Garage Sale Tips...

[changed4life]

Is there anyone who can give me some general tips about having a garage sale regarding pricing?

I know it's hard to give me pricing since you can't see the items, however, everything I have to sell is in excellent condition. We are just selling what we have stored since we are redecorating, etc.

We have a refrigerator we bought in June 2007; it's almost a brand new side by side that we purchased for $1,400. We are remodeling the kitchen and this white one we purchased will not go with the new design nor will the color work. We thought we'd try at the garage sale (what should I ask)? If no luck, what should we ask for it through the classifieds? I thought about $800. Am I way off?

We also have:
end tables
cocktail table
decorative accents and such
purses (non-designer)
clothing

What is a general ball park for very good condition furniture? Should all of my prices be a certain percentage of their original price?

I am not looking forward to people nickel and diming me for excellent condition merchandise, however, I do not want to overcharge, nor do I want to undercharge. If people think they are going to walk away with my stuff for almost free, I'd rather donate it to the needy.

Any help would be appreciated.

[stinkbug]

For the big ticket items, I'd try Craigslist before you garage sale it. People who are garage saling are looking for CHEAP bargains....And on craigslist you can post photos and sell by catogory. Typically, furniture has to be dirt cheap at garage sales to sell.

[mombottoo]

Do you have any second hand stores in your area or consignment shops that deal in the type of stuff you have? I'm not talking Goodwill or Salvation Army either, stores that are owned & operated by private individuals. If you do, take a day and go around to these types of stores and price check. Then mark your stuff 10-15% below what they would ask for a similar item in the store.

$800 for a one year old fridge, sounds very fair to me. I would also put an ad in your local newspaper and list your larger stuff in the ad w/prices. That way if someone is looking for a fridge they will come to your sale.

[tbs727]

I agree with the craigslist suggestion. You would do better trying to get a fair price there. People generally don't go to yard sales planning on spending $800. Although, I'm sure there are some that do. I've heard that the pricing rule is to price your items 10-20% of what they would sale for in the store. So, if you have a shirt that retails for $40, you probably would want to mark it for $4-$8. HTH!

[changed4life]

Thank you. Someone else just mentioned Craigs list to me today. I think we'll try that.