Host: Yard Sale

To this day my mother refuses to have another garage sale. Partly because it was so much work and it took up an entire Saturday to conduct. But I enjoy a good purge and jump on the opportunity to unload useless items with the hope of a slight financial return. 95% of the year I donate my unused items to friends, Goodwill, and repurpose via crafting. But this weekend, we had our very first garage sale in our new home. Here are my 2¢ on having one of your very own.

The Prep

I spent a cumulative 5-8 hours organizing my sale. I had friends and family bring over their contributions as well - so I had to take time to unload, organize and price their stuff too. Allocate an evening or two to get all of your items corralled and priced.

Do. Not. Skimp. On. The. Marketing.

People need to know about your sale. Make yard signs and put them out one full week in advance. We live in an area with high church and school traffic so you'd better believe we want every mom in a 10 mile radius to know of our sale and put it on their calendars. Additionally, repetition is key. The more they see the sign the more likely they'll be to remember it.

Here is my Craigslist ad

Then, get your neighbors on board and gain hyperlocal support. The more the merrier! Besides, more sales in your area means more interest. Once you have a band of supporters, divvy up the advertising tasks. Put an ad in your local newspaper, drop an ad on Craigslist(repost it a few times), put a blurb out on the most relevant Facebook group for your area (county garage sale sites) and pass out flyers to other neighborhood mailboxes.

Know How to Haggle

I covered this in How To Haggle a few months ago, but seriously, negotiate. Before your sale even starts there will likely be men who show up early looking to snatch up good tools. Know how to speak their language and make a deal. For instance, when you're receptive to their offer come down another $5-$10. When you're not ready to come down you can move just $1-$2 or stay firm on your asking price.

Don't Be Afraid to Bundle

If someone is picking up lots of items to buy you can bundle their items and give them a better deal. For instance, if someone came up during my sale with $20 worth of Christmas items and $30 worth of clothing I may say: "I can do everything for $40." That way, they feel like they're getting a deal and I'm still making money.

Organize!

Gather Best Practices

Before my sale I grilled my friends on their garage sale experiences. The best advice I received was the coding for a multi-person sale. Instead of trying to remember what items belonged to who, the price tags were color coded for easy identification. Additionally, we pulled tags off as items sold and put them onto a giant notepad to tally up later. Talk about easy!

Market

One of my favorite product marketers is Target. That company could sell a box of toothpicks for $10 because of the way they present the product. Be sure that your sale is organized well and things look neat, clean, and are easy to find. For instance, I had sections for Christmas decor, tools, clothing, furniture, games, kitchen items, and formal wear. When someone approaches your sale and sees organization, they know that you know what you have. They also know that they better be prepared to haggle hard because you probably know what it's worth too.

Remember: market! 

Answer Only What You're Asked

NEVER tell the seller why you're getting rid of an item. We had some rocking chairs at our sale. The selling party told the interested buyer that the vintage rockers weren't conducive to over weight guests and they didn't rock well on a porch with wooden boards. Do you think the buyer left with the chairs? She certainly didn't. When you wait all day for the perfect person to show interest in an item so specific, you don't want to let them get away!

The End Result

This year we was the most profitable yet and I hardly have anything left to take to Goodwill. One of our shoppers also told us about a phenomenal group at our local high school that collects dresses for students with disabilities. Did I forget to mention it's a great way to get to know those in your community, have unique conversations, and learn what buyers are looking for? Invaluable information for the next sale!

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back!

Cara

How to Haggle

In my January 2014 post, Vintage Finds, I alluded to haggling and bundling to get items at antique stores for less than tag price. I wanted to dedicate this post to understanding the art of haggling.

Here are the basics:

• When a price tag does not say 'firm' then you know that you have some negotiating room. If in an antique store booth, look around for any hanging signage to validate your inkling.
• If a price tag does say 'firm' you know that the seller is offering their bottom dollar on the item. Don't negotiate. If it's too pricey for your taste, just walk away.
• When an item is old it's probably got some wear and tear. Understand the condition of the item before you negotiate. The pricing could reflect that item in fair, good, or excellent condition. Just because it's old doesn't mean it's worth anything.
• If you really love it, don't walk away. Items in these places go fast. Don't hope that it'll be around the next time you're in the area.

I collect vintage Brownie Cameras from the 1920's - 1960's. When I find one that I would like to add to my collection I need to have a thorough understanding of the condition, age, and overall value. Some sellers don't know what they have and just slap a price on an item because "it looks old and must be worth some money." Not the case - if you're starting a collection get up to speed on the average values and conditions before you get ripped off. Don't fret about learning it over night, some things are learned over time.

Now that many buyers have the ability to use their phones to quickly reference selling prices of vintage items, there is less likelihood of geting taken on a deal. Exhaust all resources before you buy.

When you are preparing to haggle:

• Consider this: most of the objects in an antique store have been sitting around awhile and are hard to sell. If a seller sees you're interested they are more likely to deal with your offer because it's hard telling how long it will take for another buyer to walk through the door. This is specifically true for random items and not collectibles or trendy pieces. 
• The more you show interest in an item, the more leverage the seller has. If you want to 'feel out' the seller before negotiating on an item you really want, grab another item from their booth and use it as a 'tester'. Say I want this stunning Brownie Camera. I may grab another camera from the same booth and take both to the check-out counter. I'd start with the second camera and see how far the seller would be willing to budge before proceeding to the Brownie. If they have unrealistic prices I know that the deal isn't worth it for me.
• Sometimes you can walk away. If you have seen half the store and have an item you like, try haggling before looking through the rest of the store. That way, if you can't come to terms, the seller will have some time to mull over your offer. This is a great tool for big-ticket items such as furniture.
• In antique shops especially, there are many booths. If you want to haggle you usually do it over the phone since the booth owner isn't on-site. Don't expect the person at the register to be the one that you haggle with every time.
• Bundling is a sure-fire way to get a great deal on multiple items from the same seller. Did you find five camera's at one booth that you want to buy? Get the seller on the phone and make a deal for all of them at once. In this situation, I'd weigh the total value of all camera's combined and subtract the value of one full camera. Sort of like a buy one, get one scenario.

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back! 

Cara