Yard Sales are fun!  Right?  Right!  I had my first yard sale about 14 years ago.  I have probably had a dozen yard sales during that 14 years.  They were actually more trouble than they were worth. 

Every now and again I stopped by someone else's yard sale because something caught my eye from the street.  I rarely purchased anything.

Last year, I started paying more attention to yard sales as I looked for "antiques" to sell on Ebay.  It gets to be addictive.  Soon I realized that I was moving junk from "their" house to my house.  It didn't bother me very much until I started leaving things in the car so my husband wouldn't see them.  I would sneak items in the house over a period of time when he was asleep or in the bathroom.  My trunk and back seat stayed full for days and sometimes weeks.  The biggest problem is that "stuff" would slide around in the trunk and from the seat to the floor when I would brake.

Now I need to have a yard sale to rid myself of things I purchased at yard sales.  I know I won't be able to sell 75% of the stuff.  I have books, CDs, cassettes, clothes, clocks, bread boxes, toys, etc.  I am learning my lessons.

1.  No matter how "neat" or unique an item is, do not buy it without a purpose to use, sell, or give as a gift.

2.  Sometimes it's better to give stuff to a charitable organization for the deduction rather than spend hours in your yard waiting for someone to buy it.

3.  If you decide on the yard sale, do some gardening or invite several friends to participate in the sale.

4.  Persuade neighbors to participate in a block sale.  More people will show up when there is more stuff!

5.  Have your yard sale on Ebay.  Ebay sales are exposed to people all over the world.  Sale of lots will be a great attention getter.

6.  If you must buy stuff to sell on Ebay, do research on Ebay to see what types of items are popular. 

Yard Sale Successes

1.  I purchased an anniversary clock at a yard sale for $1.50 and sold it for $11.50. 

2.  Some of my successes are the things I pick up, think about, and put back.  I save a lot of money that way!

3.  Most of my success is with textbooks.  I buy textbooks for $1 or less and sale them on www.half.ebay.com for 8 to 40 times more than I paid for them.  I sold an organ book I used in 1987 for $47 4 months ago.  I'm sure no one would have purchased this book at a yard sale.

http://inventory.half.ebay.com/manage-inventory_W0QQmZbooks 

Happy Hunting!

Diane Trotter