I did all the right things. Three ads. One in print and two online. I highlighted items of interest in the ad (maternity clothes! baby swing! dishes!). I sorted the clothes by size and gender, pinning sets together. I matched shoes and socks. I made sure everything was clean. I posted signs on my street and tied balloons to my trees.
I sold more stuff to friends the day before the sale than on the day of the sale and that isn't saying much. All told, for a week of sweat and toil I made 95 dollars. I won't break that down into an hourly wage because that would be too depressing. On the upside, my house is decluttered and my clothes are sorted so I can try to resell them. My maternity wear and key items are already online and selling. Donations have been made to the local women's shelter and second hand store. (Hint: women's shelters go nuts for baby carseats)
I am wondering two things: Do people wait for garage sales to pass because they know they can poach the leftovers on freecycle now? Has eBay killed the yard sale?
All I know is, I have learned my lesson. From now on all of my yardsales will be held on the internet.
Do you think that the fact that my baby gear didn't sell is a cosmic sign that we really should have another baby?
6 comments:
We had a garage sale a little while back, with my parents - and didn't get nearly as many customers as we thought we did. We did all the right things, as you did, too!
My opinion?
I think the economy is just too poor right now. People can't afford to buy things on a whim - gas prices are too high, food prices are on the rise...we don't have as much free money as we used to.
My uncle is trying to sell his entire sports memorabilia collection right now. He's got some pretty rare and highly collectible items. We tried eBay first...and sold only 3 items.
I know that for myself, I don't go to garage sales like I used to, simply because I don't have the money.
If you have another baby, I will laugh heartily at you. And then probably get knocked up, too. So don't. Please.
We did a yard sale about twelve years ago, right after we moved into this house.
It was a huge pain in the butt.
I didn't make much money, either.
Certainly not enough to pay for all the time I spent planning, hauling stuff outside, sitting out there all weekend...
I just take it all to Goodwill or the Salvation Army now. I just don't have the time or inclination to bother with it.
I did get rid of quite a few baby/kid things. So far, I have not become pregnant again, though.
:-D
Meh...I think sometimes there are too many uncontrollable factors with garage sales. The fact that yours didn't get many hits could be a result of any of the above, or many many other things. Its pretty hard to know, really.
About the extra baby. Hmmm. Wait until your other two are back for a few days and make your mind up then. ;-)
Around here, garage sales usually do better in May/June and then again in September. I have mine on a Friday afternoon and Saturday morning and do well.
I made $700 at my last one and am hoping to do another one in the fall.
If I were you, I wouldn't give up yet.
I also have great luck with sales, timing is key, after a long winter people are ready to get out and get new stuff come May and June!
Hope your having a great summer, talk to you soon.
Post a Comment