Your Money_ The Missing Manual - J. D. Roth [61]
Your biggest decision with Amazon and Half.com is how to price your item. If you have the lowest price, your things will certainly sell quickly, but you might have been able to get more for them. But if you set your price too high, you'll still be storing Stuff in the attic 3 years from now.
Holding a yard sale
After you've sold the good stuff online, it's time to hold a yard sale. As a yard-sale veteran—I've spent more than 20 years buying and selling—here's my advice for having fun and making money while getting rid of your Stuff:
Group sales work better. If you can coordinate with your neighbors, you'll draw more traffic. When our neighborhood hosts a group sale, people come from all over; when I sell on my own, I'm lucky to get one tenth that many people. Place ads in the local paper and on Craigslist, and put up signs.
Tip
A good yard-sale sign is easy to read from a distance. Use dark ink on a light background, and keep it simple; all you need is the date and location: "Huge Sale 6/30, 265 River Road." (An arrow helps, too.) Make sure the sign is rigid so the wind won't mangle it, and remember to take your signs down when the sale is over. For more signage tips, go to http://tinyurl.com/ysq-signs.
Be prepared. Wear comfortable clothes and have water and snacks handy. Get plenty of one-dollar bills the day before so you can make change. Move things out early so you're ready to go when the sale is scheduled to start. (If you don't want to deal with early-bird shoppers, tell them to go away; don't let them push you around.)
Think like a customer. Make your sale inviting and easy to browse: Are things clearly marked? Is there enough space to move around? If the garage feels dark and dreary, consider moving your tables to the driveway or the lawn. And have an extension cord on hand so folks can plug in any electrical gadgets you're selling to see how they work.
Showcase items to their advantage. Place stuff that appeals to older folks on tables and stuff for kids on the ground. Put the things you want lots of people to see in the middle of the driveway, and the really eye-catching stuff near the road. If your lawn chairs aren't selling, maybe it's because they're folded up and leaning against the wall of the garage; unfold them and set them on the lawn. If nobody's buying your boxed-up books, place them on a bookshelf so they're easier to browse.
Promote expensive items. Selling big-ticket items takes a bit of extra effort. If you're trying to sell a digital camera, for example, gather all the bits and pieces and put them together, including the original packaging (if you have it). Print the current online pricing from eBay or Amazon and place it next to your item so folks can see what a good deal you're offering.
Price things carefully. Most items are easy to price, but some will give you trouble. You don't want to give away your perfectly good DVD player, but you want the price low enough that people will be interested. And be warned: Some stuff won't sell at any price. (You should just give that encyclopedia set to your nephew.)
Note
Some things are notoriously tough to unload at a yard sale, like adult clothes. You may have better luck selling them through a consignment shop. For more on how to do this, check out http://tinyurl.com/DSconsign.
Label things well. No matter how well labeled your Stuff is, people will still ask how much you want for the potholder with the $2 price tag on it. Label anyhow. If something "works great," write that on the label and be ready to demonstrate it.
Be friendly. You don't need to chat with everyone, but greet customers and answer questions. Entertain kids so their parents can shop.
Don't bad-mouth