Garage Sale, Craigslist or Ebay...how do you decide??

[aimeebee]

I am trying to get ready for a community garage sale this weekend. I have some things that I'm just not sure whether to put them in the sale because I am thinking I could probably do better on Craigslist or Ebay. I'd love to hear opinions.

Some of the things I am undecided on are...

Huge lot of Thomas wooden toys
Huge lot of Thomas die cast Take along Toys
Electric Thomas set
Huge lot of Geo Trax stuff
12 Thomas DVDs
Scrapbooking Supplies
Scrapbooking Idea Books
Early or OOP Scrap Magazines (Creating Keepsakes from late 90s)

I am not sure how to price these things if I try to put them in the sale. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[aimeebee]

Oh yeah, I also have a Thomas table top that dh built a frame for and put on casters so it can roll under a twin size bed. He made this when my 15yo son was a toddler. It is in okay shape, but has been well played with by all 3 of our kids.

[jen276here]

I do searches on Ebay for any item I plan to sell. I look at the completed listings and see what the average selling prices and the average shipping costs are. I then consider the fees I have to pay. If I am still receiving what I would expect at minimum from a yard sale or craigslist, I list it. I like Ebay because there is a much larger audience and a better chance of a sale, but I hate the fees of course. But weighing the fees next to the efforts of prepping a yard sale or listing via craigslist, I still prefer Ebay.

If the item doesn't seem to sell well, I usually consider other options for it - which sometimes include listing it as a part of a lot w/ a similar or complementing item or just sticking to a yard sale or craigslist.

I also consider the condition of the item I'm listing. If I can't describe it as excellent condition, I usually don't list it on ebay- the only exception is the more collectible items that still sell in good or very good condition. I just like to avoid having issues because the buyer was expecting something else than what they got.

The only other suggestion I have is not listing items before you have the packaging material/boxes for them to ship in. I only say this because it is terrible to have something sell and realize that you have nothing to ship it in and may have to *gasp* buy a box or packing materials to ship it. I use recycled boxes most often to avoid the expense.

Hope some of this helps!

[CW&M Mom]

Huge lot of Thomas wooden toys
Huge lot of Thomas die cast Take along Toys
Electric Thomas set
Huge lot of Geo Trax stuff Probably Craig's list
12 Thomas DVDs Definitly ebay. super easy and cheap to send dvd's.

For the other Thomas stuff I'd probably consider craig's list first...with a firm price of what you want....because ebay when your doing stuff that big your gonnna have your profit eaten by the shipping. so i'd try CL first on those.



Scrapbooking Supplies
Scrapbooking Idea Books
Early or OOP Scrap Magazines (Creating Keepsakes from late 90s)
I did most of my scrapbooking stuff with my yard sale..but I posted it on craigs list specifically under scrapbooking (for the yard sale) and set the time for people to come for that the night before. I made the most money that way. Then some of it sold the day of the yard sale.

If I hadn't been moving I would of done the rest on craigs list...I instead did ebay...and honestly the shipping took so much of my profit it wasn't worth it..and I had nearly all creative memories stuff.

[aimeebee]

Thanks Jen. I did some quick searches at ebay the other day. I just feel really out of the loop there. I used to sell many years ago before the fees got so high. It seems like with the Thomas for example a huge lot 200+ pieces is going for $100ish. Well, I have some engines in like new-excellent condition I was thinking $2 for those, maybe $1 for good or very good and .50 to .75 for well played with engines. The track I might sell for IDK a quarter and buildings/bridges would depend a lot on condition. I think those are pretty reasonable garage sale prices and pretty comparable to ebay if they all sold. Plus, I wouldn't have to mess with finding boxes, pricing shipping, etc.

Scrapbooking was the category I used to sell a lot in...those mags that I have used to do well years ago. But, currently it seems really hit or miss. They are mostly going for 50 cents to $1 per mag. They have so many ideas, patterns, etc and have been stored well. I don't know if a mag could bring more than 50 cents at a garage sale. But, it might be worth it to just try because I just don't know if I am up to playing the whole ebay game. Getting ready for this sale is trying my patience.

[jen276here]

Huge lot of Thomas wooden toys
Huge lot of Thomas die cast Take along Toys
Electric Thomas set
Huge lot of Geo Trax stuff Probably Craig's list
12 Thomas DVDs Definitly ebay. super easy and cheap to send dvd's.

For the other Thomas stuff I'd probably consider craig's list first...with a firm price of what you want....because ebay when your doing stuff that big your gonnna have your profit eaten by the shipping. so i'd try CL first on those.



Scrapbooking Supplies
Scrapbooking Idea Books
Early or OOP Scrap Magazines (Creating Keepsakes from late 90s)
I did most of my scrapbooking stuff with my yard sale..but I posted it on craigs list specifically under scrapbooking (for the yard sale) and set the time for people to come for that the night before. I made the most money that way. Then some of it sold the day of the yard sale.

If I hadn't been moving I would of done the rest on craigs list...I instead did ebay...and honestly the shipping took so much of my profit it wasn't worth it..and I had nearly all creative memories stuff.

C&W, shipping shouldn't eat at your profit - are you guessing on shipping or weighing first then letting the buyer use the ship calculator to show their rates? Using flat rate boxes helps keep costs low when you have small but heavy items. Also be sure to weigh your item w/ the packaging as just a few ounces can bump you up to the next rate. It is just as important to do your homework on shipping as it is on the pricing of items.

The other thing to keep in mind is how people shop garage sales in your area - people around here want below thrift shop prices which means most times I can do better on ebay. Clothes do not sell around here - household items, toys, and baby items do best. Ask around to friends/family for info on how their sales went, when they held them, and what were the big sellers.

[aimeebee]

Huge lot of Thomas wooden toys
Huge lot of Thomas die cast Take along Toys
Electric Thomas set
Huge lot of Geo Trax stuff Probably Craig's list
12 Thomas DVDs Definitly ebay. super easy and cheap to send dvd's.

For the other Thomas stuff I'd probably consider craig's list first...with a firm price of what you want....because ebay when your doing stuff that big your gonnna have your profit eaten by the shipping. so i'd try CL first on those.



Scrapbooking Supplies
Scrapbooking Idea Books
Early or OOP Scrap Magazines (Creating Keepsakes from late 90s)
I did most of my scrapbooking stuff with my yard sale..but I posted it on craigs list specifically under scrapbooking (for the yard sale) and set the time for people to come for that the night before. I made the most money that way. Then some of it sold the day of the yard sale.

If I hadn't been moving I would of done the rest on craigs list...I instead did ebay...and honestly the shipping took so much of my profit it wasn't worth it..and I had nearly all creative memories stuff.

Thanks!! Good point about the DVDs! I think I will make a little more on most of it, IF it sells on CL or ebay. But, it would almost be just as easy to get it done. The turn out at this garage sale was awesome last year. I am definitely gonna list the GS under the scrapbooking category. That is a great idea. Also could list the GS with a title of Thomas & Geotrax in an add under baby/kids. That is the most popular category in our local CL.

[aimeebee]

The other thing to keep in mind is how people shop garage sales in your area - people around here want below thrift shop prices which means most times I can do better on ebay. Clothes do not sell around here - household items, toys, and baby items do best. Ask around to friends/family for info on how their sales went, when they held them, and what were the big sellers.

I did really well with kids clothes and my "fat" clothes last year. But, people mostly shop the same way here. I tend to price just a little higher than I would want to pay, to account for that haggle factor. I kinda regret that I sold my Disney VHS to one guy who haggled me last year to $25 for the whole HUGE box. They were selling so well at $2 for Disney and $1 for everything else. Everybody who walked by was buying a couple. Afterwards, I was bummed. I guess live and learn. I'm not gonna let somebody do that for the Thomas or Geotrax. I will just say that I saw a lot sell for $100 on ebay; so I'll list them there if they don't sell today.

[jen276here]

I did really well with kids clothes and my "fat" clothes last year. But, people mostly shop the same way here. I tend to price just a little higher than I would want to pay, to account for that haggle factor. I kinda regret that I sold my Disney VHS to one guy who haggled me last year to $25 for the whole HUGE box. They were selling so well at $2 for Disney and $1 for everything else. Everybody who walked by was buying a couple. Afterwards, I was bummed. I guess live and learn. I'm not gonna let somebody do that for the Thomas or Geotrax.

I hate doing yard sales because of the haggle factor. When I'm pricing Ann Taylor and such @ $.50-$1 I get real annoyed w/ those that want to pay $.25 for it… err…. Or the person who offered me $1 for a Coach handbag… We all want a bargain, but lets not be insulting!

[CW&M Mom]

C&W, shipping shouldn't eat at your profit - are you guessing on shipping or weighing first then letting the buyer use the ship calculator to show their rates? Using flat rate boxes helps keep costs low when you have small but heavy items. Also be sure to weigh your item w/ the packaging as just a few ounces can bump you up to the next rate. It is just as important to do your homework on shipping as it is on the pricing of items.

The hard thing with shipping scrapbook stuff is that it often is odd, large things that dont' sell cheap. When you have to charge a lot of money for shipping because of it's shape/ weight (as in is too big for a flat rate PM box) people don't bid as high...if that makes sense.

I was selling scrap books from CM, bags, divider thingies ect...and none of that fit in a flat rate box.