Recently we posted some tips on having a yard sale before selling a house. In that post, we talked about how we would do a post specifically about tips for pricing items. So, let’s look at some tips on how to price items for your yard sale you have before you sell your house.
Pricing Items for a Yard Sale Before Selling Your House Tip 1 – 10% Rule
When it comes to a garage sale, one thing that is generally agreed upon is that you only charge 10% of what you would pay in a retail store. Therefore, if you purchased something for $15, you charge $1.50 or less than the item at a yard sale. If the items you are selling are luxury brands, it’s possible that you can increase it to 20%. However, using this general rule is going to help you with pricing the items to sell.
Pricing Items for a Yard Sale Before Selling Your House Tip 2 – Check Out Others
Although the yard sale is going to be only 1-2 days long, it’s a good idea to see what other people are charging for similar items. This might seem like overkill. However, it’s just going to mean going to other yard and garage sales to find out what they are charging for similar items.
If you notice a yard sale selling their shirts at $1 apiece and you see people purchasing a bunch, this is a good indicator that the price is a good one. It’s always possible to experiment and raise your prices to $1.50 or $2. However, that can also mean that people are going to pass them by or may not buy as many.
Pricing Items for a Yard Sale Before Selling Your House Tip 3 – Price in increments of 5 Cents
There’s a good chance you’ll need to hand out change during the yard sale. You are going to thank yourself when you only price the items in .05, .10, or .25 increments. You are going to find that making change is a lot easier when you aren’t having to deal with pennies. A lot of people are going to purchase using dollars and purchase in bulk. Therefore, chances are that you will only need to have $1 bills too.
You also want to make sure that you have coins and bills ready in the beginning. But when you follow this tip, you are always going to have ready change.
Pricing Items for a Yard Sale Before Selling Your House Tip 4 – Check Out Online Prices
Do you have an exclusive figure or vinyl that is a special or collector’s edition? Check out the prices online before you’re throwing them on your table at your yard sale. It’s possible that you have something that is valuable and that often will sell for a lot of money, and this will stop you from pricing too low.
Of course, you are going to have to ship it. However, the price that you are going to get online will often make those extra expenses worth it. A lot of treasures are found at yard sales for low prices and they’re very valuable. So you want to avoid being one of those people.
Pricing Items for a Yard Sale Before Selling Your House Tip 5 – Quantity>Quality
When you are having a yard sale, it’s important to prioritize having a lot of items over having quality items. You can sell the quality items for a higher price through private selling or in online marketplaces, so you want to use the yard sale to get rid of many items.
Therefore, if you have a lot of books, they should be priced around .50 – $1 each. You are going to see a lot of people purchasing them. if you’re giving people a lot of different prices, chances are that they’re only going to purchase 1 or 2 that catch their eyes. Dishes, pants, shirts, and other things that are being sold in bulk also should be priced the same.
Keep the individual items separated, like furniture, appliances, and toys.
Pricing Items for a Yard Sale Before Selling Your House Tip 6 – Price Tagged Items Higher
There is one exception to that 10% rule, and that is if an item that you are selling still has its original tag on it and it’s unworn. Think about charging 30%-40% instead. Keep in mind that these still are items that can’t be returned. Therefore, you can’t charge the full price of the item. However, you can charge a bit more.
Instead of keeping these items in that pile with your bulk items, these items should be in their own places. Organization is very important when you have a yard sale. You are going to be confident knowing that the person who is buying it still is saving money and getting a really good deal.
Pricing Items for a Yard Sale Before Selling Your House Tip 7 Price According to Category
Each of the items that you are selling is going to be in one of these general categories. The common categories that you’re going to find at yard sales include:
- Accessories – $0.25 to $1
- Appliances – $10 to $30
- Books – $0.50 1o $2
- CDs & vinyls $0.25 to $2
- Clothes – $0.25 to $1
- Décor – $0.25 to $5
- Dishes – $1 to $5
- Furniture – $10 to $50
- Movies – $5 to $10
- Sheets & linens – $1 to $10
- Shoes – $1 to $10
- Toys – $0.25 to $5
- Video games – $5 to $10
Pricing Items for a Yard Sale Before Selling Your House Tip 8 – Remember the Art of Haggling
When the yard sale is almost over, you want to do anything that you can do to get rid of the items. You’ve set your items’ prices, so you’re able to change the prices when you want. If someone has offered a price that is lower, accept it or give them a counteroffer. You want to make sure that you are getting rid of the items.
The start of your sale isn’t the time to haggle, because there’s a good chance that someone is willing to pay the full price for the items. However, when the sale is almost over is a great time to do the haggling just to move things out of your house.
These are some of the things that you want to do when it comes to pricing the items to sell at a yard sale before selling your house. But what if you are having trouble finding a buyer for your home? if this is something that you are struggling with, we can help you with that. We are happy to give you a cash quote for your home. Contact us here for a quote without obligation.
