Garage Sale Pricing of Baby Items

When I had my yard sale I just put all the clothes out on a table and put out plastic grocery bags and let people fill it for $3. I had A LOT of stuff though! I took out some of the jackets, brand name things or things with a tag still on and put a $1 on those and $2 for winter coat and snowsuit. The $3 fill a bag really works when you have quantity and is really nice for the people who need the clothes. Too many times people try to overprice stuff, this is a garage sale, one step away from giving it away! It should be priced cheaper than Goodwill. If you have something that you think is worth more than that, sell it online.

I checked out craigslist to see what the going prices are. I was just in a similar situation (getting rid of pak-n-play, car seats, etc.) and I just went to craigslist and did an average of what other people were selling theres for.

I think a big thing for you to think about is how much you want to get rid of things. Are you going to be very patient and want to make the most amount of money possible? Or are you just wanting to purge and make a little extra cash in the process?

Because if you sell things cheap, they will go quickly. If you price things high, you will need to be very patient, and maybe even host several sales.

I would say cheap prices are as follows:
onesies, stained items: .10 or .25 cents
simple but clean tops and bottoms: .50 cents
nicer (pricey name brand or intricate) tops and bottoms: $1
2 pc. outfits: $1 - $2, depending on brand and detail
winter coats: $2

never used boppy: $3-$5

mediocre swing: $3-$5

I think pricing things at a third of the retail price is pretty high, and will require a LOT of patience on your part. Most people who go to garage sales want CHEAP items. Again, its all about what you want and how much time you have.

Good luck!

garage sale prices vary widely depending on where you live - not only the city but also the part of the town/city. I go to tons of garage sales and $1 per clothing item is pretty common with the exception of 2 piece PJs being $1 (other 2 pc outfits go for $2 easily) and onsies (plain non-decorative/non-cute ones) being 50 cents. I can go to the neighboring city and find baby clothes for 50 cents and go to another nearby city and clothes go for $1.50 or more.

As for pricing other items, check out craigslist and/or Ebay to find the current 'going rate' in your area. I have more success selling items like new baby gear, bouncy seats, feeding seats, cribs, etc through craigslist than through a garage sale. I usually get more money for those type of items using craigslist.

I think you make more at the semi-annual sales. A lot of the local cities have one in the fall and one in the spring if you can hold out till then. Depending on quality, I would charge 1/4 to half of the purchase price. 10 cents is cheap for stained clothes, I've paid atleast a dollar for brand name stained clothes because a lot of times, I can get the stain out.
Good Luck!

I have not had the chance to sell any of my baby items yet, but I definitely bought a ton of baby clothes from yard sales in the past two summers. I know that the norm seemed to be around the $ .25 range for a simple onesie or something, and then for outfits where it's a shirt with pants it'd be closer to 50 cents or $1, depending on how nice it was. I really wouldn't ever pay more than $1 at a yard sale unless the tags are still on it.
Anything new (like you mentioned the boppy that hasn't been used), I'd suggest you take to Once Upon a Child because they'll probably give you a better price than most. But if not, I'd look them up online and see how much they're going for and maybe charge 1/4 of that.
And yeah, I'd say 5 cents to maybe 10 for stained clothes.. it's worth a shot. I never bought anything with a stain on it but I'm sure some people do!
Good luck!

Hi Christine,
I do yard sale and I also have 1 every 2 years or so. This is what I generally price things at,
onsies, bibs, burp rags, socks-10 cents
shirts-50
shorts-50
pull on pants-50
jeans-1.00
rompers-50
2 piece outfits-1.00
Then there wre always those things i price seperate that i am very fond of( or I paid alot for) with clothes tho I rarely price anything over 3-4 dollars. And to get priced that high it must be a fancy dress or coat. I generally give all of my stained stuff to good will and dont put it out. On the infant supplies, such as swings and what not. I sold my swing for like 20, but it was only used for one child and it worked well. boppy i would say like 5 dollars on it. I always price to get rid of them but not to give them away. My sales generally go good and I get alot of comments about how well my stuff is priced. The last couple yard sales that i have had i have made over 400 hundred dollars. good luck and happy pricing.
H.--mom of 2, Tyler-almost 12 and Aliza-3

I found this article from eversave website to be helpful with my yard sale! Hope this helps you
How to Have a Great Yard Sale or Garage Sale

By Julia Gaynor

Retrieved on July 26, 2009 from

http://www.eversave.com/mc/3/articles/1108/how-to-have-a-...

Yard sales and garage sales are the perfect way to clear out the clutter you no longer need, as well as a great way to enjoy the outdoors and mingle with your neighbors.

Before you start dragging your unwanted items out to the front lawn though, read our step-by-step guide to holding a successful yard or garage sale.

Permit Yourself: Check with your local government to see if you need a permit to hold your yard sale. Some communities have limits on how many yard sales or garage sales can be held in a month, or how many one person can have per year, so make sure you’re in the clear before you start planning yours.

Do Your Research: Before you have a yard sale or garage sale, visit some local yard sales in your area to get a feel for what others are doing and how they’re pricing. You want to be in line with the competition, so do your homework (and you might just find some great bargains while you’re at it!)

Advertise: Definitely use online resources like www.craigslist.org as well as any online community listings sites that you’re aware of. Your local paper is another fantastic place to put an ad because yard-salers always look there when planning their yard sale route for the day!

Signage: Try posting signs wherever you’re able to make them stick, but be warned that different communities have different rules- and different levels of enforcement. You can’t post on utility poles or trees, but some cities let you post on traffic signs. Poster board is the best material for yard sale signs, and black permanent marker should be your writing tool. Hot pink or bright orange signs are real attention-grabbers, and some people even cut their signs into the shape of arrows to help direct people to your house. Post signs at as many intersections near your house as possible, and obviously, post plenty of signs on your own house along with balloons, to attract drive-by and foot traffic. If you have items that you know will be popular (such as furniture) list those on your signs and put them out front to attract attention too.

Don’t Go it Alone: Solo yard sales are a lot of work without much of the fun, so if you can’t get someone to host a yard sale with you (multi-family yard sales are always much more effective), ask a few friends to stop by periodically to help out as your temporary sales force. That way, you won’t be the only one fielding customers during a sales rush and you’ll have someone to talk to and drink coffee with when you hit a slow period. If you can get a friend or neighbor to do a multi-family sale with you, that’s fantastic because you can also split the cost of things like advertising and the sweat equity of making and hanging signs, setup, etc.

Start With Plenty of Change: As a general rule, if you have a lot of small, low priced items, $80 or $100 is a good amount to start with. Here’s a good breakdown of what denominations to start with: Two $10 bill, four $5 bills, 25 $1 bills, 1 roll of quarters ($10), and $5 in nickels and dimes. If you have a lot of higher priced stuff, start with more money and different denominations. For instance, if you have a lot of $10 items, most people will probably give you a $20 bill and expect change, so beef up on your supply of $10 bills.

Give your Stuff a Once-Over: Go through the pockets of all clothing you plan to sell, as well as inside of books and any containers. You never know what you might find inside! Jewelry, $20 bills, credit card receipts. You don’t want to lose those!

It’s All in the Presentation: No one wants to crouch down on the ground to look at every yard sale item, so put out some folding tables with old sheets over them to display some of your items. Moving boxes placed upside-down can also work for displaying lighter items. If you’re selling battery-operate items, put batteries in them (they can be old, half-used batteries.) Get an inexpensive clothing rack for your clothes (or find one for free on freecycle.com) and use cheap metal dry cleaner hangers to avoid losing your nice hangers. Many people assume that the hangers come with the clothes – if they’re dry cleaner hangers, you can happily add them in as an “extra” item.

Sell like you Mean It: Sure, it’s not your full-time job, but if you’re excited, friendly and enthusiastic, your customers will have a much better time and just might buy a few more things and/or tell their friends to stop by later. Yard sales can be a great opportunity to get to know your neighbors or just to socialize. And the more fun you make it, the more fun you’ll have.

Bags and Newspapers: Have plastic grocery bags available to put sold items in. If selling breakables, have newspaper available to wrap fragile items. Having a calculator handy is helpful in totaling up purchases.

What’s the Right Price? A rule of thumb is to price things a third of what it cost new, within reason. If you’re trying to offload a pair of rollerblades from 10 years ago that are missing ball bearings, you’ll be lucky to give them away. Junk is junk and if you want to get rid of your junk, put it all in a box labeled “free.”

Label Everything: It might seem tedious, but it will be much more tedious in heat of the moment to have to come up with prices for everything on the spot. Also, if you sit with your possessions and rationally assign prices rather than throw out numbers in the heat of the moment, you’re more likely to come up wth fair and reasonable prices. It’s really not too difficult to do. Just get those round sticky labels and quicky label things and you’ll save yourself headaches later.

Show Full Retail Price: If you’ve got a popular item that’s fairly new, show an ad from a catalog or store flier with the item in it and it’s price and tape it to your item. It shows the buyer that spending $10 for an item that normally sells for $40 new is a good deal. Don’t overuse this trick, though. It’ll lose its effectiveness if you use it on everything.

Learn Local Pay Schedules: Learn when the major companies in your area have their paydays and schedule your yard sale for the next day. Similarly, look for when Social Security checks are mailed in your area.

Bonus Haggle Tactic: Some buyers will expect you to bargain with them. If it's early in the day and you don't want to bargain yet, say "I think it's worth that price. I may lower the price later in the day if it doesn't sell."

Celebrate! After a long, hard day of yard-saling (at 2pm, you’ll feel like it’s 6pm, we promise!) treat yourself and your team to pizza or another cheap but delicious dinner you can have delivered. Chances are, no one will want to get dressed up to go anywhere, but everyone will appreciate some hot slices of pizza to celebrate a day well spent – or saved!

V. Osborne

The advice I recieved for pricing items to sell at our local twins sale was to price things at about 1/3 of what it sells new (based on the condition of the item, less if it is not in good condition). As for clothes, most items sell when priced at under $2. So $2 for a nice name brand outfit. I personally probably pay a little more for nicer items. Play clothes I usally spend .25 to .50 cents for (gym shorts, etc). It all depends how much you want to sell. The lower the price the less you will have to bring back into the house. Good luck!

Good morning Christine!

I am an at home consultant for an online children's consignment shop - I sell busy mom's items for them online and can even store them as well to save you more space.

Would love to share more information with you if you'd like -- drop me a line!

P.S. - I live in Leavittsburg as well!

J.

Please contact me. My daughter is due to have a baby girl in December and we are in need of EVERYTHING! Maybe we could work something out and you wouldn't have to worry about pricing them! ____@____.com. Please put in subject BABYCLOTHES MOMASOURCE. THANKS ANGIE!

I have always found that people want too much for things. People who shop garage sales don't care how much you paid. They want a bargain. Check out resale shops in your area like Snooty Fox which has many locations in the Cincinnati area. They tend to be higher than Goodwill but they have top of the line children/ Womens clothes usually. What out I have found Walmart Brands there too at the same prices. Clothing with soiled spots will not go over 25 cents. Ask a couple of dollars for things not worn and abuck or less on the nice clean items. When you post your sale state you have baby girl stuff and furnature pieces. I would post Craig's List, here on Momma source and state the area but no personal info on the direct site but you could put it in the business section with person data. Msake signs and slao put them in a few high traffic stops in neighborhoods near you. And don't forget the paper in your area. They will charge but you will have more traffic.
I know this is alot of work and I have pretty much given up on yaer sales. Last 3 or 4 I did I only made $20 or so bucks. If you gave them to Goodwill or a food pantry that also gives clothes you could take it off your taxes but you must itemize. Also you need to write everything down and place a value on it. Saying 4 bags or boxes of baby stuff won't do for the IRS. They want to know 13 onzies, 10 outfis (pants and tops) then a value.
Good luck.

One thing to remember when pricing for a garage sale is - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In saying that, a garage sale is all about bargain hunting...TRUE bargain hunting. I would say that most people who shop at garage sales (me included) TRULY NEED those bargains. The cheaper the better! I've had a few garage sales myself with my childrens clothes and for the baby clothes, I NEVER priced the clothes over fifty cents, stained or not. If it was a bigger item such as a winter snow suit or something, then I would say $2 or something like that. Bouncy seats, boppies and items like that would also be anywhere from $2-$5. Walkers and items like that not over $10-$15. Just remember it's not a place for you to make alot of money.....With my pricing like I told you, with 95% of what I sold being baby clothes and items I made over $300 on two different occasions. Make sure you advertise as well as you can from the newspaper and signs and such also, that helps tremendously.