When you hold a garage sale, you have certain expectations. You expect to sell items, you expect to make money, you expect your hard work will be rewarded, and that people who stop at your sale will make a purchase. Unfortunately, not all stories have a happy ending. The same is true with garage sales. Bad garage sales happen.
Yesterday I held a sale on my front lawn with high expectations. The weather was decent, I put out lots of stuff to sell, traffic was good on my street, I placed several floor model radios on the curb to slow down traffic and attract shoppers, and for the first time I hired a person to help me set up and take down the sale. My thinking was that my sales would more than make up for this expense. Oh, how wrong I was! It turned out to be one of my worst Saturday sales.
It started out promising. I had all my rummage and all my tables stored in the garage, so I loaded up my station wagon with tables, drove them to the front, then set them up. Next, I drove back to the garage, loaded up my rummage, then returned to the front yard. It was a quick and easy start. I was soon ready for customers.
Sales were slow in the morning, but that did not worry me. I assumed things would pick up. They never did.
The majority of people who stopped were lookers, not buyers. Although traffic was heavy on my street, only a small percentage of cars stopped. My floor radios did stop traffic occasionally, but no radios were sold. No "big ticket" items sold. I had a couple of ten dollar sales. At the end of the day, I had sold $42 in rummage. And then I had to haul all the tables and unsold rummage back indoors. The phrase "adding insult to injury" comes to mind.
So what went wrong? First, I ignored what I already knew -- that late July and all of August are the worst times to hold a sale. People are not in the mood. I should have waited until September. And I learned heavy traffic does not translate into customers. That's only when cars stop in front of your house and people get out. My other downfall was having too many "vintage" items and not enough "practical" stuff. My furniture sold well, including a nice step-ladder. Glassware sold. Placemats sold. People were looking for bargains in household items they needed. They were looking to buy used, rather than new, but only if they had a use and a place for it.
This autopsy of my garage sale I take as a lesson in my continuing education. I will learn from the experience and do better next time. That's about all you can do when your garage sale goes bad.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Selling at a Flea Market
This past Sunday, I got up at 4:30 am to sell at the Medina flea market in Hamel, which runs every Sunday from 6 am to noon. This was my first time this year as a seller, usually I prefer to go there and buy. The flea market was at capacity because of the great weather. I think there were about 250 vendors.
My sales were decent. I had 3 sales of $20 or more, and most others were from one to five dollars. It cost $20 to set up. With so much to see, customers usually give you a one-minute walk by, unless something catches their eye. That's why I try to have a variety of rummage, including a box of 25-cent toys for kids. You have to have wide appeal. Many people did stop or slow-down to look at the 30+ framed vintage photos I had on display. Sold an 8 by 10 photo from the 30's of a guy in a casket along with some military photos. Will try selling there again later this year.
My sales were decent. I had 3 sales of $20 or more, and most others were from one to five dollars. It cost $20 to set up. With so much to see, customers usually give you a one-minute walk by, unless something catches their eye. That's why I try to have a variety of rummage, including a box of 25-cent toys for kids. You have to have wide appeal. Many people did stop or slow-down to look at the 30+ framed vintage photos I had on display. Sold an 8 by 10 photo from the 30's of a guy in a casket along with some military photos. Will try selling there again later this year.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Try Some Marketing
Earlier this garage sale season, I purchased an analog television set with a built-in dvd player. The couple I bought it from had it on the floor of their dark garage, no price, and you had to look hard to tell it played dvd's. They were asking $10 for it. I offered $8 and also purchased season 1 of Golden Girls on dvd for $2, so they got their $10. Took it home, set it up in my bedroom; it worked fine.
As I already had a dvd player connected to my other tv set, I decided to sell this one at my first lawn sale. But I also decided I was going to make some money off of it. Here is what I did:
I created a descriptive marketing sign for the tv screen. It read: 22" Screen DVD Player; Works Great; Easy to use: turn on power, insert dvd, press: play; comes with remote; perfect for bedroom, kitchen, office, family room; easy for kids to use. $35
When I had my lawn sale, I placed it on a table so it was easy to see, and I placed the sales sheet on the screen. The first people who stopped at the sale bought it. They offered $25, I countered with $30. SOLD.
Marketing makes a difference. If you really want to sell an item, display it properly, post the facts & benefits, tell how they might use it, and price it right. This is a key to garage sale success and profits.
As I already had a dvd player connected to my other tv set, I decided to sell this one at my first lawn sale. But I also decided I was going to make some money off of it. Here is what I did:
I created a descriptive marketing sign for the tv screen. It read: 22" Screen DVD Player; Works Great; Easy to use: turn on power, insert dvd, press: play; comes with remote; perfect for bedroom, kitchen, office, family room; easy for kids to use. $35
When I had my lawn sale, I placed it on a table so it was easy to see, and I placed the sales sheet on the screen. The first people who stopped at the sale bought it. They offered $25, I countered with $30. SOLD.
Marketing makes a difference. If you really want to sell an item, display it properly, post the facts & benefits, tell how they might use it, and price it right. This is a key to garage sale success and profits.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
My First Lawn Sale
My first lawn sale of the year was Saturday, July 3 and had a patriotic theme. My lawn signs read: "Buy American Rummage" and "Celebrate Your Freedom to Buy Rummage." Sales were decent; not the best ever (or the worst). Often, a holiday weekend is not the best time to have a sale, but this one worked out ok. As usual, I had a wide variety of merchandise. Sold lots of stuff that was just sitting in my garage and basement, including an old 80s stereo system. Love turning clutter into cash!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Lamp Lights Up My Life
About a month or so ago I purchased an old table lamp at a lawn sale a few blocks from my house. The lamp has a dark brown heavy metal ornate base, a large globe top with etchings, and about 25 crystals hang from the globe. Mint condition. The only way you could tell it was old was from the electric cord.
It was a front yard / back yard sale, and this lamp was "lost" in the back yard sitting on top of a tall filing cabinet. I doubt many people had seen it. Worst place ever to display it. I took it down and looked it over. Very clean. It had 2 small price stickers on it. One read 4--- and the other had 2---, so it appeared they were asking two dollars.
I talked to a woman running the sale about it. She said that she did not own it. She was selling it for a friend. And she said it came from an antique shop. I bought it for two dollars, placed it on a table at home, and kind of forgot about it, until David, my antique dealer friend arrived to look at my recent purchases.
For starters, David said each of the 25 crystals were worth $3 each, and he said the lamp, which was likely made in the 1920s, was quite valuable, at least two hundred dollars. An excellent find. I am hanging on to it while David tries to come up with more info on it.
Here's what I think happened: I believe the lamp was actually priced to sell at $200, but both the seller and I thought the sticker meant $2. My guess is the original price was $400. Think about it: Who would sell an old lamp in mint condition for just $2? The dealer certainly would have known the crystals alone were worth much more than that. And who marks a lamp down in price from $4 to $2? Reducing it in price from $400 to $200 is much more likely. I think the owner simply failed to tell the woman running the sale that the price was $200.
So I have a genuine bargain on my hands. It proves you can buy an item worth several hundred dollars for just a few bucks at a garage sale. Doesn't happen often, but it does happen. That's what keeps people going to garage sales.
It was a front yard / back yard sale, and this lamp was "lost" in the back yard sitting on top of a tall filing cabinet. I doubt many people had seen it. Worst place ever to display it. I took it down and looked it over. Very clean. It had 2 small price stickers on it. One read 4--- and the other had 2---, so it appeared they were asking two dollars.
I talked to a woman running the sale about it. She said that she did not own it. She was selling it for a friend. And she said it came from an antique shop. I bought it for two dollars, placed it on a table at home, and kind of forgot about it, until David, my antique dealer friend arrived to look at my recent purchases.
For starters, David said each of the 25 crystals were worth $3 each, and he said the lamp, which was likely made in the 1920s, was quite valuable, at least two hundred dollars. An excellent find. I am hanging on to it while David tries to come up with more info on it.
Here's what I think happened: I believe the lamp was actually priced to sell at $200, but both the seller and I thought the sticker meant $2. My guess is the original price was $400. Think about it: Who would sell an old lamp in mint condition for just $2? The dealer certainly would have known the crystals alone were worth much more than that. And who marks a lamp down in price from $4 to $2? Reducing it in price from $400 to $200 is much more likely. I think the owner simply failed to tell the woman running the sale that the price was $200.
So I have a genuine bargain on my hands. It proves you can buy an item worth several hundred dollars for just a few bucks at a garage sale. Doesn't happen often, but it does happen. That's what keeps people going to garage sales.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
A Visit from David
Yesterday I wrote about how I relied upon my friend David, an antique dealer, for assistance in pricing some of the items I purchase at garage sales. Well, he paid me a visit last night.
In preparation for his visit, I moved all my finds to the kitchen table so he could examine them. I ended up with about a dozen items for him to look at. Visions of dollar signs danced in my head.
I was most interested in his opinion as to the value of the two bowls I had purchased for $2.50 each last week. After looking at them carefully, he said they were both Carnival glass, a bowl from the depression era, and an ornate dish, made later. David estimated the value at each between $25 and $35 each.
David also appraised two ceramic planters at about $5 each. An old pictured titled "The Fisherman" was worth $10 at least. And some early metal roller skates with leather straps and a key were worth about $10. I had paid $1 for each of these items. I had also purchased a shoebox containing 10 early Christmas bubble lights and a dozen small Christmas bulb lights. He suggested I price the bubble lights at $30 and maybe $5 for the bulbs. I had paid $3 for the entire box of lights.
The big surprise of the night was the value of an old lamp I had purchased. I will write about that in my next posting.
In preparation for his visit, I moved all my finds to the kitchen table so he could examine them. I ended up with about a dozen items for him to look at. Visions of dollar signs danced in my head.
I was most interested in his opinion as to the value of the two bowls I had purchased for $2.50 each last week. After looking at them carefully, he said they were both Carnival glass, a bowl from the depression era, and an ornate dish, made later. David estimated the value at each between $25 and $35 each.
David also appraised two ceramic planters at about $5 each. An old pictured titled "The Fisherman" was worth $10 at least. And some early metal roller skates with leather straps and a key were worth about $10. I had paid $1 for each of these items. I had also purchased a shoebox containing 10 early Christmas bubble lights and a dozen small Christmas bulb lights. He suggested I price the bubble lights at $30 and maybe $5 for the bulbs. I had paid $3 for the entire box of lights.
The big surprise of the night was the value of an old lamp I had purchased. I will write about that in my next posting.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Ask An Expert !
I do know a lot about garage sales and selling, but when it comes to pricing some vintage or potentially valuable items, I ask my friend, David, for advice. He is an antique dealer and can easily distinguish what is valuable from what is not. And he also knows other dealers, if he is stumped, and has tons of books on every aspect of collectibles. I have learned a great deal from him.
As I prepare for my first lawn sale, I have a box of items that I want David to look over. For example, last weekend I purchased 2 old bowls for $2.50 each. The seller told me that everything came from a relative's farm in Wisconsin and was at least 50 years old. The bowls I purchased are in mint condition and have to be worth much more than I paid for them. I suspect that the seller made a major financial error with incorrect pricing by not having a knowledgeable person look at the offerings first. That's how and why you find bargains at garage sales.
Bottom line: If you are going to sell something that may be valuable, do your homework before putting a price tag on it.
As I prepare for my first lawn sale, I have a box of items that I want David to look over. For example, last weekend I purchased 2 old bowls for $2.50 each. The seller told me that everything came from a relative's farm in Wisconsin and was at least 50 years old. The bowls I purchased are in mint condition and have to be worth much more than I paid for them. I suspect that the seller made a major financial error with incorrect pricing by not having a knowledgeable person look at the offerings first. That's how and why you find bargains at garage sales.
Bottom line: If you are going to sell something that may be valuable, do your homework before putting a price tag on it.
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