Yard sale pricing? Quilting books

**justann** · 06-19-2009, 11:27 AM

Help! I am trying to price some of my quilting books for a yard sale. Some are current and some are older. I don't want to price too low but need to make some money badly. Some sold originally for $25 to $30. Of course I didn't pay that. They were gifts or were bought with 50% off coupons. Any suggestions? Thanks!

**frugalwarrior** · 06-19-2009, 11:33 AM

Check e-bay and go lower. I have paid $1.-$5. for hard cover books in excellent shape. Books unfortunately aren't huge sellers but cookbooks and crafting books can be.Don't forget to take acct. for your areas economics to. City areas command higher than locations out of the way. Good luck. What about Half.com or freecycle??

**frugalfranny** · 06-19-2009, 01:35 PM

Wow...tough question....especially when you are on a frugal website.

The things that came to mind when I read this........IF I really wanted it and it was orig. a $25 dollar book I would prob. pay up to 8 to 10...but there are only 2 on my 'really want it' list and they are new.

Keep in mind all the free patterns out there now but some people still want the hard copy of things.....and it will depend on your area.
Truthfully......I am in a conservative area and I doubt even avid quilters would pay over $5 for them....unless REAL CLOSE to new.

When I go to the quilt shows and they have the 'country store' if the book is over $3 I probably won't buy it. I always check the copyright date too, in case it is really old. The other factor is, are they truly a 'book' or are they some of what I call the pamphlets that are out now. The ones with only a couple patterns in them....I don't buy those at all.

What is the 'going rate' for your area? For my area I would say don't put too many over $5, or put them higher and wait for someone to bargain. If no one is asking then drop the price at the end of the first day. Or how about 'bundling'......I am more apt to buy if I am getting multiple books....even on ebay I will bid on the 'lots'. GOOD LUCK in what ever you decide to do.....hope your garage sale makes lots of $$$$$$$$!!

**ladytoysdream** · 06-19-2009, 01:58 PM

Hi
I would price them on ebay, half, and amazon.
If you have the time, I would try selling them on ebay.
As single auctions first time up. Depending on how many you have left, then maybe a group lot auction the second time up.

I always had good luck selling quilt books on ebay. The few I have had

You can always list them on half.com and let them sell that way.

A yard sale might be a iffy way to sell them. People are looking for bargains. But you could start them a bit high, and then sweeten the price a bit if someone wanted several of them.

If they were mine, I would prefer to sell them slow and get the price I wanted, versus selling them fast and taking what I could get that day.

**craftypam** · 06-19-2009, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by frugalwarrior

Check e-bay and go lower. I have paid $1.-$5. for hard cover books in excellent shape. Books unfortunately aren't huge sellers but cookbooks and crafting books can be.Don't forget to take acct. for your areas economics to. City areas command higher than locations out of the way. Good luck. What about Half.com or freecycle??

I haven't had yard sales, but would like to know why you told her to price lower than ebay. The reason I'm asking is that there is shipping when you buy on ebay too. Just wondering because I love to buy books especially craft ones.

Thanks

**frugalfranny** · 06-19-2009, 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by craftypam

I haven't had yard sales, but would like to know why you told her to price lower than ebay. The reason I'm asking is that there is shipping when you buy on ebay too. Just wondering because I love to buy books especially craft ones.

Thanks

Maybe I missed it but think she meant half.com....not 'half' on ebay.

As for the shipping on ebay, I always deduct it from what I am willing to pay or look for free shipping and make sure they didn't then over price the product to make up for it. It is really buyer beware on ebay.

**Laurie in Bradenton** · 06-19-2009, 04:02 PM

Well I guess the lady I bought from at the flea market last Sunday could have used this thread. I ended up buying her books at 5 for a dollar. She didn't want to reload them up and I was THRILLED to take them home. She orginally had most marked between 3 and 5 dollars.

Laurie in Bradenton