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10 Tips for a Great Garage Sale

April 28, 2009 By Simply Frugal Leave a Comment
Photo: magnusdigity
It’s that time of the year again! Garage sales! I once compiled a post on another blog I had (which I have now deleted) featuring my previous reader’s tips for having the best garage sale ever. The following points are what they had to say!
  • Craig’s list is a great way to sell the bigger ticket items and to advertise for your yard sale.
  • Get a pack of those dot stickers (available from the dollar store), and assign every color a price. Post the list of prices on your garage, along with “will negotiate.”
  • Price things low and offer deals on matching sets of things. I also agree to put up signs that say “will negotiate”. Start early… people who are big into garage sales start early, around 8 am.
  • I would say make sure that the prices are low enough to make people want to buy things. Also, rather than pricing things individually, put out tables where everything is $0.50 or $1.00 etc. It makes your job preparing the yard sale a lot easier.
  • I would use Craig’s List for the big items. If you are having a yard sale borrow tables so that everything is up high so people can see it easily. Hang all clothes. Price everything and remember that it is a yard sale, people aren’t willing to pay close to full price even if things are like new. Use big bright signs and have lots of small change.
  • Also, you might want to consider asking friends to bring their stuff to sale. It has been my experience that everyone does better if there is more to sell. We have just put our initials on the price tag and kept a running list when people are paying and just write CC $1.00 or DD $0.50 then divide it up at the end of the day. I would advertise in the paper and indicate that you have furniture or whatever big ticket items. Also, we never do anything less than $0.25. Makes change easier. My friends and I have a sale twice a year and usually do well.
  • Depends on your aim…do you want to get good money, or do you just want the stuff gone?If you want to make good money…stick to your pricing and don’t be too easy to negotiate with. If you want it gone, being willing to negotiate, be willing to group things, price a bit lower. Bigger ticket…sell privately if you can… Craig’s list or kijiji. As to when to start…EARLY!. around here…people start coming at 7 a.m. Best sales I find are between 7-10 a.m. My general rule of thumb is put things that are alike together. Group in such a way that you know what you just want gone, put a price tag of half to a third more than what you think you can get for it… and if someone looks interested, but unsure say…hey… want to make a deal on that? Stuff that you are less willing to just “get rid of”, put that off a bit so you know what’s what and put a reasonable price on it and stick to that until at least 10:00 a.m. THEN negotiate.
  • Keep a smiling face on all day – and negotiate, but don’t let yourself be pressured into giving up stuff for less than you want. although any money for it is good when it’s just been taking up your space. Have a money apron on so that you have change right with you so that if you’re not at your central table, you can still make that deal right there. Hoard grocery bags for a little while so that you have some to give away, just a little thing that makes people like your sale, and maybe tell someone else. We always sell food as well – krispy kreme doughnuts for a quarter, or free with any purchase over $5.00. Go in with friends. I never have a sale just by myself – at least three friends. That way, there’s more stuff and more variety. If it’s just a baby clothes sale, it’s not going to generate as much traffic as baby clothes, furniture, books, tools, knick knacks, etc…
  • ADVERTISE!!! Even simple things like brightly colored signs on your main crossroads can make a huge difference. I tend to price things fairly low and keep the prices until mid morning. Yes, I will allow bargaining, but not too much right away, because the sale is just getting started. You really do not need to have a long sale either, 4 hours or so from 8-12 should do it. Unless you can get in on a neighborhood sale, then stay open longer. It can help to say that everything will be half price the last hour too, if you really want to move things. I have to keep telling myself that I do NOT want these things anymore and the point is to get rid of them and so therefore, be willing to take lower prices than you had originally intended. I love to find a great deal at yard sales, and like to see others walk away from mine feeling like they scored a treasure too!
  • Try to have one of the first garage sales in your city. All the bargain hunters will be raring to go after having the winter off!

Have you got any tips to add?

Guest Post – eBay Etiquette!

April 14, 2009 By Simply Frugal Leave a Comment

This is a guest post by Simply Frugal reader, Edie! I’m sure you will find this post as inspiring as I have! I can’t help but look around my home now for items to sell! You may contact her at mykidsmum @ hotmail.com (remove spaces) if you have any questions or would like to thank her for her wonderful post!

I am sure you are all familiar with the old adage, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” This is not only true for die hard ‘yard-salers’ but also for die hard eBayers!

Hi everyone, my name is Edie and I am a frequent seller on eBay. I have been selling for 5 years and have experienced the thrill of seeing ‘trash’ purchased as if it was treasure and the grief of a ‘treasure’ sold for the pittance of trash. Being a stay at home mom I felt the need to get creative as to ways I could contribute to our finances. I have a wonderful encouraging husband and 4 wonderful children ages 14-25. I have been homeschooling for the last 12 years, and currently home school my youngest. Having purchased items from eBay in the past, I thought it would be neat to try my hand at selling. I decided to list a pair of dress shoes my daughter never did end up wearing. These were purchased new from a local thrift shop for $2.00. I listed them at auction starting the bid at $9.99 I was excited and very nervous about my very first auction item. I would check the listing every hour sometimes more than that. I think I drove my family crazy! It was pure elation when I saw my shoes get their first bid. The bidding ended with just one bidder but to me that was awesome! I made a $7 return on a $2 item after fees. That was it, the bug had bitten. My eyes began to scan the ‘no longer wanted or needed’ items in my home. The once thought of ‘clutter’ became ‘potential sales.’

If you had ever thought about selling on eBay I would encourage you to take the leap. All it takes is your first sale and then you are pumped for more. I wish I could say it has all been good, but I have also learned some hard lessons, all of which have been wonderful teaching tools in my goal to tweak my business. Allow me to share of few of my tips and suggestions of what I would like to call eBay Etiquette.

1. Make sure the item you are going to sell is clean and free from defects.

2. Be sure to check eBay’s guidelines of what is/is not permitted for selling.

3. If it is clothing, have it looking neat before you take your picture, a wrinkled garment does not look attractive.

4. Whenever possible, have someone model the clothing, you can crop out their face for privacy when uploading the picture to eBay. Very often people want to see how the item looks on someone.

5. Take good quality pictures and describe the item accurately. I can’t stress the importance of this. Take a few pictures at different angles to have a few to choose from. If it is an item with many interesting features, you will want to take pictures of each one. Your ‘gallery picture’ – the picture everyone sees in the search engine is now FREE on EBay. Additional pictures are 15 cents each, but well worth the investment for a higher priced or sought after item. If it has special ‘bells and whistles’ make sure you describe them.

6. I recently purchased cloth covered mannequins to display my clothing and have been so pleased. I posted a want it ad in my local classifieds and it just so happened a local retailer was upgrading their store and getting rid of the older style mannequins. I got these for next to nothing and they have paid for themselves time and time again in sales. Excellent investment if you are serious about selling clothing regularly. And, it is also great for the budding seamstress in your home.

7. Use good communication with your prospective and winning bidders. Answer questions promptly. This is one area where people really appreciate your time. Always be courteous in your correspondence even when they are not.

8. My rule of thumb is start the listing of the item for double of what you paid, that way you will be covering your fees and making a small profit (or large) depending on the number of bids. With that being said, let me point out that I don’t buy anything over $10. I have a few stores that I frequent for quality like new or new clothing. Most of my items are purchased for 3-5 dollars. On occasion I will find a nice clothing item like a coat or special occasion dress that I will buy for $10. I will only do this if it is a sought after brand name etc.

9. Scout out your neighborhood yard sales, garage sales etc. You would be pleasantly surprised at what you can find for next to nothing. Begin with your ‘very own’ garage or basement, everyone has something to sell.

10. Do some research. Go to eBay and check the Want it Now postings. This is a place where people let you know what they are looking for. Usually, these people can’t be bothered with checking through all of eBay’s listings so they just tell you what they want and you can contact them if you have it. As well, it gives you a good idea of what to look for when you go to yard sales or thrift stores.

11. Pack items appropriately. Canada Post has just recently come out with Flat Rate boxes which are great. They also provide heavy duty eBay packing bags for smaller items at a very low cost.

12. Everyone makes mistakes. Let people know that when you do, you will do your best to rectify the situation. As in, if you overcharge for shipping, give a refund for the difference. If you didn’t check your item carefully and it arrives with a stain or rip…offer them a full refund once the item is returned to you or just simply refund their money and let them keep the item. You will not encounter many of these instances but if you do, let them know their satisfaction is paramount. Always be gracious, that will be more powerful than arguing over a lost 3-5 dollars. It isn’t worth it and you will most likely gain a repeat customer from your professional attitude.

13. Have fun! If it isn’t fun it isn’t worth the effort. This is just like playing dress-up for me. I love to put outfits together and give people an idea of what looks good with another one of my store items. This is one of the best hobbies I have engrossed myself in. It is a bit time consuming at the beginning, with learning the ropes etc. But once you get a system down, it is all profitable fun!

14. Take pictures, write your description and list it as soon as possible. Don’t leave items sitting around. They can’t sell if they aren’t listed. Your goal is to recoup your money as quickly as you can.

15. Package your item attractively. I use clear small bags for smaller items (the ones sold at your local co-op stores) It makes the purchase look clean and new. I will use special tissue wrap for specialty items.

16. Have a box or desk set aside for all your eBay paraphernalia. Things you might want to have in there: Scale, packing tape, measuring tape, bubble envelopes, tissue wrap, small plastic bags, marker/pen. Most of these can be purchased very inexpensively at your local dollar store.

17. Don’t give up when you get discouraged. You will get the odd disgruntled customer, the odd lost package etc. These are unavoidable but are few and far between all the wonderful people you will meet in the experience.

I hope this has given you a little glimpse into the basics of being an eBay seller. Perhaps it has tweaked an interest and you are now looking around your home for something to sell. Hmm…the search is on! :) I wish you much success!

A Swagbuck Song!

March 27, 2009 By Simply Frugal Leave a Comment

I found this song via the Swagbucks homepage, and boy is it ever catchy! The Slater sisters, have such great voice harmony!

If you’d like to sign up for Swagbucks, click here!

St. Patty’s Day Pot O’ Swag Hunt

March 17, 2009 By Simply Frugal Leave a Comment

Swagbucks have kicked off their St. Patty’s Day Pot O’ Swag Hunt! Check out their blog to get more details on how you can search for free swag bucks.
If you haven’t signed up with Swagbucks, you really should! I’ve already redeemed some bucks for gift cards. All because I search the web, something I’m sure everyone does everyday!

Ebates – Get cash back for shopping!

March 12, 2009 By Simply Frugal Leave a Comment

Would you love to get cash rebates on your online purchases? Sign-up with Ebates and when you do your shopping from Ebates you can earn cash back from hundreds of online stores you already shop at. This is a great way to get rebates on online purchases you are already making!
As a small bonus when you sign-up they will put $5 into your account. As soon as you make your first $5 purchase through Ebates (from any store that offers cash back) then that $5 is yours plus whatever cash-back percentage offered for that store. So, it’s like a $5 rebate on any item you purchase. You will get that $5 cash back as a check in your mailbox even if you don’t earn any other rebates from Ebates! That’s a fabulous rebate and so easy to do!
How easy is Ebates to use? It’s really only 3 steps:
1. Visit Ebates and sign-up (or sign-in if you are already registered)
2. Type in the name of the store in the top left-hand corner (i.e. Ebay) then click “Search”
3. Click on the store to shop. You will see how much cash back you will earn (3% at Ebay) as well as any coupons that are available to use at that store. Click on the name of the store and you’re on your way to earning that percentage cash back on your purchase!

Ebates is very easy to use, and you can still use coupon codes and get your cash back. The best part is that Ebates gives you the option to receive a check in the mail every 3 months or deposited into your PayPal account when you have at least $5.01 in your Ebates account. There is absolutely no paper work or follow-up for you to do to get your cash rebates, you simply find your online store on Ebates and then click on your store to start your shopping.

I do not use Ebates as a reason or an incentive to make online purchases. I use it as a way to get some cash back on purchases I would normally be making.

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