G.B.
In the past I have read that pricing should be 1/3 of the original cost.
That seems to work fine on ebay or craig's list, but at garage sales people litterally want things for pennies on the dollar.(at least in Livermore, you might find more affluent shoppers in the Danville area). I just had a sale and people are being quite stingy with their cash right now, more so than in the past. Personally for my sales I don't go above a dollar for children's dresses or shoes, jeans can go for a dollar or dollar 50, avg. shirts 50 cents. Jackets 2-3 bucks.puzzles 50 cents, games 50 cents to a dollar (unless new... then 2-4 bucks).dolls 1-3 bucks, barbies 50 cents to a dollar unless really nice then go 1.50. Sheets are hot items, I sold sheet sets for 5 bucks. I try to emotionally un-attach myself from the item and think what i would pay for it at someone else's sale.
The more shade you provide the longer people will stay to shop. You can set up in a backyard way ahead of time and throw tarps over it, this also helps if you are going to hold the sale for 2 days. Use big signs to show its in the back.
The way it is organized can help sell more as well. Leaving things in boxes- most people dont like to rummage through, you can sell more by displaying items. (except i do leave books on their bottom side in tall upright boxes where they can be flipped through like a card index) smaller paperbacks work well if they are placed in a very shollow 2 inch high sided box with the spine up, with all titles facing the same way so they are easy to read. I used ziploc bags to put set in, like beads, or jewelry. Barbie clothes went in a zippy gallon size bag for 2 bucks. I tape securely with 3 inch wide clear packing tape any loose peices,for example dolls get taped to their matching cribs, tea cup into the tea doll's hand, plastic animals taped onto the front of the pet shop- so people can clearly see the peices are with it and they won't get lost or lifted. I had a 150 pc track wood train set with additioanl 12 trains- I priced what it would be to buy the pieces online first and then cut it by 2/3. Alot of people were interested until they heard the price- they gasped- even tho it was worth what I was asking. This kind of item works for craig's list or ebay.
In the past I've always put out a lure to get people to stop. Last year it was a 4 foot tall redwood carved bear. (I would say it was sold when people would ask). being warm and freindly to every person who walks up helps keep shoppers there longer and more likely to buy something.
If you can think of a creative use for an item it may help you sell it. I had an old fashioned french dresser mirror that a man used for above a bathroom vanity.
Watch for gypsies. I didnt get any this year but always have in the past. They usually came in a van and a load of them would pour out. They would usually have one or two people heckling the heck out of you for pricing reductions while their women are hiding things in their black robes and walking off. Now if people hound me and are just outright rude about it I take the item in the garage and say its no longer for sale and move on.
For my signs I always use 3 or 4 - 3 ft x 3ft neon posterboards taped to a piece of heavy cardboard(so the wind won't wrap it around the pole and make it unreadable). I do not worry about the address, i just put the street name , in LARGE letters so people can read it while driving by. 3 or 4 inch tall letters on the street name work well in wide tipped black markers. I also put up many signs, making several smaller signs in the same color neon board that will simply be arrows pointing the way. my typical sign amount is between 10 and 20 signs. You can even put them quite far out of the way, if you put the main streets to get there (for example Yard sale today, Main st. to kelly way)
Good luck!
