Do The Retro E-Bay Thing: Hold a Yard Sale!

Obtaining items to sell

1. Your own household. Relieve it of all extraneous salable items, even your old stereo equipment and computer parts. You would be surprised at what others will buy.
2. FreeCycle.org, where folks post items they want others (that would be you) to take off their hands.
3. The local thrift shop. Only buy on days when they’re having a half-price sale or clearance. Most used clothing will not sell for more than a dollar or two at many yard sales. High-dollar items generally don’t get their asking price at yard sales.
4. Your local grocery, drug, or retail store. The items you can get there are by far the most lucrative items you’ll have at your garage sale. Utilize your local stores’ loyalty programs such as rebates, “store bucks,” or store shopper cards. Clip and use coupons. Check the Internet for sites catering to rebates and coupon use. Combining these things will enable you to buy brand new items for a fraction of their retail cost.

Preparing your inventory

1. Decide your selling prices. Check out other yard sales for prices on used items, or use Google. A good pricing rule of thumb for new items is half the retail price. When you’re pricing, remember, you want to sell the items.
2. Put price tags on your items as you buy or select them for your garage sale.
3. Also, insure that the items look like something you’d be willing to buy. Launder clothing. Wipe other items down with clear water or dust them.
4. Register for free on sites like GarageSale.com and GarageSaleSource.com, then add your yard sale or garage sale to their listing.