YARD / GARAGE SALE: I have ideas (pricing & signs), tips, tricks, etc.!*
Vol. 3, No. 11, Saturday, June 30th, 2012
TITLE: “YARD / GARAGE SALE: I have ideas (pricing & signs), tips, tricks, etc.!*”
INTRODUCTION
This week, I will talk about garage sales – in some places, they are called yard sales. My book of the week is: “The Great Garage Sale Book: How to Run a Garage, Tag, Attic, Barn, or Yard Sale” [Paperback] by Sylvia Simmons (Author). I just held one at my home and I want to share with you some of my experiences and the things that I learned. And yes, …. my price is firm! (Editor’s Note: This is another post in a continuing series on homemakers: home and garden.)
PREVIEW: I will next turn to the romance theme next week … well sort of. I will write about showers … not the rain kind – instead of the marriage and baby kind. Now, that’s a real girl thing, isn’t it? (Editor’s Note: This is another post in a continuing series on dating, relationships and marriage.)
MY LIFE & TIMES*
I know about garage sales – it’s the best time and place for smart shoppers to find some big bargains. The few garage sales that I’ve been to, I found incredible stuff for amazing prices. Lately, I haven’t been to a garage sale. Personally, I would rather sleep in. If I could only make the time …
I had a girlfriend who bought stuff at a garage sale and estate sales in order to sell in her antique shop. She knew what to look for and paid next to nothing for it.
Hosting a garage sale is quite another thing. I’m no expert on such sales. I’ve only had three in my life – the last was a few weeks ago. I’m happy to report that it was successful. The reason is simple. There was a lot of quality items on sale. And by the way, I had lots of help.
THE AUTHOR: Sylvia Simmons (Author)
Sylvia Simmons is a true blue expert on making money from junk. She wrote a copy at an advertising agency and led a sales promotion department. Simmons was also a senior VP for corporate communications at three worldwide agencies. So you see, she knows how to sell stuff.
SERIES/COLLECTION
Books/Articles:
Several are:
- 2000 – The Great Garage Sale Book How to Run a Garage Tag Attic Barn or Yard Sale [Authors Guild Backinprint.Com] (Paperback) → Paperback
- 1993 – How to Be the Life of the Podium Openers Closers and Everything in Between to Keep Them Listening (Paperback) → Paperback
- 1991 – How to Be the Life of the Podium (Hardcover) → Paperback, Hardcover
- More Than Just a Pretty Face How Cosmetic Surgery Can Improve Your Looks and Your Life (Hardcover)
THE BOOK: The Great Garage Sale Book: How to Run a Garage, Tag, Attic, Barn, or Yard Sale [Paperback] by Sylvia Simmons (Author)
This book is a good starting point to your joining the garage/yard sale elite players. It gives you many suggestions. It also recognizes that this is not a serious subject – there is humor to make you smile. It’s fun and games. Aren’t you in need of some of that?
CONCLUSION
Give some thought about garage/yard sales. They are where opportunity is knocking!
Personal Comments
I say:
If you’re into bargain hunting,
- Garage sales are just the ticket; and Saturday mornings are the best time for them.
- Getting there whenever means that you get the remnants – what others didn’t want. Getting there 15 minutes before the sale opens means that you will have the opportunity to buy the best items – indeed, this is what the dealers do!
- Going to a sale is an adventure for some people … the thrill of the hunt.
- Who knows … you might find hidden treasures in one of these garage sales.
- Of course, we’ve all heard the garage sales legend – people who bought paintings and household items and later found out that it was worth a lot of money.
- You know … someone’s junk could be someone else’s treasure! Why not yours?
If you’re giving a garage sale,
- Know that it’s a lot of work.
- It’s win- win; you’re getting rid of stuff that you no longer need and making some money from it – you’re also making room for you to go shopping yourself.
- People who come usually do not expect to pay much.
The Point
There’s a lot to be said about making money from junk.
ANTOINETTE’S TIP SHEET*
If you’re planning to have a garage sale:
1. Try to schedule your sale at the beginning of the month
2. Check the weather forecast a week in advance to see if it’s clear and moderate temperatures.
3. Avertise in all the free papers and post signs everywhere you can; in this regard,
3.1 Identify the place (address), directions, date and time (opening and closing), some of the worthwhile itmes, etc.
3.2 Put flyers on telephone poles, bus stops, etc. – don’t forget the free community billboards at markets, pharmacies, etc.
3.3 Make posters (BIGGGGG writing) and put them on garbage cans or your car at all corners off your street – pay attention to the busy streets/intersections.
4. Get a municipal permit if required by law
5. Display your items carefully – try to make everything visible
6. Price everything carefully; in this regard,
6.1 Consider putting price labels.
6.2 Charge more for the better articles -remember that you can go down when the haggling begins.
6.3 Bundle an item of quality with a lesser article in order to move the merchandise and increase sales
6.4 Charge next to nothing for items of little value.
6.5 Be flexible with the prices especially as the day winds down
7. Chat with the people who come to your sale and be friendly
8. Make a list of items as you sell and mark down the prices paid
If you’re planning to go to a garage sale
1 Check the paper for garage sales
2 Select the best sales, having the items of interest- consider the neighborhoods
3 Get started VERY early
4 Bring cash
5. Bargain your prices down
A friend told me what his father used to say ( I am paraphrasing a bit): “Some people are one kind of chemists. They take money and make sh?t from it; I’m the other kind. I take sh?t and make money from it!”
And that’s my thought of the week on books, what’s yours?*
Take it out for a spin and tell me if you agree.
ALP
“Books are life; and they make life better!*”
P.S. Big News: There are big changes coming to my blog – Please stay tuned.
P.P.S. #1 I have a TWITTER page. Consider becoming a follower? Visit www.twitter.com – saveandread
P.P.S. #2 I also have a FACEBOOK page. Consider becoming a friend? Visit: www.facebook.com – Alp Save Andread – please check it out.
P.P.S. #3 I am on Linkedin. Consider becoming a connection? Visit www.linkedin.com – Antoinette La Posta
*TM/© 2012 Practitioners’ Press Inc. – All Rights Reserved.
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ANNEX I: NEED SOMETHING FURTHER? TRY AN ANECDOTE OR A QUOTE
S & R* CHOICE ANECDOTAGE #1: Two Bit President
“Despite his tenure as America’s 21st president (between 1881 and 1885), Chester A. Arthur is remembered for very little. One of his accomplishments, however, will not soon be forgotten (or, hopefully, repeated): Arthur remains the only president in American history… to hold a garage sale on the White House lawn.” (Source: Anecdotage) – http://www.anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=5166)
S & R* CHOICE ANECDOTAGE #2: Well, You Know…
“Some time after Barry Crimmins moved to New York from Cleveland, he and his companion stopped at a yard sale in upstate New York.
“And this [seventy-year-old man] started telling us this story about selling his cows to this guy we know. ‘Jewed him down, a bit.’ He just matter-of-factly said, ‘I jewed him down.’ And Karen was completely shocked … Karen headed off and I stayed for a minute pretending I was looking at a tractor.”
When the old man wondered why Karen had disappeared, Barry impishly declared: “Well, you know she is Jewish.” (Source: Anecdotage) – http://www.anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=4653)
S & R* QUOTE #1: Albert Einstein
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” (Source: Wisdom Quotes) – http://www.wisdomquotes.com/topics/life/)
S & R* QUOTE #2: Golda Meir
“Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” (Source: Wisdom Quotes) – http://www.wisdomquotes.com/topics/life/)
S & R* QUOTE #3: Corita Kent
“Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed.” (Source: Wisdom Quotes) – http://www.wisdomquotes.com/topics/life/)
ANNEX II
SCHEDULE I
“IT WORDS FOR ME!*”
“For today, my word/phrase(s) are: “garage sale”; “bargaining”
Garage/Yard Sale
“A garage sale, also known as a yard sale, rummage sale, tag sale, lawn sale, attic sale, moving sale, garbage sale, or junk sale, is an informal, irregularly scheduled event for the sale of used goods by private individuals, in which “block sales” are allowed so that sellers are not required to obtain business licenses or collect sales tax. Typically the goods in a garage sale are unwanted items from the household with the home owners conducting the sale” (Source: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia) – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garage_sale)
Bargaining
“Bargaining or haggling is a type of negotiation in which the buyer and seller of a good or service dispute the price which will be paid and the exact nature of the transaction that will take place, and eventually come to an agreement.” (Source: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia)- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bargaining)
SCHEDULE II
STUDY/STATISTICS:
“Typically the goods in a garage sale are unwanted items from the household with the home owners conducting the sale. The goods are sometimes new, like-new, or just usable. Some of these items are offered for sale because the owner does not want or need the item to minimize their possessions or to raise funds. Popular motivations for a garage sale are “Spring cleaning“, moving, or earn extra money. The seller displays their wares to the passers-by or those responding to signs, flyers, Craigslist postings, Facebook updates, Twitter posts or newspaper ads. Sometimes local television stations will broadcast a sale on the local public channel. The sales venue is typically a garage, driveway, carport, front yard, porch, or occasionally, the interior of a house. Some vendors, known as ‘squatters’, will set up in a highly trafficked area, and not on their own property.
Staples of garage sales include old clothing, books, toys, household knickknacks, lawn and garden tools, sports equipment, and board games. Larger items like furniture and occasionally home appliances are also sold. Garage sales occur most frequently in suburban areas on good-weather weekends, and usually have designated hours for the sale. Buyers who arrive before the hours of the sale to review the items are known as “Early Birds;” they often are professional restorers or resellers. Such sales also attract people who are searching for bargains or for rare and unusual items. Bargaining, also known as haggling, on prices is routine, and items may or may not have price labels affixed. Some people buy goods from these sales to restore them for resale.
Advertising for the event of a garage sale is typically done by posting a seller-created sign, usually made from cardboard, in a public location. In addition to signs, many people advertise their garage sales in the Newspaper in the advertisement section.[1]
In some areas garage sales have taken on a special meaning to a community and have become events of special local significance. In these situations large areas of a community hold a communal garage sale involving dozens or hundreds of families at the same time.” (Source: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia) – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garage_sale)
SCHEDULE III
S & R*NEWS ALERT*#1: A neighbour’s messy yard can drop the price of your home
“If you live beside an eyesore, with its lawn full of weeds and peeling paint around its windows, it’s not just making your street a little uglier, but according to real estate experts it’s affecting the sale price of your home as well as prolonging its selling time.
Homeowners looking to sell will focus on the condition of their home, but there can be a larger issue for potential buyers: the appearance of the neighbour’s house and property, says Ron Abraham, president of the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA). Approaching a neighbour who doesn’t maintain their home’s exterior can be tricky, but is definitely worth it so you can ask for the true value of your home.
Abraham recommends working with your Realtor to find a way to speak to your neighbour about their property. We have experience talking to other homeowners about this issue. There’s almost always a solution, and your Realtor can help you find the best one, Abraham adds.
He recommends trying one of these tactics when dealing with a messy property next door:
Talk to your neighbours: Let them know you’re planning to sell and gently ask them to clean up their front and back yards. If they are elderly and unable to do the work themselves, offer to look into free or inexpensive services that can help or offer to do it yourself.
Locate the owner: When living beside a renter who’s unwilling to assume responsibility, ask your Realtor to help you track down the owner or landlord and speak with them.
Contact the city: Many municipalities have bylaws about the appearance of lawns and homes. See if any are applicable in your area and speak to a bylaw officer to find a solution.
Create a diversion: If they refuse to cooperate, detract from their house by placing an eye-catching tree or row of flowers at the entry of your own property.” More information is available at www.howrealtorshelp.ca. www.newscanada.com
S & R* NEWS ALERT* #2: Organize your garage with tips from a pro
“According to a recent Canadian Tire survey, 61% of Canadians are regularly looking for new storage solutions and tips on how to better reorganize. Follow these three easy steps, courtesy of Jordan Shiffman, an expert in storage and organizational solutions, so that this spring you can have your dream garage and a spotless car to complement it:
Assess the Mess
Pick a sunny morning to pull everything out of the garage and take inventory. You’ll immediately see what you no longer need.
Our vehicles are more than transportation to us. They are mobile offices, entertainment rooms, team supply rooms and more. Clear out any garbage or junk and consider using a solution like Rubbermaid Mobile organization products to control car clutter and make your travelling more enjoyable.
Keep it Clean
Canadian Tire survey results also uncovered that despite spending an average of five hours a week in their vehicles, only half of Canadian drivers clean the exterior regularly (more than once a month). Pressure washing the garage and your vehicle is a great way to get rid of corrosive winter road salt or sand lingering in both places; Karcher makes a variety of pressure washers that can handle the job.
Zone Your Space and Think Tall
With the garage clean and clear, try to visualize where the big things like the lawn mower might fit. Also, designate areas for specific items like yard tools that you need regular access to. Use available wall and ceiling space for storage; customizable wall track panels like the Mastercraft wall system are useful for getting tools, sporting equipment, lawn and garden accessories off the ground, making space for your vehicle.” www.newscanada.com
*TM/© 2012 Practitioners’ Press Inc. – All Rights Reserved