Hello, I have decided to donate any gifts that I received, and sell anything that I purchased so I can use the money to buy upgrades, diapers, etc. Has anyone else taking a similar approach?
I did that as well. Especially stuff that had been handed down to me, it didn't seem right to try to sell it even if it was stuff I knew I could sell. I tried to give it away as much as possible. But, I did sell a crib, bouncy seat, swing, etc. at a community garage sale.
J.
We normally find a needy family and donate all of our children's clothing. We could use the money that we would get by selling them, but I know that someone else who can afford the bigger clothes very much appreciates them. I would look for a needy family. We usually ask the kid's teachers to see if they know of any one or our pastor at church. I also do not have to deal with the hassle of taking pictures, posting them and then mailing them. It makes me feel good inside to know that I can help a needy family. Also, by finding a family instead of giving them to Good Will for example I know they are getting used right away. I usually just ask the family that I give them too to pass them on again if they are still in good enough condition to do so.
My Momma has always said to me, "at garage sales, you only want people to give you enough money to take it away".
Having said that, at our last community garage sale, I only sold the biggies, IE, stroller combo (my sister paid 300+) hardly used and a pack n play that got used twice (still, a 150+ item) Everything else that I have I give to my local thrift store that uses its proceeds to fund womens shelters, womens and infants funds and local churches.
I used the money form the stroller and the PnP for my DD. I believe in selling to cover the cost for future purchases, but I also think its good to give too.
If you sell outright, you are not going to get the $$ you think you should get or deserve. People want something for nothing...that is just the attitude at garage sales, etc.
I have packed up and stopped a garage sale within an hour when someone offered me $2 for a pair of $50 Abercrombie jeans with tags till on! Of course I did not expect $50 but I thought $10-$12 was reasonable because the USED ones at the consignment stores sell in that range.
Same goes for other items. We had a $900 set of lawn furniture in good condition and only 4 yrs old. NO, I didn't expect $900 but the best offer I got was $25. No thanks. Some family with the Women's shelter got some good use out of it.
I decided I am better at giving. I prefer to donate to someone who truly appreciates what they are getting. At the same time, I get a tax benefit for more than what I would get at a garage sale.
I feel better knowing some child is proud to be wearing a name brand piece of clothing or some family is less one more worry by having a washer/dryer and no more runs to the coin op vs someone taking advantage of a garage sale.
i had a yard sale once but it was frankly too much work and time so i usually just pass things on to friends or take them to goodwill.
craigslist.com is a great place to sell stuff locally and make some money. (better money than yard sales, and less work) i have had some pretty good luck with it (both buying and selling!)
Just keep in mind that you won't get much when you sell. So factor that is to determine if it's even worth your time to post the ad, deal with people coming to look at the stuff, etc. You could try a garage sale and try to get rid of the bulk of it all at once.
I am missing something here. Did you have a baby shower or something and you want to sell things that you have and donate gifts from showrers? Maybe I am thinking wrong so I won't answer right now.
The other S.
Does anyone host a large consignment event in your area? I have found that you can charge much higher prices then you could ever do at a yard sale etc. Although some people have great success with eBay. I suppose it depends on the items.
It very much depends on where you want to sell and the brands of the items. For example, if you want to sell on ebay or craigslist, the items with brand names will likely sell better/for more. If you have non brand name items (ie circo, etc) simply selling them at a yard sale may prove more lucrative. Good luck!
