for?? I want to get every penny I can for it but at the same time I don't have any clue as to a fair price. Same thing with a queen size bed I have. It was used 3 or 4 times bought last year for $800.00. Its not in the plastic any more but has been covered the entire time its been sitting in the spare bedroom. Again I want the most I can get but I don't even know where to start!
Any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated! I just don't know where to start!!!!
9 people like this
15 responses
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
14 Aug 08
People go to yard sales looking for really good bargains so, if you want to get rid of stuff, you're going to have to price things very low. If that $9.99 toaster oven is priced at $5.00 it will probably sell. People also don't normally bring a lot of cash with them to these sales so, if you want your big items to sell, you're going to have to price them low enough to motivate someone to go get more moeny and possibly a truck to haul it. That hutch sounds nice but the price is too high for a yard sale. You can put Original Price $1,100 on the tag but you're going to have to ask for a much lower price if you want it to go. Same for the queen size bed. Good luck and I hope the weather is nice.
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
14 Aug 08
I know 1100 is high for a yard sale - thats what I paid for it. My question is what should I start it at??? I will basically take any thing but where to start. Again I want as much as I can get but should I start it at 500 and see what happens? or start at 900 and see what happens???
1 person likes this
@taface412 (3175)
• United States
14 Aug 08
well after you put the price on the big items you want also put on the tag "Or best offer" and take their names and numbers. Because if they really are interested then they will keep in contact with you because they want a deal as much as you.
2 people like this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
14 Aug 08
Ok, I see some of your responses to other responders so here's a suggestion, half off. Whatever you put the original price of a big item as on the tag, price it at half of that and be willing to negotiate.
2 people like this
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
14 Aug 08
all i can say is good luck with that. you will not get what you are looking for price wise at a garage sale. people come to garage sales for bargains! i tried selling sterling silver rings for $8- each and i was told that that was way too much! i would sell your stuff in the classifieds!
2 people like this
Thank you!!
@palonghorn (5479)
• United States
14 Aug 08
Whenever I had yard sales, I always priced my stuff to sell. Normally I would mark it for what I wanted to get for it, like the toaster oven, since it's still new in package I would price it around $7. I also had my sale for 2 days, either Friday and Saturday or Saturday and Sunday, if by the second day it hadn't sold, then I would start marking everything down. I always figured I'd rather get something for it than to either have to take it back in the house or give it away.
By the way, not saling any scrapbook stuff are ya??? lol
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
14 Aug 08
If you don't know where to start the pricing, how about you put a sign on the big tickets items explaining what you originally paid, and how often it was used, and then ask for offers. That way you will get an idea of how much people are willing to pay for it.
2 people like this
@taface412 (3175)
• United States
14 Aug 08
Well of course you want to get the most you can get. But unfortunately like most things when you buy them they immediately become used. So make them fair prices. Alot of people price out of either emotion or get as much as you can get. And honestly I do look at the prices at yard sales and figure if I want to even look any further. On the bigger items put a reasonable price a little higher than you would accept, and then allow them to barter with you. Like you would if you were yard saling. And on the little items you just want to get rid of....make them small enough to draw people in.
Once I sold a brand new set of pots and pans still in the box, never used, that i think I got on sale in a store going out of business and originally paid around 20-30 dollars for it....I asked $15 and they talked me down to 12.50.
If your prices are too high no one is going to mess with the sale. So just price what you would pay at a yard sale.
Good luck and I hope it turns out well for you. Sometimes they are more work than what they are worth.
2 people like this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
14 Aug 08
Well the hutch if it doesn't get a good response it won't get sold. I don't think I would take less then 500 for it but if some one offered 400 I probaly would just to get rid of it.
I agree with putting things on for a dollar or two more then what you want just becuase people go to a yard sale expecting to bargain with you.
2 people like this
@StarChild517 (657)
• United States
14 Aug 08
I would try selling on ebay or classifieds or somewhere else online yard sales can be tricky to price.
2 people like this
@theproperator (2429)
• United States
14 Aug 08
A lot of the pricing depends on how badly you want to get rid of your items. Decide what is the absolute least amount you would take for those big items if it meant you didn't have to take them back inside again. If you really couldn't bear to let the china hutch go for less than $400, price it $500/obo. Remember, if your not using it, your better off with what cash you can get for it.
The bed is going to be tricky, since you can't really prove to a buyer that it has only been "lightly used" if you were to get $250 for it, I would consider you lucky. I would put $5 on the toaster oven. Clothing should be about $1-$2 for items in good condition, up to $5 if it still has the tags on it. Try to keep knick-knacks under $2. You will want to price some of your other stuff rather cheaply to get people interested enough to stay and shop. If the first things they see when they walk up are items over $100 I guarantee many of them will not even look at the other stuff. Put you cheap (but nice!) stuff near the sidewalk to lure people in, then they will check out the bigger ticket items once they are a bit more comfortable.
Good Luck!
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
18 Aug 08
It went pretty well I made 200 but still have a lot left over so I plan to do it again next weekend. We had a few people look at the "big ticket" items. The hutch got a lot of attention but not for 400 like said before people don't go to yard sales to spend that much. We posted it on craigslist again and plan to put it in the paper. The hutch is actally my mother in laws if she can't sell it for the 400 she said she would keep it. Either way we did good for the amount we sold. Hopefully we will do better next weekend. (Some one took our signs down Saturday and we didn't realize it) (Sunday we kept looking and they stayed up.)
@theproperator (2429)
• United States
16 Aug 08
Thanks for the BR! Hope your sale went well today and you made lots of money!
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
14 Aug 08
I'd say put it a little higher than the bottom that you are willing to accept and then let people try and bargain it down. Unless you hate the bargaining thing, in which case mark things the amount you really want and then post a no bargaining sign! Too bad you don't have an extra week. You could go and check out some other yard sales to see what the other people in your area are doing.
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
15 Aug 08
Thats what I thought. Price a little higher. I don't mind the barganing, except when it gets out of hand. People want every thing for nothing. Last year we did this and I was selling 4 matching plates for 1 dollar the guy was like I'll give you 50 cents!!!! I told him no and GAVE them to the other lady that was looking at them! LOL I was like dude thats nuts!!!
1 person likes this
@penny64 (1106)
• Australia
16 Aug 08
I've never had a yard sale (or garage sale as we call it here). There are some fantastic ideas here. Something I might do is have a look on eBay to get an idea of what people are paying for second hand items over the net. It might help with some ball park figures so you have an idea what to expect.
Good luck!!
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
18 Aug 08
Good idea. Thank you! By the way yes I have heard them called garage sales, yard sales, flea markets, and more! I think it depends on the region. In FL they were always called garage sales, here in PA they are called yard sales. Then I have heard people call them a flea market. Which I though was just for mulit sellers. What ever I think every one basically knows what you are talking about no matter how you put it.
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
19 Aug 08
We did it Saturday and Sunday - we made 200 - there is still a lot of stuff left so we plan to do it again next week. Depending on how much baby stuff I get rid of we may take just the baby stuff down to the flea market and set up there. I think i will do better then my house. I live on a "Crappy" yard sale road. (I'm on the top of a very steap hill)
1 person likes this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
15 Aug 08
we all like to make a profit of course. i always tried to get my money back that i had paid for it plus a little profit. u know u are going to have people who want to bargian w/you so i always put my prices where i could come down for them w/out hurting myself. it depends on how bad u want to get rid of it & if you want to lug it back in the house. good luck. yard sales are alot of work. i use to sit up at flea markets & that is even more work.
@iskayz (5420)
• Philippines
15 Aug 08
Hi there!
From what I know yard sales are suppose to be low in prices. I have seen on television and according to the experts prices in yard sales should be half of the original price. Regardless of the condition of the item and the place where it came from. If still in the original package then it can be priced from 50% to 75% of the original price.
Hope that helps. Ciao!
@redkathy (3374)
• United States
15 Aug 08
When I move from Pa to Florida I did a yard sale for all my small to medium stuff, and my used but still good stuff. Things like my antiques and really expensive or new furniture I sold to a consignment store. They will come in and give you a price. You might want to get more than one price. With antiques you can bargain with them. Don't give your things away! Did you consider keeping some of it and having it shipped?
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
15 Aug 08
We aren't getting rid of the antiques! The hutch is Carries and if it doesn't sell she is taking it back. I just don't want it for Fl I'll find another one if I have to.
Believe me we are keeping A LOT!!! But going from 4 bedrooms to 2. Going from a living room and family room to a living room. Have a game room now - won't there! So needless to say we have a lot of unneeded stuff.
@Virgie60 (556)
• United States
15 Aug 08
Sounds like you need an auction instead :). You have such nice stuff that you are selling. If you want to get rid of stuff you have to mark it cheap. To get more money for the china hutch and the bed I would try to sell it on your local craigslist instead. You would get more money there I would think than a yard sale. I just got done having 2 sales. And everything was .25, .50, $1. $2. $5, $10 at the most. Kids bicycle I had marked $20 because it was like brand new as she has never been a bike rider. Otherwise all was marked down quite low.
Good luck with your sale.
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
18 Aug 08
We did pretty good - still have a lot left so doing it again next weekend. We put the bigger items on craigslist - which is a joke because people call all the time and want the items then never come to get them. Its aggervating. We plan to put those items in the paper when it gets closer to moving time.
@pam210 (344)
• United States
15 Aug 08
For your big ticket items I would either check the local classifies or craiglist, ebay to see what similar items are selling for just to get an idea. My sister once told me that she priced items for half of what she bought them for if they were in good condition. When I am pricing items I always price them with the expectation that people will want to bargin. Know before the sale what the lowest you will go on an item. I you are having the sale for a couple of days you can always cut the prices on the second or third day. On the last day of my sale I practically gave things away because I was going to give them away anyway and if was less for me to clean up. Good Luck on your sale.
1 person likes this
@ebsharer (5515)
• United States
15 Aug 08
Well we plan to have the yard sale a few weeks in a row because we need the money for the move and have some time to do it that way.
I may put the hutch in the classifieds. Craigslist is a joke. No one shows up even after they call you and say I have to have it please don't sell it to any one else!!! Its a pain!
@Meljep (1666)
• United States
15 Aug 08
If you start high then you can let people haggle with you. But also remember this is a garage sale. If you want more money you might find a consignment shop that sell the items for you at a higher price. For small items we usually sell them at .75 or 1.75 or 2.75 etc. It's close enough to the next dollar but not quite so that people still feel like they are getting a bargain. Hope all goes well for you!
1 person likes this
