Garage Sale Pricing

We need to clear out some stuff. It's been (and is going to be so dang hot) that I just can't get excited about planning a garage sale. It can be a bit difficult to figure out how to price the items. This can be especially true for the items with sentimental value to me, or were very expensive when we bought it. I have a hard time getting rid of cute matching children's clothes. I mean come on, it's cute and it matches and somebody better appreciate that.

photo credit: Bob n Renee

However, it's a good life lesson to remember as you buy things that you probably won't be keeping all these things. It's just stuff. Spend the money on select things you know will be the heirlooms and keepsakes (like the first baby outfit or a nice piece of furniture). The rest of the time it's better to be frugal and not attached to your stuff just because you spent money on it. It's easier said than done for us for sure.


Be sure to price things

I know, it's a hassle but worth it if you have someone helping you or have your kids keep watch while  you run to the bathroom.

People want to browse and compare and budget, and can't do that very well if you have to ask about every item. And people who are uncomfortable asking might just leave your sale, even if there was something they would have bought if it had been priced.

In addition, clearly priced items help prevent some haggling and bargaining, which can get tiring pretty fast.

Consider skipping the collectibles

If you have an enormous set of baseball cards (or figurines or barbies or antique glass), and you know they must be worth something but you don't know how much, sources suggest that you do not sell them or similar collectibles at your garage sale. Instead, research the item(s) to determine the real worth, and try selling online or to an antique store.

Pricing Items in Groups

Experienced garage sale folks claim that some visitors will ask how much something is no matter how clearly you have it marked. So choose a method that works for you and your stuff.

Price each item. This can get tedious, but at least it's pretty obvious how much each thing is. You can use masking tape and a permanent marker, or those little round stickers.

Or just group the like items together and put one price good for everything in the box, bin, or basket.

What Should Items Cost?

Here is a rough guideline on what to ask for which items and I find around here most of the time.

Books: $0.50 to $1 each for hardback, $0.10 to $0.25 for paperback

Clothing: $1 to $2 each for pants, jeans, sweaters, and skirts; $2 to $4 for dresses and pairs of shoes; kids' clothes should be about half of what the adult clothing is priced as

Kitchen items: $.25 to $0.50 for glasses and mugs; $1 to $2 for pots and pans; plates $0.50 to $1 each. A rough guide for appliances is to ask 15% to 30% of the original cost of the appliance (you could sell a $60 microwave for $9 to $18, for example).

Furniture: $5 for small chairs; $10 for small tables; $25-$75 for large dressers, dining tables, and bureaus; $5 to $10 for simple shelves

I found this to be interesting

Garage Sale Statistics | Statistic Brain
www.statisticbrain.com

Average number of items sold at garage sales each week, 4967500. Total US weekly revenue from garage sales, $4222375. Best time to start a garage sale, 7:00 am. Best day to hold a garage sale, Saturday. Average profit ...

And here's a few more good reminders about holding your sale

SELLING: How To Hold A Successful Garage Sale - Talking About ...
talkingabouthome.blogspot.com

You don't want to be scrambling to hold a garage sale the week before an open house. Depending on how long you've lived in the home and how much stuff you have to sell, planning a garage sale can demand a lot of time ...

How to Hold a Profitable Garage Sale: Planning and Seting Up a ...
suite101.com

A garage sale is a great way to get to make some spare cash while purging your home. Follow these easy, seven steps for your most successful jumble sale yet.

What items do you have a hard time parting with?