I'm with you. It just isn't worth it. And two days is about a day and 1/2 too long. Now I call Habitat for Humanity for household stuff and take clothing to the Goodwill truck behind the shopping center just outside our community gate.

I always marked things to sell. Usually nothing over $3. Harry used to get sort of peeved with me because he thinks everything we have is priceless LOL!

More and more people in my city are doing Freecycle. We have great success with it. I like cruising yard sales, but it's a LOT of work. And no matter what the price, some one always offers a lot less.

Actually the printer/scanner we had at our last one got stolen. Go figure.

I needed to hear that today, as I was toying with the idea. Bad idea!! :-)

I made under $50. Argh! What a waste. When I hit the other sales in the neighborhood, they had a LOT of stuff left on their tables too and it was already noon. A few said yesterday was better. I'm sure it was and I'm sure those people wouldn't bother coming back today even though many of us only did Saturday, which is how it traditionally was organized (as a 1-day event).

It's too much work for too little money. I just give stuff away--either to Goodwill, Salvation Army, or local charities.

We had a garage sale...once. I had to bar DH; he'd have given away everything!

Now we donate what's in good condition to Salvation Army and take a tax deduction. That's enough work, getting things clean and ready to go.

Great find on the Vitamix.

A few people posted on Freecycle today to come and get their yard-sale leftovers. So they didn't get rid of everything either....

It's exhausting too, isn't it? Put your feet up and rest.
Good deal on the Vitamix.

I prefer not to have a sale when they have a neighborhood or city-wide sale. Too much competition. I like to choose an "off weekend" when the die-hard garage sale folks have nowhere else to go.

:-)

And at our last sale, I said never again.
And I said it at the sale before that.
And the one before that.
And the one before that.

We can only have two a year (no rain date) and have to pay a fee and get a permit The yard sale nazi comes around and asks for your permit

We are planning one after Father's Day. It will only be one day, Saturday and it will be a family type thing with me fixing food for us to eat and it is an enjoyable time even though all of us will be tired. We will probably have one later in the summer too.

Sue

Too much work for me. Our church has a rummage sale every year and I also take stuff to Goodwillor the SA. Of course, if I wasn't so lazy, I would get rid of a whole lot more.

I just love going to yard sales, but we've had a couple and I swear I will never do it again. I just post all my stuff on Freecycle now and give it away. I refuse to give it to Goodwill because the prices they charge for stuff just ticks me off. I would rather just give it to someone who wants it.

I will go to yours though and love every minute of it.

I used to have a garage sale every year.. some years I made as much as $350. but that was a week's worth of work.. bringing things up, marking and displaying them. The last few years though I barely made enough to cover the newspaper ad. I did a tailgate sale at a church a few weeks ago and made $85. I just took my better stuff and had just 2 tables and the tailgate full. Much less work... think I will do that again next year. Hubby sat with me and he even thought it was kind of fun.

Sorry you didn't do better, but great deal on the Vitamix.

I was thinking of doing a yard sale when I get back from my vacation. Whatever I don't sell I'm going to give to the animal shelter where Lauren volunteers for their annual rummage sale.

I used to have about one a year with friends. I thought it was a lot of fun...and the pitcher of Margaritas we had in the afternoon didn't hurt. LOL When we were going to move from our home to an APT, and had to drastically down-size, a friend who worked for an animal shelter asked if I had anything I would like to donate to their garage sale fund raiser. I told her I probably could come up with something. Boy, were they surprised when I showed up with a pick up full. Boxes of books and sets of dishes and many small appliances. They said the good stuff made a real difference in what they took in and They did me a favor taking the stuff off my hands.
I'm sorry your sale wasn't very profitable. Dottie

I just take my stuff to the local hospice. They have a store in town. They were so good to my sister when her husband was so ill.

Shirley

Interesting.....see....I've never had a yard sale and I never shop them unless I just happen to be jogging past one, then I slow down. I feel like it's intrusive to be looking over peoples personel stuff with a critical eye. :0) On the other hand, I try to go to the thrift store once a week. ARC. I just got a brass candlestick lamp for $1!!!!

i'm another who donates laibrary and such instead of yard sale...this year we had over $500 credit on our income tax...

We've been successful in the two garage sales we've had, but they are a lot of work.

We bought new furniture a couple of months ago and donated our old stuff to an area church. They said they got $900 for it and only raised about $2000 total. We never would have tried to sell it for that much and they hauled it off. We still get the tax deduction so we were happy.

I like to visit Garage Sales. But I held two of my own-never again! I worked for weeks getting things ready to sell. And then people stole from me (one took my cash box and another stole a box of LP records). Still others haggled over price. One woman asked me to "hold" a TV for her-she was going home for the money. She never came back. I was selling a working portable clothes washer for only $40. Nobody wanted it. Since then I've given things away to charities or on Craigslist rather than be tempted to sell them. Too much work and very little profit.

Me toooo!!! We had one over the week end.(at my daughters) I put in some of my new handmade wall hangings including this one ,which is 45 inches square.Someone asked me if I would tale 2.00 for it. Thats when I packed up and went home!!!!!{{!gwi}}

2 bucks! Well I'll at least offer you $5 Caroline!
Just kidding. It really ticks me off when people tell you what **they** will give you for their item. Garage sales are bargains, without dickering with the price.

Some people love garaging just for the haggling, but I can do without it.

Sorry you didn't recoup much money for all your effort, Paula. That is a lot of work for the miniscule amount you made - I agree with the poster that said never have your own garage sale on a weekend where the rest of the street or community is having theirs.
I take items to the Sunday flea market here, it's held outside at a shopping centre. Many vendors and many, many buyers. It's by far the best way to dispose of unwanted items where I live. You just can't beat the amount of traffic it generates. It costs $4 for the space, the only drawback for some is that you must supply your own table.
I have gone twice this year so far, 3rd one coming up next Sunday. The first one I made $130, second $140. Last year I made about $100 every time I went.
I worked as a Caretaker for 4 years and have so many things tucked away that were left behind by tenants. I hope to clear it all out this year and take the remainder to the goodwill.
With a bad kidney, and "no lifting" orders from my doctor, the market has become a challenge this year. I have two helpers, but that's why I hope to sell it all off this year as I hate having to rely on others to get the tables set up, the van loaded etc.
I have even sold items back to the tenant that left them behind on occasion. I remember, but they don't. That is always good for a laugh....
Suzan J

An item is only worth what someone will pay for it. I've seen a lot of overpriced items at garage sales. To me, it is a question of do you want to sell it or not. If I have leftovers, I will have to haul them off to the thrift store so it's in my best interest to take the lower amount. I've seen people who pack it all back up and store it out in the garage again. I don't really understand that. I use garage sales as a way to declutter.

Caroline, your wall hanging is beautiful. I would suggest that a garage sale is not a market to sell 'firsthand' items since most people are there for cheap or bargains. You'd do much better in a craft show.

I kind of agree. I've had several through the years, sometimes making a decent amount and other times not so much. I figure if you added up the time/hours/sweat value for what you put in - you're probably better off giving it to a worthy cause and hopefully given a tax deduction.

(We never ask for a receipt, but probably should. Lately I've just wanted stuff GONE!)

I'm with you Paula. Never again LOL I would rather put stuff at the curb with a sign that said "free" or donate it all to the CDA and they will even come and pick the stuff up.

Caroline, your wall hanging is beautiful.

Anne

I have had a few yard sales here last fall and I did really well. We have a really busy street that runs behind our house (an acre lot) and I had my friend make me up a sandwich board type sign that I put up at the corner. You couldn't miss it going either direction and I had a steady stream of people all day. I'm a plantlady, interior plants in homes, offices etc. When the economy first tanked my company lost some accounts and there were plants coming back to the office from the leases. We had no room....my boss just tosses used plants....I grabbed them and took them home, and put them in the shade of our citrus trees. The first weekend I tried it the big sign only said Used Plants for sale. My roomate sat with me outside for support....he thought no one would come. WRONG! I sold them all and made close to $500.00 in that one day. He asked if we could do it again and add tools to the sign....lol....he made some money the next time. Now instead of trashing the old plants that I replace in accounts....I give them away (to the employees of that company) or I bring them home and store them outside in the shade. So, even though it is a lot of work, I found it to be pretty profitable. I also started dragging out other stuff to sell too and I have my BFF come over (with her stuff) and we just turn up the music and have a good day. Whatever is left is donated. I always have a free box too.....with odds and ends in it..... oh and kids toys.....they get to take something home for free. The leftovers are donated and the plants go back under the shade of the trees till the next time. I was going to have one today but BFF flaked on me. Maybe tomorrow.
One other thing that I loved about it was that I got to meet folks in the neighborhood. In CA I have found that it isn't as neighborly as other places I have lived. People tend stick to themselves and occasionally wave hello but that's it. I met my NEIGHBORS!!!

I have done the one and only yard sale . Few years back, we, no I decided to have a yard sale. Hubby was working that day, doorbell was ringing at 5:30 in the morning. Had tons of stuff. Made about 900.00 by 10, and then I look around some furniture, and lots of my clothes left. All my clothes are size 6 and smalls. Knew I was not going to lug all that stuff back in. Put up a huge sign in the yard, everything is 10 cents and you pay on the honor system. Word got out around the other yard sales and cars started flying in. Sold stove for a dime, lounge chair, bicycle, , all all the size 6 clothes. Only thing left at 11 was an electric foot massage, and someone rang the bell at 12 and ask how much, told her it was free. Funny when I dropped to a dime, lots of folks were leaving more than a dime for their items. It was wonderful that at the end. I had nothing to do, but pull the cars back in the yard. I left the honor box in the driveway, and was rather shocked to see there was almost 200.00 in it. Had figured it would make 20.00, at that point I really didn't care about the money, so there were honest folks making the sales. After this, we have just boxed it all up and taken it to the goodwill. It has been a good policy to empty closets at least every three months and it sure helps keeping things organized.