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debodun

Garage Sales Have Changed in the Last 20 Years

debodun
7 years ago

I am attempting to liquidate the contents of a house I inherited. My mom was a collector (more like hoarder) and really liked her Depression glass and Asian and European porcelains. There are some nice pieces of furniture and art in there, too.

I used to help her with sales she had after my dad passed in 1983 right up until she got ill (early 1990s). Back then, when we had a sale, the front yard looked like St. Peter's Square on Easter morning and we didn't even have to advertise. It wasn't unusual for her to make $500 to $600 on a weekend. Now that I'm doing it, I'm lucky to make $30 to $50 for a weekend's work. Maybe 10 cars will stop and I advertise on Facebook, Craig's List, eBay classifieds, local newspaper and a regional classified magazine. It seems that $2 is about the cut-off cap on what people are willing to spend on any item at an estate sale. Victorian and dark wood furniture aren't selling nor is Depression glass.

I tried auctions and estate liquidators. They say they aren't selling either and are reticent about taking anything that isn't "high end" antiques. One person that stopped said I should just get a roll-off dumpster and put everything in it!

What has caused the change in the antiques market?


(photos are some interior shots of the house and some pics of a recent sale I had)











Comments (68)

  • PRO
    MDLN
    7 years ago

    I think what has changed is widespread use of Ebay and Craigslist.

  • lindac92
    7 years ago

    Of course you are right....and garage sales are now trying to get antique store prices....
    Price it right and it WILL sell> Debodun the prices I can read on your items are waaay too high for a garage sale. And when you have most things too high, people will walk in and turn around and leave....and not return again to your sale the next time you have one.

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  • lilacinjust
    7 years ago

    Definitely price at bottom bargain. Price things in groups where people get bulk discounts. At the end of the sale, you'll have money in your pocket and hopefully, very little to pull back into the house.

    Unless you can find that small niche of people who find value in your goods, they will be sitting around collecting dust forever.

  • VedaBeeps SoCal 9b/10a
    7 years ago

    It must be your area because estate sales and yard sales are absolute zoos here. For an estate sale that starts at 7 I have to get up at 4 and be in line by 5 to be in the first 30 or so people. There are usually at least 100 in line by the time the sale starts- more for a really good sale with lots of pictures in the ad.


    try contacting online dealers in your area (find them on etsy and ebay.) we're not limited by local market fluctuations. Be prepared to sell at dealer prices.

  • patty_cakes42
    7 years ago

    Take pictures of your glassware and some of the smaller collections, and go to your local antique mall. Ask the manager if there might be any vendors who would be interested in purchasing the lot. Print out the pictures, adding a phone number or email address, and leave several. He/she may know customers who are collectors.

  • anoriginal
    7 years ago

    Enjoy GOING to yard sales but HATE having them! When neighbor started organizing one around this time each summer... sorta felt obligated to participate?!? Last time had a few "big ticket" items. A LARGE dog crate, a 5-6 person wooden toboggan, and an insert to turn sliding glass door into pet door. EACH of these items cost $150 or more when new, were "gently used" and fully functional. I even printed out pictures of similar items from online sites... with prices. Put sign on each on... $40 OBO and didn't get a single nibble?? When I finally got sufficiently bored, loaded EVERYTHING into back of car and took it as a donation to local Good Will.

    Have NEVER made any money, to speak of, doing a yard sale.

  • debodun
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    lindac92 - the prices I can read on your items are waaay too high for a garage sale.


    What does the venue have to do with the price? In other words, if a piece of Depression glass is $20 in an antique shop, why won't people pay that for it at a garage sale? Shouldn't the value be the same no matter where it's for sale?

  • lilacinjust
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I think the venue affects how much people are willing to pay. I think most people who buy at garage sales expect bargains, while people who go to antique stores are generally looking to collect items which they know have value to those who collect them.

    I think the seller's intent is, or should be different. My sense is that garage sales should be viewed as an opportunity to put all your "stuff"-that you no longer want or need, or is no longer useful to you-on the curb/lawn/driveway, priced to MOVE, so people get it the hell off your hands, and you don't have to tow it away or worse, pay someone to take it.

    If you make a little pocket money, great. Your stuff's "value" is quite subjective, and as someone who's owned and cherished it, your view might be a tad skewed. I always figure that the money I've spent on my belongings is spent. Gone. I never expect that my used belongings have any investment value, and maybe I can pennies on the dollar, but why bother? I'd rather donate and take the tax credit if possible.

  • maddielee
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    "What does the venue have to do with the price? In other words, if a piece of Depression glass is $20 in an antique shop, why won't people pay that for it at a garage sale? Shouldn't the value be the same no matter where it's for sale?"

    Has that $20.00 antique store piece sold? And if it has, did the buyer pay $20.? I know that any antique store I frequent will come down on marked prices.

    I just did a quick search of completed auctions on eBay. I searched "pink depression glass". Very few pieces with an over 10.00 starting bid have sold. The few auctions that have sold higher then 20.00 have been lots with numerous pieces.

    might be time to add up what your total take would be if someone came in and bought everything you want to sell. Divide that number in half (or more, because your prices are high) and ask yourself if it's worth the time and effort to keep trying to sell.

    I want to add that antique stores have been struggling now for years. Most in my area of Central Florida have closed. There is one antique mall with numerous vendors that is holding on. The owner is a friend and she says they are able to stay open only because of the rent that the booth owners are paying. There is a big turnover of booth owners, mostly because people think they can sell,their 'stuff' but quickly find out that the market for 'stuff' is not there.

  • lindac92
    7 years ago

    The venue has everything to do with the price.
    Yard sales are the "wholesale" of the antique market.
    In a shop, that same item will sit on a shelf and be exposed to every shopper for months until the right buyer comes along....and the shop owner is paying heat lights and dusting items all that time.
    At a garage or yard sale, you expect to sell about half of all you show in a 2 day period....and price it accordingly. If a shop sells half it's inventory in a month, they would hang out a flag and cheer.
    And a garage sale-er who displays some of the same merchandise sale after sale soon becomes ignored.. In planning out my run to the sales, I often don't even visit those who have a sale every 5 or 6 weeks.
    And a good shop has carefully chosen merchandise ( one hopes!) while a yard sale is just for getting rid of stuff no longer used.

    For example would you expect to pay the same for a Haviland Limoges cup and saucer in a shoppe in say Geneva Illinois as you would at the Kane County Fairgrounds flea market?

  • debodun
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    When I sent my mother's "Wizard of Oz" plate series to auction, they got $2 for the set of 6. My mom paid $25 EACH for those! I have a "South Pacific" character plate and can't sell it for $2.

    A few years ago, there were several thrift, collectible and consignment shops in the city nearest to me. Since then, all have gone belly-up but one of them. I stopped in there last year and he had a set of "Honeymooners" collector's plates at $5 each.

  • maddielee
    7 years ago

    More then likely your mother thought that those 'collector' plates would appreciate in value. Many people did. Many people still think buying a Franklin Mint item is a good investment, it's not.

    Whenever something is sold new as a 'collectable to be' and there are thousands made saying they are a 'limited edition' I cringe because I know people still fall for it.

  • lindac92
    7 years ago

    those series of collector plates were junk from the moment they were made. They were sold as "limited editions"....yeah sure! Editions of thousands!
    Shops that deal in "collectables" will go belly up. While those dealing in quality antiques that are rare by virtue of their scaricity and age will keep their value>
    As you are learning, you can't sell stuff no one wants....and collectors plates are top of the list....followed closely by decorative figurines and antique reproductions. They have no value. Value is determined by the number of people who want to own an item.....which translates into what they will pay.....as in bidding at an auction.
    Which is why that set of Wizard of Oz plates only brought $2....and the buyer will put them out for $1 each and make a few bucks.
    But....remember auctions and yard sales are the wholesale of the antiques business.

  • lilacinjust
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    It really is a paradigm shift for many people who grew up in a very different culture, where all those collectables were valued and displayed with pride and joy.

    "As baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, start cleaning out attics and basements, many are discovering that millennials, born between 1980 and 2000, are not so interested in the lifestyle trappings or nostalgic memorabilia they were so lovingly raised with.

    Thanks, Mom, but I really can’t use that eight-foot dining table or your king-size headboard.

    Josh and Kelly Phillips rent a 700-square-foot apartment in Shaw, which they keep free of clutter. (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post)

    Whether becoming empty nesters, downsizing or just finally embracing the decluttering movement, boomers are taking a good close look at the things they have spent their life collecting. Auction houses, consignment stores and thrift shops are flooded with merchandise, much of it made of brown wood. Downsizing experts and professional organizers are comforting parents whose children appear to have lost any sentimental attachment to their adorable baby shoes and family heirloom quilts.

    To make matters worse, young adults don’t seem to want their own college textbooks, sports trophies or T-shirt collections, still entombed in plastic containers at their parents’ homes.

    The 20- and 30-somethings don’t appear to be defined by their possessions, other than their latest-generation cellphones."

    This Washington Post article really crystalized it for me. I have a few things of my mother's that no one treasures anymore, and I had to accept that their only meaning is sentimental now.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/boomers-unwanted-inheritance/2015/03/27/0e75ff6e-45c4-11e4-b437-1a7368204804_story.html

    debodun thanked lilacinjust
  • debodun
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Looks like that WP article says it all - a shift in what people want these days. I take it that things that were hot items 40 year ago, like Depression glass, McCoy pottery and knickknacks have become "white elephants". It's like having wallpaper in your house. Nobody wants that today. Just sheet rock painted one solid pastel color.

    Quite a few people that stop ask consistently for these items - precious metals (and will only give a fraction of scrap value), military memorabilia, vintage sports collectibles and old hunting and fishing equipment (lures, guns, etc.). I had silver dollars for sale and had a tough time selling and I was only asking $20 apiece for them. One man said they were only worth "melt value" which was about $10 and he couldn't pay that and make a profit. "What about the beauty and historic value I asked him?" He just made a raspberry noise. I still have them.

    One of my problems people say is that I don't ship (like selling on eBay). I like people to see what they are buying in person, then there's no complaints that "it got broken - I want my money back" or "that's not what I expected".


  • lilacinjust
    7 years ago

    Yes, when you sell on Ebay you need to insure and of course, pack well. You can make the item "no returns", which is plenty reasonable if you take a lot of photos.

    I think you get the biggest pool of potential buyers on Ebay.

  • lindac92
    7 years ago

    I will not bid on anything labeled "no returns". I have twice been burned by an item that was not as described, and had to go the route of involving eBay's help.
    And when considering what to bid on eBay...I always consider the shipping costs as part of the price....and ignore the listings where the shipping seems high.
    However, I have a friend who bought some Lenox china. Something like 6 small plates and a serving bowl. All she really needed was 2 of the small plates, but the price was better than she could buy 2 plates for on Replacements.
    When it arrived, it had had the "minimum wrap" treatment and the bowl was broken....but it was insured. And insurance paid her full replacement costs on the bowl.....which easily paid for her whole purchase.
    It's a racket for sure....

  • debodun
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Exactly why I don't use eBay! Too complicated and too much potential trouble.

  • nyboy
    7 years ago

    I collect many things and buy a lot on Ebay. You should always check the sellers ratings. I only buy from sellers with a rating above a 95.

  • maddielee
    7 years ago

    I'm hoping the link below will help with finding the value of the silver dollars you have. If they are dated before 1936 they hold a higher value.

    I'm not sure of the pic that you posted above, those look like gold coins of some sort. Could they have been another 'collectable' that your mother purchased?

    Silver dollar values


  • debodun
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    They are silver. I think they look gold because of the lighting.

  • lindac92
    7 years ago

    The fact that you think eBay is too complicated is high on the list of why you are not successful at getting rid of that house full of stuff. You don't know what sells and for what price.
    Check out some of your items on eBay....you may learn a lot!


  • Embothrium
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    The pricing and venue will be critical, I've always seen garage sales here as people getting rid of junk they probably shouldn't have bought in the first place. On those occasions when valuable items found at a garage sale are shown on Antiques Roadshow the party bringing them pretty much always paid far below the appraised value. Often w-a-a-a-y below.

    Persons helping my girlfriend reduce her extensive collection are doing it using e-bay. Much of it is large objects, even vehicles and machinery or components thereof that interested parties have to come and inspect, pick up on site. But so far the initial publicizing and subsequent interactions are all via computer, rather than putting out road signs etc., standing there waiting for people to show up at random.

  • chas045
    7 years ago

    Yes, a garage sale is its own thing. People are looking for useful things at a low price. Forty to ten years ago I used to attend 20 to 40 a weekend traversing my local neighborhoods. Yes, some people had semi antiques but they usually didn't sell then either. I would guess that people don't actually know the value of such items and (perhaps unjustified) think an antique store to be a wiser place to buy. Some people are looking in general like me and others were looking for specific things (some people love and need baby clothes while most don't) but we all enjoyed a bargain. Some people took this too far and seemed to only be out to see if they could get a seller to lower their prices when the sale was already at the low end.

    I did not attend sales that repeated unless it had been years. I often stopped at sales similar to yours and almost always moved on as soon as I could get a feel of 'mostly antique-ish' with high end pricing. When almost nothing was marked, I would grab a hammer or something and ask a price. When found high I said thanks and got back in my car. Attempted negotiation with a seller who 'knows or feels' what something is worth, is insulting to the seller and a waste of time to the buyer. It is better for both to move on.

  • PRO
    Anglophilia
    7 years ago

    The young have no interest in antiques, no matter how "high end" they are, nor in "collectibles". They want their homes to look like the ones on HGTV and they like to change their furniture and decor the way most of us change the sheets on the bed.

    Something is "worth" what someone is willing to pay for it. You have two choices: price it low and get rid of it, or box it up and let the next generation deal with selling it.

    When women started working full-time, they no longer had the time to "tweek" their homes and spend their days going to antique shops (junky ones) looking for treasure, or weekends at estate/garage sales. Cleaning help is also hard to find, and the more "stuff" one has, the harder it is - no one wants to dust it.

    I think it's too bad as a home with individuality will be remembered where one that looks like an upscale hotel will not. My home has been my life's work, along with raising my children and making a home for my now late husband. I enjoy every single thing in it. My own children do like antiques but have a lot of their own, and I'm sure most of my things will go to auction as I doubt my 4 grandchildren will have any interest in them. I just try not to think about it an just hope that my "things" bring as much pleasure to whomever buys them some day, as they have to me.

  • Debbie Downer
    7 years ago

    I still love flea markets (the good ones) and antique malls but I dont bother going to yard or garage sales anymore. Back in the 80s people were emptying out their attics of family stuff dating back man years and you could find things that were old and/or interesting. But now - maybe one out of 50 sales have anything interesting at all - most of it is stuff I wouldnt even want if someone gave it to me. Who's got the time!

    In our university town we have the phenomenon called "Hippie Christmas" - lots of junk thrown out on the curb onwhen students move. Thats actually where Ive gotten some of my best bargains - including some great fixer upper antique oak tables & such.

    btw the difference in garage sale and antique store prices is simple economics - law of supply and demand. Your odds of someone happening to come by your sale whos willing to pay higher prices are significantly less than if it was sitting in an antique store. Craigslist too - lots of stuff there way over priced - I might pay it if I was in antique store and the color, finish, condition was exactly right and I fell in love with it (it happens occasionally) But some blurry picture where I have to go contact some stranger and drive somewhere to see it - just wont bother unless its something exceptional.


  • Nat Kay
    7 years ago

    I think Anglophilia is right about younger generations not being interested in antiques. While I am sure there is expectation to the rule, generally I think people look more towards a clutter free lifestyle. Few decorative pieces here and there sure but excessive knickknacks is not something I see often unless it is at a much older persons home. Im always de-cluttering my house and donating items regularly to local charity shops in my area

  • lindac92
    7 years ago

    I think you are both wrong about the Millenials not wanting antiques. The sales I attend, the young people who are furnishing their first home are outbidding me on the old oak pieces.


  • kittymoonbeam
    7 years ago

    We were in IKEA Saturday and it was packed with millennials. They want instant and they want new. I want what grandma had and there's nothing at IKEA besides light bulbs and candles and that yummy cardamom toast that calls to me. I love antique stores and all the fun objects. Someone is going to want it. Just not right now. Years from now, it's going to be wonderful glass, wonderful China, wonderful old frames and tables and kitchen goodies. Heart of Ohio in Ohio is a huge place that is full of glass. I'd call them and see if they can refer you to a dealer. It shouldn't go to the dump. Remember Teddy Roosevelt said break down that Tiffany screen in the White House. I'm sad to see antique shops close. Meanwhile people buy furniture made of presswood and chemicals and think it's wonderful. Phooey!

  • Nat Kay
    7 years ago

    @lindac92 refinishing old furniture is quite hot on the market right now so I am not surprised, up-cycling. But generally I don't see that trend towards things like knick-knacks and such. Old frames yes, old furniture definitely

  • PRO
    Anglophilia
    7 years ago

    One Millennial was quoted in the NYTImes as saying that his generation are "nomads". They change jobs as often as their socks and think nothing of moving cross country...with nothing but their clothes. They do not want to be tied down by "things". I think that may include spouses and children!

  • sylviatexas1
    7 years ago

    Time may change their views.

    The Woodstock generation moved around a lot, too, albeit in a vastly different way, & they eventually settled down & raised families, & look what happened:

    they've become the older generation, cleaning out the attics & begging their disinterested offspring to take some of their treasures!

  • PRO
    Anglophilia
    7 years ago

    I just re-read this entire thread. I think that while we're all using the same words, we're not always talking about the same things. If we're talking about grandma's 1950's Drexel french provincial dining furniture that she is trying to force on her grandchildren, it's very different than if she has an antique triple pedestal mahogany table, and an 18th century period mahogany sideboard with exquisite inlay on the top. The Drexel was never more than middle of the road quality, even in its heyday, and the style IS dated. It is used furniture with sentimental value, nothing more. On the other hand, grandmother's fine antique furniture will NEVER be out of style - it is timeless, and the grandchildren need to learn how one CAN combine contemporary and antiques if both are of equal quality. Someday, they will deeply regret turning up their noses at this lovely furniture.

    The same is true of accessories. Many a grandmother had cabinets full of gewgaws, a mix of this and that, most of no particular value, other than to it's owner. But that other grandmother with a fabulous collection of antique snuff boxes or vinaigrettes - now that stuff has value and can be used in a way that is compatible with a more minimalist, contemporary style.

    My mother had good upholstered furniture and I've kept every single piece. It was NOT expensive when she bought it in 1940, but it is superior by today's quality. Her wood pieces were some inherited walnut Victorian pieces (from my father's old family home), and a dining room set she bought in the early 1950's. I used many of the walnut chests and a walnut bed until I could afford better - it was excellent quality and had a degree of charm, if not my taste. It was much better than what I could afford, which was not much! Over the years, it was replaced with pieces we inherited from my husband's parents, and a few pieces we purchased. My mother did not mind at all - she would have preferred what I have now if it had been possible for her.

    If there is ever a reason to stick with "timeless" it is this. I look at some of the "contemporary" sterling silver patterns of the 50's and 60's - hideous and no one wants them for good reason. A BAD choice. The same is true of some fine china - if they'd only just stuck with classic patterns, someone might want this, but they didn't and no one does. Good design is always timeless; much of the other trendy stuff will one day look as dated as a Harvest Gold or Avocado Green refrigerator.

  • lindac92
    7 years ago

    I agree!....But there is a bit of me that says that some day someone will be mad for that sterling with the swoop and the star engraving> I have lived longenough to see what I thought was an awful set of Homer Laughlan dishes with Spitnik-like designs become a desired pattern.
    But I still see that 1930's Jacobean revival furniture being snapped up....and I am sure that one day my Kling solid cherry "colonial" bedroom set will be too.
    Meanwhile I will love the Empire, Victorian and Edwardian stuff I have.

  • sylviatexas1
    7 years ago

    yep.

    In 50 years, that 50 year old French Provincial will be 100 years old, enjoying a status now occupied by Victorian, Edwardian, etc.

    I once read a sad comment on another forum.

    The writer said that her daughter isn't interested in her (the writer's) antiques, having grown up with them & being bored stiff with all things old, so the daughter won't have any antiques to pass along to *her* children or grandchildren, because everything new is made out of particleboard & put together by the purchaser.

    It'll all dissolve before it becomes an antique or vintage piece.


  • K Sissy
    7 years ago

    Try EBTH. You might be able to sell some of your things there. You might also consider having a booth at an antiques mall. You don't have to be there, your things would be safe inside, with someone who wks there taking the payment for your things when they are sold.

  • littlebug zone 5 Missouri
    7 years ago

    I guess I'm late to this party. But I have a comment to make.

    I have been going to garage sales for years. YEARS. You asked what difference the venue makes when selling an item? EVERYTHING.

    People who go to garage sales are not necessarily the same people who go to antique shops. Garage sale shoppers are cheap. Dirt cheap. As in "I will give you 5 bucks for the whole tableful."

    I see glassware like you have at garage sales, but I don't see anybody buying it. I have briefly considered buying some to break up with a hammer (no offense) to use in mosaic projects, but I haven't yet. I would never buy any to keep for display. And I don't know anybody who would.

    Again, no offense intended. I feel your pain. My dad had multiple collector plate sets when he died. We sold them at auction by the boxful. $5 a box.

  • scott_madison Zone 5a- Madison, WI
    7 years ago

    I know just how you feel. I have collected antiques for years, and decided this past year to thin the herd a bit. I went through the entire house and selected pieces, and or sets, of things I rarely used and tried selling them at a friends flea market. I had sets of Spode china, hand etched crystal from the early 1900's, beautiful pieces of sterling, etc, etc, etc... I priced it low, certainly much lower than you would find at an antique shop.... And not one single item sold. People didn't even look at it. I was amazed when I saw what people actually were purchasing. One person had purchased a styrofoam wig "head" marked at $5.00!! Yet my items were passed over like they were invisible. I have to just accept that today the majority of people would prefer eating off paper plates and drinking from plastic cups. Style, grace and elegance are things of the past. I once asked a local antiques mall if they took items in on consignment. I was told they get several requests per week trying to sell sets of china people have inherited. If they can't put them in the dishwasher or microwave nobody wants them. Like you, I was told to donate them or pitch them. So sad that what was once thought beautiful is now just unwanted. I just can't bring myself to donate things like this to Goodwill or throw them to the dumpster. So, they will just remain with me until I'm gone.

  • Sigrid
    7 years ago

    Everyone used to get a set of good china as a wedding present. It doesn't go in the dishwasher and many people don't like to hand wash. With the baby boomers starting to downsize and their parents passing, there is just far too much of this stuff. In addition, families are smaller these days, meaning fewer people to take a share of goods.

  • lindac92
    7 years ago

    All that "no diswasher" stuff is baloney. Yes, SOME antique hand painted or gold decorated over the glaze dishes won't do the dishwasher....but the large number will. Dishwashers are very different than they were 40 years ago....they have more water pressure and use less abrasive and caustic detergent. I have etched my share of glasses in the past.....and also seen my share of dishes from, like my grandmother who never had a dishwasher, with most of the gold washed off.
    I just bought a partial set of green and red marked Haviland Limoges decorated with transfer printed tiny pink flowers on a ranson blank. 11 luncheon plates, 11 dinner plates, 7 nappies, and 7 salad or dessert plates. I put them in my kitchen for every day use. The whole bunch was $14.95 at a thrift store....likely someone was cleaning out grandma's stuff. Well this grandma loves them!

  • cacocobird
    7 years ago

    I knew a couple of guys who sold a lot on ebay. They bought most of their inventory at very cheap prices at garage sales. This is in Southern California.


  • Richard Dollard
    7 years ago

    What about trying to sell on local facebook group selling pages? I have sold many items locally. It's a struggle but you never know.

  • Margaret
    7 years ago

    With Ebay, Craigslist, Ruby Lane, and Etsy I don't think people go to yard sales any more except to see if there are cheap used household goods - things that the owner plans to take to goodwill at the end of the sale. To the extent you get real buyers they are probably shopping for things they can resell at a decent price, and your prices are retail not wholesale.

    You are better off renting space at an antiques fair or learning to advertise effectively on one of the on-line marketplaces. It might take a bit of experimentation to figure out which one is right for you.

  • sylviatexas1
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    What Margaret said. I once helped a neighbor with her garage sale. She had a figurine that we priced at $10. Nobody bought it. She sold it on eBay for over $100.

  • chrholme
    7 years ago

    I would like to add my opinion, as a twenty something year old who has always loved antiques (I have a few of my own pieces) and just inherited quite a few. I frequent antique shops, online auctions, and facebook buy/sell/trade pages weekly. I will occasionally attend an estate sale in my local area that I have seen advertised with items I'm interested in (normally on facebook). I have never gone to a garage sale though, normally because I do not know about them (not advertised in a way that I see it!), or because I think they will not have items I am interested in (which I could be completely wrong about or the advertising didn't showcase appetizing items). Also, I might add that I stay away from Ebay as well- I am afraid of being scammed! So to sum my thoughts up, I shop with vendors that I know will have items I'm interested in and that I can frequent on a normal basis.

    I hope someone finds this useful and thoughts about people of my age group might be softened. Not all of us like putting together furniture from Ikea :)

  • debodun
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Going to an antique show or flea market would not be an option for me especially since I only have a Honda Civic for a car. I'd have to carry all the items I wanted to sell plus the tables - difficult in a subcompact - out to the car. Drive to the show, unpack the car and set up my display. After the show, I'd gave to do everything in reverse. A lot of work for an old lady living alone - then may not even break even for all my trouble. At least by having a garage sale, I keep my overhead low.


    I have not had much luck selling on Craig's List or with Facebook Online Garage Sales. Even if I get a "nibble", they usually don't show up and if they do I get a song and dance about how strapped for money they are and want at least 50% off my asking price.

  • Sherry8aNorthAL
    7 years ago

    Back when your mother was selling was at least 20 years ago. There wasn't anyway to buy things online. You went to a store or you looked at ads in a newspaper. Now you can find anything online anytime. You also were limited to your area. Now you can shop world wide.

    That has reduced the prices. Twenty years of everyone's parents passing and now Baby Boomers are going also. The market is flooded with everything you have. There are no less that 15 estate sales running this week in my area alone. They will have the same amount every week. They all have the same things you have. When you add in the fact, like others have said, that a large part of the younger people no longer want stuff, the price has hit rock bottom.

    The plates in your first picture that are priced $4, you would be lucky to get 25 cents. If you enjoy having the sales, by all means keep on doing them. The professional estate sale companies here price everything and it is full price the first day, 25% off the 2nd day, and 50% off the 3rd day. After that it goes to a charity or the dumpster.

    I am not saying that you don't have nice or pretty things, because you do. They just don't sell anymore. Pink depression glass that was $50 in the 90's won't even sell for $5 now.

    If you look on E-Bay for current prices, be sure to go to the side and check the box that you want to look at sold listings.

  • chrholme
    7 years ago

    BTW- do you still have anything left from your sale? I would be interested!!

  • debodun
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    I have a houseful, but I don't ship. That's why I don't use eBay.

  • oktay mutlu
    7 years ago

    soo cute, all of modem