Garage Sale (How it went debrief)
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:16 pmHad my first-ever garage sale today. Interesting experience indeed.
As per advice here and people I work with, I didn't put the street number, just street name, to avoid a 6am start (let's not have the pregnant bride kill someone for no reason). Put up signs in the area and put in ad in the Herald Sun. Missed the deadline early in the week for the local paper.
We were mostly selling kids toys, cricket books, cricket and footy memorabilia and old music, plus knick-knacks, so the ad just said 'toys, sports books and memorabilia. some music. cash only from 8am'.
As such;
Once we put the door up at 8am - people seemed to magically appear from nowhere. (they were obviously driving up and down our street trying to work out which house)
95 pct of people were there to just look at other people's stuff. Standard purchases were from one dollar to 10 bucks, buying one to five little items.
Professional buyer walked in a 8.30, complained about not being able to find place on map, and proceeded to spend 300 bucks in three mins. Then declared he wished he had more money and said he'd blown his budget for the month (wtf???). He justified the whole day and I was wishing he had more cash.
What surprised me was what drew interest and what didn't even rate a look:
All the kids toys, bar a few exceptions, went by day's end.
Vinyl albums and singles very popular amongst 40 year olds. No one else looks.
Women look at every single piece of costume jewellry
All AFL Grand Final records from early 80s onwards didn't even rate a look. Guess they go to a second-hand seller now.
Alll ABC cricket books from early 70s drew zero interest. See above.
The various Wisdens, mostly 80s and 90s, drew zero interest. I thought people would at least look, but I guess it's all on-line these days.
Autographed australian team test and one-day cricket sheets went like absolute hot cakes. They flew out the door, presumably because they originals I guess. I left the vast majority at work, thinking I would be lucky to sell 30. Could have sold 150. That at least makes part two of a sale worthwhile if we do that.
the big items have to go to Ebay. Nobody expects to buy a real good piece at a garage sale so it was a waste of time putting it up.
As a summary, I reckon the Trash and Treasure plan that someone suggested as an SA option is a much better idea, but I don't think we have an equivalent thing in my part of Victoria.
If anybody wants to ask anything else, PM me, as this is all gone by mid month.
PS - Felt sorry for the little boy whose mum came around at 4pm proudly declaring - you're the last of 11 sales on my list today.
As per advice here and people I work with, I didn't put the street number, just street name, to avoid a 6am start (let's not have the pregnant bride kill someone for no reason). Put up signs in the area and put in ad in the Herald Sun. Missed the deadline early in the week for the local paper.
We were mostly selling kids toys, cricket books, cricket and footy memorabilia and old music, plus knick-knacks, so the ad just said 'toys, sports books and memorabilia. some music. cash only from 8am'.
As such;
Once we put the door up at 8am - people seemed to magically appear from nowhere. (they were obviously driving up and down our street trying to work out which house)
95 pct of people were there to just look at other people's stuff. Standard purchases were from one dollar to 10 bucks, buying one to five little items.
Professional buyer walked in a 8.30, complained about not being able to find place on map, and proceeded to spend 300 bucks in three mins. Then declared he wished he had more money and said he'd blown his budget for the month (wtf???). He justified the whole day and I was wishing he had more cash.
What surprised me was what drew interest and what didn't even rate a look:
All the kids toys, bar a few exceptions, went by day's end.
Vinyl albums and singles very popular amongst 40 year olds. No one else looks.
Women look at every single piece of costume jewellry
All AFL Grand Final records from early 80s onwards didn't even rate a look. Guess they go to a second-hand seller now.
Alll ABC cricket books from early 70s drew zero interest. See above.
The various Wisdens, mostly 80s and 90s, drew zero interest. I thought people would at least look, but I guess it's all on-line these days.
Autographed australian team test and one-day cricket sheets went like absolute hot cakes. They flew out the door, presumably because they originals I guess. I left the vast majority at work, thinking I would be lucky to sell 30. Could have sold 150. That at least makes part two of a sale worthwhile if we do that.
the big items have to go to Ebay. Nobody expects to buy a real good piece at a garage sale so it was a waste of time putting it up.
As a summary, I reckon the Trash and Treasure plan that someone suggested as an SA option is a much better idea, but I don't think we have an equivalent thing in my part of Victoria.
If anybody wants to ask anything else, PM me, as this is all gone by mid month.
PS - Felt sorry for the little boy whose mum came around at 4pm proudly declaring - you're the last of 11 sales on my list today.
