If you did not read How to run a garage sale, part I, please scroll down two posts for the back story.

The garage sale I ran for my Mom Saturday went well, though some of the really good stuff did not sell. It always amazes me what people will and won’t buy. We had a steady stream of customers from 8:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. At 11 a.m. traffic fell off a cliff.

What sold and for how much:

$22 – acoustic guitar with soft case (orig $50 before I realized it had a partially cracked neck)

$5 ea – two bowling balls (to a couple who said they have a “bowling ball garden” in their backyard. Gotta love the funky Berkeley types.)

$.25 ea – dollhouse furniture that was fairly beat up and not too clean after gathering dust for 20 years in my Mom’s attic

$3-$5 – heavy coffee table books

$5 – heat lamp

$20 – mountain bike. After it sold, two more customers said they wanted to buy it. One guy even told me he would have paid $30!

$15 – mini fridge. I had an extension cord to demonstrate it worked.

$4 – solid oak chair painted a tacky baby blue with pink splatters

$1 ea – used pet beds

$1 ea – kids toys

$1 (orig $2 to $3) puzzles and games

$1 – $2 – wood picture frames

Many misc. items

What didn’t sell:

$5 (orig $15) – a breadmaker, even though I marked it down many times. Probably should have started at $8 to $10.

$10 (orig $15) – a brand spankin’ new Cannondale Camelback. I’m carting it back to LA because I’m determined I can sell it.

$.50 to $3 – hardly any of the clothes

$10 – two full size kayak paddles

$5 – tire chains

$3 (orig $5) – Pirates of the Caribbean: curse of the black pearl DVD

$100 – Selmer clarinet (we made the mistake of not listing it in the Craigstlist add)

$1 – cowboy hats

$15 – a plug-in crepe maker

What didn’t sell because I put it aside for myself:

• A pair of gently used Cole Haan black loafers. Score!
• A floppy-brim straw hat that is very lady like
• A wooden hand massager that I can use for a gift
• Two small mason jars that will be great for storing leftovers
• A bright red sushi tray that my neighbor will love
• A red and white floral top

What worked:

• Displaying things on tables and benches so people did not have to get down on the ground to look at items
• Being friendly but not in-your-face
• Accepting most price cuts when customers suggested them
• Group items my category. Originally I recommended folks group items by price. But this only works for small sales. My Mom had enough stuff that it made more sense to group by category – sports equipment, kitchenware, furniture, clothes, books, etc.
• Marking everything with price stickers
• Advertising on Craigslist

What I would have done differently:

• Drop prices earlier. When I cut prices at 11 a.m. it was too late. I should have started dropping prices on items that nobody was showing interest in, like a 4-drawer dresser for $15, at 10 a.m.

In total we sold about half of the stuff. Another 45 percent got picked up by curb crawlers. Once you say something is free, it becomes very valuable!

The last 5 percent I loaded in my Mom’s trunk to take to Goodwill. Our total haul was $217.80. Not too shabby!

Tagged: garage sale, Home and garden on Monday, May 11, 2009 · 8 Comments »