yard sale dos and donts- what are your pet peeves

[Momto5RN]

having a yard sale Saturday as long as everything doesn't blow away !!

i haven't done one in a long time because in the past by the time you pay for the permit- advertise etc you were out a bunch of $ and for the time and such it wasn't worth what i made back .

i have had people fake they don't speak English ( i was next to their car when they drove up- speaking English - they get out when time to pay pay less act confused till you just give up; and take what they hand you , i have had people steal ( they get their kids to distract you with questions and walk back to car with stuff they never pay for )

so i gave up.

but town is having townwide yardsale so only 10$ to do it - no worries about advertising they are doing it -and my 9 yo has been begging to have one . he wants to make a little $ with some of his stuff .


i also have some new stuff from my ebay days and my half mannis i used to photograph clothing on etc to sell. so may as well give it a shot since it was only 10$.

i am no where near where i want to be with it my basement still has tons of stuff in it - i am off today and working down there .

sooooo what are your pet peeves when you go to a yardsale- what makes you walk away or drive past etc .

I hate stuff that doesnt have prices on it - i tend to have had such yardsales judge you by what you drive up in etc or what they think you can spend etc. plus i dont like asking because if its more then i want to spend then they are ready to pack it up for me and i am saying i will pass.

#2 stalkers- sellers that follow you trying to sell you stuff - esp hated thsis when i ebayed if i was looking for a certain high selling lovie in the stuffed animals doesnt mean i need a crib LOL

#3 dirty stuff - if it all looks like it was pulledout of a garage and not even dusted a bit and is covered with dust etc i usually drive past those yardsales- i dont expect things pristine but at least toss a rag at it .

#4 people thinking their yardsale stuff should fetch ebay prices . # 1 you dont have to take pix- list - pay the fess or pack to ship at a yardsale - all those are figured into ebay selling price.



as a seller i hate people that come 1/2 hr early - look and leave before you even have it all out there

i hate when people are super cheap first thing in the AM IE i have a brand new 120$ dress -tags on that i have marked 5$ ( (which is over 95% off retail !! ) dont offer me a dollar at 8am !!
if its 12or later then maybe ...but common sense is why would i drop it down to 1$ when i just started ?
so i just say no sorry if its here at 1 maybe .

[Rosebush3]

I hate to see piles of clothes. Bins of clothes. Clothes laid out on tables, on the grass and so on. I would only bother to look through clothes if they are hung up properly.

[2ndGenGranola]

I hate it when people act like a 2 y/o if you don't come down to their price. My mom had a garage sale and was selling some nice curtains that cost her $$$+. They wanted to give her a couple dollars for them (She was asking something like $10 or 20). She wouldn't go down and they threw them in the dirt with some other things. They made a royal hiney out of themselves to the point of having the cops called on them. Talk about an entitled attitude!!! Deal with it if people don't haggle your way.

[frugal is fun]

as a buyer things need to be organized, with prices. If I walk up and see that things are just thrown in a big pile I will walk away without even looking.

I don't mind clothes being laid out on a blanket or table or even a box. I look for childrens clothes so if I see childrens clothes I'll ask what size. If its the right size, I don't mind looking.

[Libby]

Yes...I hate 'piles' of stuff b/c as you start to go through them or eyeball it guessing whats in it and if its worth diggin into...the sellers 'stalk' or 'hover'. OR as you get out of your car to walk to their driveway to look - they call out to you 'What are you looking for!!' Both of those turn me off of a garage sale.

The other thing - a broken item that is still fixable but they're asking regular retail prices. I don't care what you paid for it 'back when'...its not worth that now b/c its not in pristine 'fresh outta the box' condition. Sheesh.

Lastly, if you've friend'ily haggled down the price of something thats fair to both - ie to $5 - and then you whip out a $10 to pay, they jack the price up again telling you that you can afford $10 b/c you've got one in your hand. *rolls eyes* I just put the item back down and take my $10 back and walk away. I warn others on my way out as well...everyone needs to know what they're dealing with cuz this ain't a regular or honest garage sale.

[MaryCarney]

I also like the clothes hung up - because otherwise I feel the need to fold it back up after I've looked at it

[Momto5RN]

the reason people dont hang up clothes is because people want them for 25- 50c c each - - plus even lightest winds will blow over hanging racks - been there done that too many times.

my time is worth money and at 25c-50c a peice of clothing to have them all hung up etc i would just donate what is left if no one wants to look thru them rather than hang them up.

and hanging racks cost money too so if they are selling to make some money spending it doesnt make much sense.

my new stuff will be hung up hoping to make a hanging rope against the house i can display them from so it cant blow over .
( we are expecting wind gusts uo tp 40mph tomorrow although it will be sunny )

that said if someone had a disability or was unable to root thru a bin due to holding a child etc i would ask them what they were looking for and help them .



this reminds me of something i encountered a few weeks back i run my schools uniform exchange - everyone thinks they have a better idea on how to make it work but no one wants to run it ( its a volunteer behind the scenes thankless job which i do because if i didnt no one would and i used it for many years and know what a money saving it can be )

i have 9 bins 2 girls by size- 2 boys by size- polos gym sweaters etc (some are unisex )
mind you 16 years ago it was just a bin with stuff in it you went thru .
once a month on the kids 1/2 day i take a 1/2 day from work - go to the school pull all these bins out of a closet and put them in hall so parents can look for what they need.

one lady told me i needed to hang them up by gender and sizes on racks.

i just looked at her and said if you want it like that go to the uniform store and pay retail - you are getting these items on an even swap or 1$ a peice -i dont make money on this - i am just a volunteer that does this because i know many are tight on money - if i didnt do it it wouldnt be here anymore . i am lucky to have this many bins allowed- and the space i am using .

sure it would be nicer and easier on racks but reality is the school doesnt have the room and i dont have the time and when you figure the cost savings 1$ for a jumper that is 45$ at the store - its worth looking thru a bin .


needless to say this will be my last year vounteering for this
the last time i did it i had people asking me to look in bins for them like i was a macys personal shopper. i end up sick as a dog with my fibro the nights after i do this from the lifting etc

sometimes you just have to realize you get a low price because its no frills.


i see yard sales as no frills.

and you can get alot of treasures if you take the time to look .
i once paid 1$ each for two vintage lilly dresses in a pile of olc clothes and sold them on ebay for 60$ and 40$ each .

i see yardsales as kind of a treasure hunt .

[Josephhgoins]

you hit my main one with the prices. I too feel they are always judging my car before they tell me the price.

Second is the opposite of the stalker. You drive up and they arn't outside and don't come out of the house. I don't expect a cup of coffee and a hug, but acknowledgement that I exist would be nice.

I soo want to go yard-saling now.

[Contrary Housewife]

Stuff laying all over the ground. I can't see it well while standing and the bending over to pick stuff up gets old after about the 3rd piece and I'll leave. For clothes, tie a rope from a tree or hang them from the garage door.

No prices. I'm rarely going to ask, esp. if you're sitting there chatting with your friend and ignoring me. Have a sign taped to the table or the wall if you don't want to sticker individual items.

Broken crap. 'Nuff said.

When I'm running one: don't offer me 25c for something I've marked far higher than that. This is a sale, not a charity give away.

[mamamia]

I really don't like the ones who don't price things too, and for all the same reasons you mentioned. And too, I'll wonder if the price they had in mind was maybe lower than what I might be willing to pay. I have gotten better at negotiating prices, but I don't like being ~forced~ into it by having to make an offer.

As far as passing them up, I rarely do. Actually don't think I ever have. I usual figure it's at least worth a quick look. Now if I PLAN to go, I usual would go by what their ad says. I'd probably skip over the ones selling baby items, or certain collectables that wouldn't interest me.

But I think it's great that your town is doing that. Those are my favorite ones to hit. Lots of subdivisions down here will hold them, and it's like JACKPOT!!! lol! So my guess is you'll do great. Plus you know how to ~present~ things to sell too. I know I would like that because I hate digging thru a huge box for things.

Well, hoping the best for you! I hope you'll get a chance to let us know how you did.

Theresa

[Sara Noel]

I am annoyed when people don't take their signs down! Gotta love that!!! NOT.

[heartofmine]

No prices. I don't want to have to ask on every item.

Stalkers. I hate someone trying to push stuff on me I don't want.

Ridiculous prices. Its a yard sale.

No parking or bad parking. I've stopped at sales where they have these narrow little driveways and they'll have ribbon on either side, stay off the grass signs and once you pull in there is on place to turn around and you have to back all the way down the drive to get out. The if someone parks behind you your stuck until they are done shopping.

Having your children set up with a lemonade, cookie stand and letting them walk around trying to push it on customers. Now I don't mind buying from them and I usually do even though I hate lemonade BUT they shouldn't be walking around bothering your customers while they are shopping. Let them ask as the customer is checking out. I went to one a while back and the 2 little boys were screaming at everyone to buy lemonade. I walked away without buying anything.

I've had yard sales so I have a list for customers too. LOL..but I'll wait on that.

[Texasgirl]

Put signs up with the writing big enough to read from the road.

It is impossible to read 1/2" or smaller letters on a sign as you are driving.

Make those signs big and the writing big.

[2ndGenGranola]

the reason people dont hang up clothes is because people want them for 25- 50c c each - - plus even lightest winds will blow over hanging racks - been there done that too many times.

my time is worth money and at 25c-50c a peice of clothing to have them all hung up etc i would just donate what is left if no one wants to look thru them rather than hang them up.

and hanging racks cost money too so if they are selling to make some money spending it doesnt make much sense.

So true, so true, so true -- by donating it I can usually get a $1-3ish an item, have someone pick up my boxes off of my doorstep, have my weekend to myself and not have to deal with people who want you to give it to them.

[Neeley]

Legible signs with address, time/date only. I don't need to see a sign filled with random words listing the different items for sale all over it.

Signs left up after the sale is over.

No prices. If you cannot take the time to price something then I cannot take the time to attempt to read your mind to figure out what your general price range is.

I actually do not like clothes hung up. Generally when the clothing is on a hanger, the seller wants a bit more. A big pile of clothes is no big deal to me. As a seller, I normally only ask $0.50 or so per clothing item and am not going to hang up things I am only asking such a small amount for. If it something like a nice dress, coat or other item worthy of a higher price, then yes, I will hang it up. There are plenty of people willing to rummage through piles of clothing that more than make up for the ones who won't.

Got to also agree with the stalker. Don't follow me, ask me what I am looking for or give me a sales pitch for every item I look at. I do not care how much you paid for that item new. I do not care how useful you found the item or what a great piece it is. Don't try to educate me, for your lesson will be falling on deaf ears and I will leave immediately.

Sellers who offer electronics or other items that require electricity to run and do not allow you to see that it is in working order. It is not hard to have an extension cord running outside so a lamp, toaster or coffee maker can be plugged in long enough for me to see it actually works.

Sellers who are unprepared by not having proper change. You know you have items for sale that range in price from a quarter to xx number of dollars and should have proper change. It is not too difficult to have a few dollars in quarters, several ones and a few fives and tens to make change with. If I try to pay you $0.50 and you have no change - too bad so sad. You lost that sale. I am not going to hand over a one and tell you to keep the change.

Smoking. I will leave immediately if the seller is smoking right there in the middle of everything. I do not want to smell the stuff nor do I want my clothes to reek of smoke. I have no issue if someone smokes. I am an ex-smoker and remember what it was like to need a cigarette. But, rather than stand right there in the middle of the sale, forcing everyone to smell your smoke and have our clothes absorb the smell, it is more thoughtful for the smoker to take their habit and move away from everyone. Maybe the backyard, a far off corner or down the street.