Need Help with Yard Sale

A friend of mine hosted a flea market in the Lincoln Square area of Chicago, which was very successful since it was well promoted. She's going to be having another. Any interest? I had heard that a family made $500 selling mostly baby clothes! Otherwise I'd go the Craigslist route.

On another note, if you want to make one more attempt to have that 2nd baby, call my reflexologist Eric Huffman, also in the Lincoln Square area. His number is ###-###-####. He has a very high success rate with helping women conceive. He helped a friend of mine who was told by her doctors to stop trying,m she was never going to get pregnant. She now has a beautiful baby girl!

Good luck

usually baby clothes go well at a yard sale...but you also might want to check in your area and see if any organizations do consignments sales. You give them the cloths, and get back a portion of the proceeds, and then they get some. Usually clothing can be sold for higher prices at these. This way you are getting rid of item, and also helping out a group that helps the community.

If all you have to sell is clothes, shoes, and a few toys a yard sale would not be worth the trouble because those items really do not sell and you get very little money for them when they do. The better option would be to sell them as lots on Craigslist (0-3 month summer clothes, 3-6 month winter clothes etc.) You can post for free on Craigslist. I have recouped thousands from selling our baby items on Craigslist. Good luck.

It depends on the area you are in. we have had garage sales in the past, be prepared for people to offer 50 cents for that "special" outfit you bought, still have tags n that says $20. The people who want to send clothes "back home" to their family will be the ones who do this. We did not make much. The things that were expensive (old cameras and old toys (1940-1950) went for the most money. The clothes probably offered less than $20-$25 total. It takes a lot of work, you have to have someone to help you, watch for things being pocketed on the sly, and when 5pm (or when you shut down) rolls around, you are totally exhausted. So good luck, think hard. Maybe if you have a kids resale shop around you can try them first to see if your "better" tagged new clothes will give you something.

You can try a yard sale, but it's really hit or miss. We've done a couple and had back luck at one (only made $10) and good luck at another (made $175). If you mostly have clothing, you'd probably do better at a school or church children's resale. If the clothing brands are nicer brands, try doing http://bestbrandsresale.com/
Good luck!

We just did a sale and earned $375 for about 15 hours of work, 8 being the actual day of the sale (set up, take down) and the rest in prep, such as washing, folding clothes, cleaning toys, dusting furniture pieces, sorting and shelving books, making signs, pricing and placing ads and signs.

This took the work of two adults. Our kids are old enough to "help", kind of, but really they still needed one adult's full attention to keep them safe/entertained during the sale day, which was 98 degrees and way too sunny!

We made very little of the money on clothes, and we had marked all the kids clothes at 50 cents, then reduced it to 25 cents half-way through. No one was buying kids or my adult clothing this year, even though we had some really cute stuff like Hanna Andersson, Gap and hand-knit items. We priced kids books at 50 cents for soft cover, $1.00 for nice hardcovers, but still had about 20-30 left.

I think if you only have clothing, shoes and some toys you could state that clearly in the ads you place in your local paper and Craigs List, so the people that come will come for those items. But, unfortunately, aside from the toys, the other items don't really sell too well at garage sales in my experience. Or at least not for the price you would hope.

Perhaps a "lot" offering on Ebay, like "Lot of 5 size-4 girls summer dresses"? I don't sell on Ebay or Craigs List, but I know some other ladies here do and could coach you through it.

Another option is to make an appointment at a kids thrift store or consignment shop (Oh Joy! is located in Oak Park) but I have not tried that either. With consignment, you only get paid when the items sell, then you have to go collect the check. Places like Once Upon a Child or Thrifty Baby, which are second hand stores, give you $ right then, I believe, but I have heard that they are picky with what they take and the reimbursement is not too high.

We donated what remained of our garage sale stock on www.Freecycle.org. You just register and then people send you replies to your posting of "Bag of girls' clothing" or "box of girls toys" and you pick who gets them.

Good luck!

You could try Craigslist if you are not comfortable with a yard sale. Clothing usually prices at about $1 a piece, with higher prices for party dresses and jackets. Maybe you could check with friends and neighbors to see if they have stuff to get rid of as well. Have a group yard sale.
Don't rule out a second child just yet. You never know what can happen.

hi L.,
women are always looking for a bargain, no matter what the item. make sure your signs say large clothing sale, unless you are going to add some household items. be specific on what you are selling. whatever you make on this is a plus. remember these things were just taking up space in your home. area has a lot to do with priceing. dont charge too much or people will not bother.i have been to quite a few yard sales and have watched other people pick up an item, look at the price and then leave. like i said, we are looking for bargains, most especially now.
now i want you to listen to me. i thought i would never have a second child either. but after 7 years my second son was born. my aunt waited 10 years inbetween children. never give up hope!everything is in the makers hands.
sincerly,
B. morajka

our block just had a block sale with 15 participants in each their own front yard. we had steady flow of people from 7:30-2. ive had several garage sales before but because we advertised a giant block sale i really think it brought the customers!! maybe you can organize one on your block. it was nice to share the 60.00 of advertising fees too. a lot of my neighbors made around 500.00 as well as myself, but i didnt sell any clothing. i usually dont have luck selling clothing at garage sales, however, i sold 20 tee shirts of my daughters on ebay and a lot of my clothing on ebay and made a couple hundred dollars. all the leftover stuff we took to the salvation army and will get a deduction on our taxes. good luck.

Hi L.
First, I'm sorry to hear that your having trouble having baby number 2.
The yard/garage sale adult clothing does not sell don't waste your time with that. Childrens clothing, shoes and toys sell very well. Make sure you put up lots os signs detailing the size ranges for clothes and shoes, maybe even some types of toys. Also put an ad in craigs list the night before (it's free) again use as much detail as possible.
Good Luck
V.

I would place everything on craigslist. Break it up by size and sell in bulk. You will me surprised how fast it will go.

L.

Lately garage sales are not really getting the price for clothing like years ago. You may want to consider advertising them on craigs list its free or ebay it does cost on ebay you may make more money and spend less time pricing and setting up all the close less work. I had a garage sale this year and made $150 but I had kids furniture. You may do well make sure if you decide to try it to advertise what you are selling. Good luck

A garage sale is so much more aggravation - My husband always says why sit outside all day negotiating for a couple bucks here and there,when you can drop it off at Goodwill and get a guaranteed price for everything (tax deduction, not actual cash, of course).

It's worth it if you live in an area where garage sales are the hot item. Advertise on note cards and hang on grocery stores bullitin boards a week ahead of time. Give date, hours open, items to be sold and from what size to what size. Have everything spotlessly clean and neatly hung or folded. Keep it neat so people want to stop and see. Any baby large toys put on driveway closer to curb so people driving can see how nice. You could advertise in your village newspaper also for about $25.