Garage Sell

If I were you I would look into the Just between friends sale. http://jbfsale.com/?fuseaction=home.subsites You get like 65% of sales. You make a lot more than you would at a garage sale. It is well worth it.

If I were you C., I would use Craig'sList.com to sell the baby clothes. At a yard sale you just don't get the money they are worth. The most people will pay is about fifty cents for very used or off brand items and a dollar for name brand, barely used, and new items. I had a yard sale recently and sold some clothes, but not many. The rest will go on craigslist where you can post for free!

You might try selling them on Craigslist. You would probably make more than if you had a garage sale and it's less of a hassle. Just a suggestion.

I love to do garage sales. The best sale I ever had was a Saturday only sale in early October when the days were starting to get a little cooler. We ran an ad in the local paper and put up a few signs. We started at 6:00a.m. for the early birds and went until late afternoon. On baby furniture, mark things a little high and then bargain if someone asks you to come down. Know ahead of time what the least you will take is and stick to it. Lots of professional garage sale shoppers will ask you to come down on prices or give a bulk discount on toys or clothes so be prepared to come down a little on large purchases. Don't over organize everything, but don't just throw stuff out on tables either. A happy medium makes for easy shopping for your customers without driving you nuts trying to keep it all looking perfect. A bigger sale will attract more attention. Ask your family or friends if they want to add to the sale and come help you run it. If so, keep prices clearly marked with different color dots so it's easier to mark down when the sale is made. If you live in town make sure your sale is legal. Towns in our area charge $20 for each sale you have and you can only use their approved signs. Have fun!
J.

I know when I am looking for clothes for my kids, I am more likely to go to the sale that tells me what sizes for what gender. If it has the sizes, but doesn't tell me if boy or girl, I may not take the time to go, it might be a waste of gas. Also, make sure that your clothes are either hung in a manner where people can look easily or stacked by size. You will probably have to restack as the day goes by. I usually would hang the really good clothing, priced a little higher, and fold and stack the others that may have a small stain or two on them. Be sure to price accordingly, and high enough because you know that you will be dickered with, so if you want $1 for something, you might mark $1.50. Just be sure things are very organized, they will sell WAY better than if you just dump them all on a table or in a box.

Also, be sure to have a large amount of change for purchases, especially if you are having the first of the month garage sale, because they will all come with their $20 bills, and you will need change for that. We usually get at least $200 in change, that way we don't run out!! You hate to lose a sale because you can't give them change!

You might attend a few sales before having yours, just to check the going rates in your area for clothes, etc. Good luck to you - I don't know which I love more, going to a good sale or having one. You always meet some really nice people!

With baby and toddler clothes I would just do it when it was convenient for you. Also, we take most of our clothes to consignment shops. They are great to work with and you get more money for your clothes. They also take baby gear like swings, car seats, etc.
Good luck!
J.

Hi C. I see you have alot of great ideas i just thought i would offer one more. Have you thought of ebay. I sell all of my childrens used clothes, toys, etc. on there and have had great success. I can usually sell there used clothes for what i paid for them and in many cases more. I always make enough when i sell there stuff to buy them all new things. Just an idea.

Hi C..

I am the Garage Sale Queen!! (At least I think of myself as one!) I have been going to them ever since I was a little girl. (I am 55!) My mother loved them, too. I have also had many sales myself. It can be profitable, but it takes a lot of preparation on your part. First, be sure every item is clearly priced. Make legible signs to post around the area, announcing the sale (date, time, address, and which direction--arrow pointing which way on the road). You can also put an ad in the paper, but I'm sure that is a big expense these days! Be sure you have enough space for everything, preferably on tables, and enough room for people to move through the sale easily. You don't want everything cluttered, with no room to move. And if possible, have a 'free' box out front, with items not yet ready for the trash, but not sellable, either.

The best time for a garage sale is the weekend. I almost always had mine on Friday, Saturday and Sunday if at all possible. Otherwise just Saturday and Sunday. If you only want to have it one day, either Friday or Saturday. I always found Saturday to be best, because a lot more people are off work.

If you need more help, please email me (____@____.com) and I will give you my number.

Garage sales are great IF you have great location. If you can get a friend or relative or two to do one with you , then you can advertise a "multi-family sale", which is good. Definitely advertise in your local paper and with legible, attractive signs posted in your area. Try to hang your clothes, most people don't want to rummage or kneel down on the ground to go through clothes. Don't bother going much past noon, it gets too hot. Be ready to negotiate. Make sure everything is clean and in good condition. Consider having a bag sale after 10am (everthing you can fit in a walmart bag for $). Another option is the wee-swap type sales. It is a little bit of preparation, but you will make more than at a yard sale. If you can volunteer your time, you will get first choice at the sales. Even if you just consign, you get a head start.

To avoid the whole mess, take your items to a baby resale shop. They will go through and make you an offer on the items (cash or credit to shop in their store).

I donate any items that they won't accept to Infant Crisis. A wonderful organization in OKC for infant's in need.

Hi, I just recently had a garage sale to get rid of alot of baby stuff. I was told by neighbors that baby stuff sells fast. Well I did sell the big stuff quickly. Like the bassinet, bouncy seats, baby tubs. However the piles and piles of cloths that were boys ranging in size newborn to 9 mos. And girls ranging from 24 mos to 5 just sat. Most of them in perfect condition and some even with tags still on them. So needless to say I had to put all the clothes back in boxes and there they sit. I have come to the conclusion that there are alot of needy people out there and I am just going to donate them. Probobly to the Dream center in Tulsa. Actually my daughter is going to need school clothes in a couple weeks and money is tight right now, so I was thinking of even offering a trade. If I could get some outfits for her in exchange I would be tickled. The only advise I can offer is to advertise in the paper and make sure you advertise lots of babystuff. Good luck!

Hi C.! Have you heard of Duds for Doodlebugs? It is a semi annual children's consignment sale and soooo worth the time! Having four little (yet rapidly growing) kiddos, I know how expensive new clothes can be AND how much room they take up in the home as the kids have outgrown them! Not to mention how difficult it can be to take care of little ones while attempting to have a yardsale! That's why I decided to consign with Duds! I have participated in Duds for two sales and have been VERY pleased with the outcome each time! You may visit their ____@____.com or contact myself for more info! Hope this helps you and good luck!

Hi C.,

I agree the first of the month is best and baby stuff goes fast. I know b/c I am expecting a baby girl in December and I have been searching garage sales for baby stuff and have found very little as they always tell me that their baby stuff sold fairly quickly.

I also live in Edmond, so if you do not mind telling me when you are having your sale, I will try and make it.

On the other hand garage sales are a lot of work and if you consider the time you spend you may be better off just selling your stuff to a thrift store. You'd have to sell it cheap... but you would not have the hassle of a sale. In fact, my aunt has a thrift store and she is here in Edmond all of the time visiting me so she would probably even pick the stuff up if you had it cheap enough for her to resale and make a profit. You can email me if you are interested in doing that as well.

Good Luck!
K.
____@____.com

A garage sale is fun BUT if you have a lot of very nice things your best way to sell them is on Googles or pay-pal. You take pictures of what you have & sell them on the web. Everyone is doing this & you get paid first & you ship the items in the mail or U_P_S. The prices will have the cost of the mail to send to anyone that wants to buy your childrens clothes or shoes everything. Try this & see if you want to do this. Most people look @ your prices $5 or less @ A garage sale then you have to clean up & give away, try the web first. Good luck.

The garage sell theory in my area is start on Thursday and I mean early. The home daycares go out between 6 and 7 in the morning and try to get the best stuff first.

Myself I have started going to the Just Between Friends sale. It is a consignment sale and if you put stuff in you get early shopping time for you to find new stuff. I've been able to sell mine and get other stuff for my kids then resale it again. Google it and you will see on their website the details for your area.

Good luck on the garage sale, remember hanging things up helps and "bagging" little things together does good on getting a better price for all of something.

a free way to advertise is on www.craigslist.com
click on your state, city, then on garage sale...then on the top right corner click on "post" and tell them when, what, and where. good luck. you might also try to sell stuff on there. it's free and you can put your phone number, or they can email you through craigslist so you don't have to give out your email. you can also ad pictures. hope this helps!

Good luck with your garage sell, try to have it on the first weekend of the month, that way alot of people have their monthly checks to spend and depending on you and how you want to work it, i've been to ones that have baby clothes priced seperate or if you're really just wanting as much gone as possible you could offer say $2-3 dollars per how much that can get in say a plastic bag like you'd get from Wal-Mart. Feel free to holler if you have any questions.
____@____.com
J.

You'll want to check with the city to see if you need to get a permit. I've done a few sales with my mom and sis and always had to have a permit. They range from $1-$10 depending on where you live. And we actually did have someone come around just to chck for permits.(You get fined and have to shut down if you get caught w/o one) You will also want to advertise in the paper, we have a paper in town that will advertise garage sales for free. And state that you are selling baby clothes/gear in the ad-people always come out for that! You may wait until September or late August when it may be cooler in the mornings (but you never know around here!) I know I prefer to go when its not sooo very hot. You may check with a neighbor or friend with kids and see if she would like to sell some stuff too, that way you have someone to help-you don't want to do it by yourself! And like some have said price a bit high because people will offer you less than what is marked.

Hi C.,

When I go to garage sales, and when I've had mine, the following things have always been helpful and a success. Put a price on all things! I hate having to ask for prices without knowing a range. Like priced items can go in a box or on a table...such as "everyting in this box $.50". If you clean up everything, especially the large dollar items, you'll get more money for them. SMILE...you want to attract people. Acknowledge people when they arrive with a hi or a nod. Be willing to negotiate on the prices. Have change available.

Good luck on your garage sale...and have fun with it!

W. Q

The easiest way to have a yard sale with a lot of baby clothes is get you some big boxes and Mark them like 25 cents or 50 cents and put the clothes in them. Trust me you will sale them like crazy. I did this and was sold out within about 2 hours.

Best time for garage sells are Friday afternoon and early Saturday mornings and early Sunday mornings. Most papers will advertise yard sales for a reasonable price. Make sure you have pleanty of boxes on corners saying yard sale (if your housing area permits it) then make sure you collect all of them after your sale is over. Have someone there with you at all times. People will steal or try and get you to come down on a price have your limits.
Hope this helps.
T.

C.,
My best friend is having a baby girl in November. This is her first and all of my baby girls stuff is in storage spread across 3 states. Can you give me a list of items you have and maybe we can meet and let her go through your stuff. I know she would really appreciate it. My number is ###-###-####. Thanks,
S.

The best time to have a garage sale is actually any time in the next few weeks, I've found, as I was told by my mother in law. The reason is that people are shopping for back to school and will be looking to save money any way they can.

You will want to place a small ad in the paper, even if it just says clothes, etc and your address. That's really all you need. The best day to do it is Friday and Saturday, and if you have anything left over then Sunday; the most people will come on Friday. Prepare to start an hour earlier than you plan or whatever your signs say, an hour earlier than that because the die hard shoppers will be at your house early.

Have some change ready for at least $100 and if you have coffee already (so as not to spend more money than you need) buy some of the little Dixie cups and sell coffee for about 25 or 50 cents a cup...then switch to lemonade or water b/c it will be hot outside.

Also, be ready to haggle, haggle, haggle. If you are dead set on a price, don't budge though because someone out there is willing to pay what you want. I usually scope thrift stores to make sure my prices are a little lower than that because that is all the stuff is worth, even if it's new, considering markup.

I only know all this b/c I've done a few garage sales including a really big one we used to help with for charity.

Good luck!

I would like to suggest kidz klozet for you used baby items. It's a giant "garage" sale where you can take your items you want to get rid of. They hold it in Mobile in the Spring and Fall. If you would like to find out more about it their web address is ____@____.com

the first of the month is great. i had baby clothes also and i had mine on the june 8th and i sold out i only had 2 sacks left i took them to the salvation army.if you set the time for 7:00 they well show up at 6:00 about 1:00 i started marking stuff down i would rather sell it for quater than get nothing. have someone help you,they need to take money and you help the people or vise versa. i had my mom,neice and nephew. good luck i wont have another!!!! i took off a week for vacation and it took all it to get ready for one day. use sunscreen!! have fun!

C.,
Hello. I would definitely consider the Just Between Friends consignment sale - it's a twice a year event. The OKC dates are August 25 - 30, 2008 and it will be at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds ~ Cox Pavilion Building. The fall event (Aug) takes fall and winter clothing items and then any other baby items you may have (usually the Spring/Summer sale is in March or April). You do have to tag your things, but then you drop them off one time and you don't have to sit there in the heat with them all day like a garage sale. If they are in really good condition, you will still get more for them than you would at a garage sale (even with your cut being 65%) - you set your own price (but don't ask too much, because it won't sell). I personally think it's the best way to go. And I love shopping the JBF sale too. Go to www.jbfsale.com to learn more. Good luck to you.
~ J.

C.,

Where do you live?

I just found out I am having a girl and am in need of lots of stuff. I'd love to come to your garage sale.

Have you tried Craig's list? It's free and may give you fewer headaches.

Let me know if you are anywhere near Gulf Shores, AL and I'll come over to your sale:)

You may try and find a consignment shop that way you just have to get the items ready but don't have to make signs, sit out in your hot yard, and listen to ppl complain about your prices all day.

go to craigslist.com and put an ad on there. it is free to do so. you will need to make an free acct. with them. it is simple. good luck. cc

I am not sure where you live but I sell my clothing and all other kid items in the just between friends consignment sale. it is a huge event twice a year and you get 70% of what you price them for. their website is www.jbfsale.com and they have them in a lot of states. you will get more money for them in a sale like that than a garage sale.

I have had many yard sales, garage sales, rummage sales, etc...and also shopped many, here's my take on them.

I usually combine with a few friends so we can share the work load. You really have to watch people. It is sad to say but you will have stealing. We usually have one person take the money and the others will walk around and help the shoppers. The money person can either keep the stickers on separate lists or just write down prices of your items then give you the sales amount after. It is not worth fighting with friends about money so you must decide if you really trust the person and will take their word and leave it at that. Also, one can't price their stuff very different than the others, it is confusing if some jeans are $1.00 and other are .25 cents and others are $2.00. We also each chip in for the ad each time we combine a sale, some of my friends pay for the add when it is at their house so they can choose how big it is or how detailed.

If you really just want to get rid of everything price it low and post signs that say your prices such as Tee shirts .50 cents, Jeans $1.00. I have found when I go to sales that I get frustrated when prices are too high and I am not one to say can I get this item cheaper, I just leave, no matter how cute the clothes are. I am not going to pay high prices for clothes at a garage sale. If you have items that you want more for, take them to a local consignment shop. You have no stress, no strangers in your yard, no heat exhaustion, etc....

In my town we can have a sale at any particular address once every 6 months. So if we rotate from friend to friends house we can have several a year. Of course you have to move your stuff every couple of weeks and go over and set up and basically stay there all day each day. We do ours the first weekend of the month, Thurs. 4pm-7pm, Fri 4pm-7pm, Sat 7am-noon or 1pm.

My town also has sign regulations. They must be within so many inches of the ground and no higher, not on poles, posts, etc...they can only be stuck into the ground. If they are found to be abandoned you can get fined. Your address is usually on them so they can easily find you.

Put your address and open and closing times on each sign in large letters, 2-3 inches tall and bold. People driving by won't have much time and might not turn around just to read small print. Bright colors work well too.

Run an add in your local paper, take the time to list your categories, IE: toddler girls summer clothes sizes 18 mo. to 2T, boys winter clothes sz. 0-6 mo.s, girls fancy dresses size 2T, etc...people want to know if your clothes are worth their time. You might add something like most clothes under $1.00 or a general pricing range such as clothes priced from .25 cents to $5.00.

When I drive up to a sale and see everything on the ground I can tell you, unless I have an ad that advertises something I am looking for specifically I won't bother stopping. I don't want to spend a half hour with my bottom sticking up in the air going through clothes. I rarely look at clothing messily stacked up on table tops either, if the table tops are organized and easy to distinguish by gender and size I will take the time. I really like hanging clothes but I realize that many can't do that. Pin sets together!!! It is frustrating to find a cute top and the seller says "Oh that is a set, lets find the bottom" and it is nowhere to be found.

I spend less that $100 a year on clothes for each of the kids and shop at garage sales and consignment stores and clearance racks for the next years season. Like right now at Wal-Mart, they have clearance racks with clothes $1.00. I am estimating what size K and J will be wearing next Summer a buying up the clothes. The consignment store has everything marked 70% off and is taking winter clothes now. I bought a dress that is a fancy "Princess" dress for K for $2.00. She can wear it for Easter Sunday next year. The hanging clothes are in the back of my closet and the folded clothes are stored in under the bed totes with tight fitting lids. Every bed in the house has at least one under it. I keep Summer and Winter clothes seperate and only put out the current seasons clothes but they are still handy for those weird weeks between hot and cold weather.

So to sum it up:

Check with your local City Office for guidelines.

Put up easy to read signs and be sure to remove them when the sale is over.

Decide who you want to have your sale with and how you will tell whose items are whose and who will control the money. Price your items the same.

Run a good add.

Have clothes organized in an orderly, neat manner no matter how you decide to have them out. Keep sets pinned together!

Be aware of how sales are going on at local stores and don't price your items higher that they are at the stores. Just because they cost you XXX they may be on sale for XXX now.

In my experience with yard sales the best time is the first weekend of the month after everyone has received their monthly checks. Also it is a good idea not to price things too high as most people are looking for bargains. Baby items are a big seller so good luck.

If you're interested, my mom turned me on to this sale: http://www.kidsconsignmentsale.com/
She holds it twice a year - spring and fall - and even tho she collects 45%, she gets top dollar for items (I do clothes mostly, because they never go for much at garage sales). I usually get somewhere around $150-$200 for about two seasons worth. Its been a few years since I've gone and I have a good selection of fall clothes, so I hope to bring in over $300. Things like car seats and wagons also fetch a good price.

I did a garage sale once - I had a lot of Step 2 and Little Tikes items, and those went first and at a great price. Start at 50% of the price and go down from there if there's wear. Most of the money I made was from yard toys. The crib I had (orig. $280 w/matt) went for $100. Same for car seats, young fams are always searching for those, so 1/2 price is fair. Good luck and happy selling :}

C.,

Do you have a resale shop that would look at your items and buy them or give you credit to get things you need later on for the children. I have yard sales a couple of times during the summer and they are so much work that I general try the resale shop first or you might call some of the daycares around your area and see if they might be interested in some of your stuff. I was able to make $275 from a daycare center for lots of my sons stuff, then took some to the resale shop and then had the yard sale which was a whole lot easier since I was able to get rid of about half and then I did not have to stay outside in the heat or work around trying to keep my son happy.