*Clean House* and yard sales...

[MarshaZepeda]

LOL! Does anyone else watch the show (http://www.mystyle.com/mystyle/shows/cleanhouse/index.jsp)??? I LOVE IT! and it totally inspired me to have a much needed (and DREADED) yard sale. Sooooo.... I need tips! And funny yard sale stories and/or your best/worst yard sale finds or experiences! lol! :)

[Charla]

I have a little thing written up on DH's and my website (http://joshandcharlene.com/garage-sale-main.htm) about garage sales. (ignore the pricing though; that's more local, I expect).

The biggest thing: MAKE SURE YOUR SIGNS HAVE ARROWS!! People DON"T know their way around!!!!

[Deena]

My only tip is... Slightly overprice anything you are dead set on getting a certain amount for, people like to haggle prices, and it gives you more haggle room :)

[d2vasquez]

Ugh have plenty of ones! If you don't have enough change then the customer might just go away and baby clothes are a HUGE hit......and yes I LOVE that show.....makes me laugh all the time!

[Susan Toon]

oh yea my mom is a haggler. I get SOOOO embarrassed garage saling with her. I'm the type to just hand over what they're asking and move on. LOL

I have never personally had a garage sale because so many complain of them. So I take mine to OTHERS that are having them - hee hee hee

[YvetteSanders]

Love the show, but I've never held a yard sale (it seems so much easier to drop everything off at goodwill, LOL)

[MarshaZepeda]

lol - Normally, I HATE having yard sales b/c I hate dealing with ridiculous hagglers, lol! but that show really inspired me and I have a looooong list of things I need for my house. That's the only reason why... lol! Normally, I GIVE things away to ppl when they come visit. For example, all my kids clothes have always been given away. :)

thanks for all the tips! it helps!!! :)

[mzkellyb]

I really need to have one too. Last time I tried a friend of mine who lives in an apt came over and put her stuff out too. We had like 5 people all day, she sold a whole $1 of stuff. lol So, needless to say we opted not to do it the following day. I would really rather have one and see if I can get any $$ for my stuff before dropping it off at goodwill, but we just took a big load over a few months ago.

[annscraps]

I LOVE garage sales! I like to always have a garage sale box on the go. When I come across something in the house that has to go I put a tag with a price on it right away. When the box is full it goes out to the garage for our next sale. I had my very first garage sale almost 3 years ago and we made over $600. It was a HUGE sale mind you - I'd been 'collecting' for many years. I had two more sales with all the that junk - er stuff and then I donated the rest to a community organization garage sale. They were pleased to get all my pre-priced stuff. There is a junk collector in our community that will come and take whatever you have left after a garage sale. You might want to set up an appointment with somebody like that to come and clean you out at the end - assuming you are just getting rid of stuff. :)

[mzkellyb]

I LOVE garage sales! I like to always have a garage sale box on the go. When I come across something in the house that has to go I put a tag with a price on it right away. When the box is full it goes out to the garage for our next sale. I had my very first garage sale almost 3 years ago and we made over $600. It was a HUGE sale mind you - I'd been 'collecting' for many years. I had two more sales with all the that junk - er stuff and then I donated the rest to a community organization garage sale. They were pleased to get all my pre-priced stuff. There is a junk collector in our community that will come and take whatever you have left after a garage sale. You might want to set up an appointment with somebody like that to come and clean you out at the end - assuming you are just getting rid of stuff. :)

Great idea to price something right when you decide to put it aside for a garage sale! I had such a hard time pricing things for mine with the kids running around. Actually, our neighborhood is having a community sale in the next couple of weeks, if hubby will be around I might have to convince him to help with one.

[d2vasquez]

Ok I am hijacking your thread a bit - hey Marsha did you like that "sub" that they had for Niecy a few months ago??? Oh man she was HORRIBLE and all I wanted was my old show back.....

[MarshaZepeda]

HEEEEEEEEEECCCCCK NO. Uh... did I say no? lol! ;) Niecey is AWESOME! She is hilarious! I also like Trish waaaaaay better than the older "organizing" lady. kwim? Trish is funny, too. If I could... I would totally call her to come do my sale for me. She always makes a ton of cash! :)

[KimberlyGiarrusso]

For example, all my kids clothes have always been given away.

Just mail me all E.J's clothes for Jack ok...I will paypal you the shipping :giggle:

[MarshaZepeda]

Just mail me all E.J's clothes for Jack ok...I will paypal you the shipping :giggle:

:giggle: seriously? What size is he wearing? EJ's summer clothes from last year are 12 months..... lol! I had to buy the chunker 24 months for this season... :wacko: (really though - if you want them, I will totally mail them to you!!!!!) :)

Soooo... I advertised in the paper and on Craig's list. I borrowed 3 tables from my mom and my friend will hopefully be bringing me her 2 today. I've been pricing things with masking tape (is that tacky??) and will start setting up today. I'm getting NERVOUS!!!! I'll have to take photos.... :)

[mzkellyb]

Good luck!

It's nice here today, maybe when we go outside I'll try to price the big pile of stuff we have sitting aside to take to goodwill.

[Charla]

ooh, good luck!
Naw, we use masking tape most of the time. ;)

And ditto Darla's comment...the first person to come ALWAYS wants a $1 item and only has a $20 (usually because they stopped at the ATM on the way there). Make sure you have TONS of quarters and singles!!

(but see that Sleep Book sitting in the pile? Don't sell that...the owner might want it back :giggle:) :scared0016:

[Rynonut Mom]

I love that show too!
Man - I so need to do this too! We just have way too much stuff in our house and there's so much that the boys don't play with anymore! I've started to pull it out - but it's going so slow and it's irritating me that it's all sitting in the garage and I have more to go through still! I may have to just take it to Goodwill...

[MarshaZepeda]

ooh, good luck!
Naw, we use masking tape most of the time. ;)

And ditto Darla's comment...the first person to come ALWAYS wants a $1 item and only has a $20 (usually because they stopped at the ATM on the way there). Make sure you have TONS of quarters and singles!!

(but see that Sleep Book sitting in the pile? Don't sell that...the owner might want it back :giggle:) :scared0016:

OMG Charlene!!! I would NEVER sell that!!! lol! I actually put it in a SAFE place so that I could send it back!!! :giggle: Sorry for keeping it so long... :ashamed0001:

[~toby~]

Get up and be ready at least an hour before your stated start time. One time, there was a group of ladies wandering around our porch and house at 5 am, looking for the sale. It didn't start until 7 am.

Be prepared to bargain and haggle. Make sure you have enough change and bags.

Best tip: Just relax and enjoy meeting some new people!

[MarshaZepeda]

It was a hit!!! (I think!) We made about 600 on sat but I made almost 200 during the week with ppl stopping by with "presale" appts. :) So approx 800 isn't bad! :)

Soooo... I ended up getting into bed about 2am with alarm set for 430am. I crawled out of bed at 5am, downed a cup of coffee and got to setting up. We had ppl show up starting at 6 (i advertised for 7). The price tagging worked! Hardly anyone tried to haggle. I did have some ghetto ppl though changing tags and being a pain in the neck but other than that it went pretty well! :) I forgot to take photos though! :( I might do it again this weekend at a friends house with the better of the leftovers. I do have a good chunk still sitting on the driveway for a pickup by Goodwill or Salvation Army. :)

Thanks everyone for the tips! :)

eta: forgot to tell you that in the effort to do this, I rewarded myself by selling ALL of my dishes so that I would HAVE to buy the dishes that I've been wanting for the last couple of years, lol! I bought those awesome square white plates/bowls that you see in restaurants. i love it!!! :)

[Charla]

Congratulations!! That's awesome! And what a fantastic "prize" for yourself!

(and no worries. Just had to tease you! We'll take it back when you're done...trying to figure out the next step for Jasmine now!!)