How To Price Items For Your Garage Sale After Decluttering

Once you've finished decluttering your home, you'll likely have lots of items that you no longer want but that aren't necessarily trash. One option is to donate the items, but maybe you'd like to see if you can earn some cash from the pieces first. If so, holding a garage sale can be a way to make a profit from your clutter. However, you shouldn't just put your items out without prices, because this means customers will have to repeatedly ask you "how much?". This can be a real turn-off to prospective buyers and may also lead you to sell things for less than what they're worth. With this in mind, how do you price your merchandise so it transforms from clutter to cash? Well, there are several strategies such as pricing in increments of fives, charging only 10% of the retail price, pricing items by category, and researching high-value collectibles.

It's possible to make some serious dough from your sale, but the amount you make will vary based on your merchandise, pricing, attendance, and customer base. You also have to contend with the weather, any neighborhood competition, and whether people are actually interested in your wares. Set prices too high, and you might end up with just as much stuff as you put out. That's why following some key tips when pricing items is so important. Once you've decided what you will sell after throwing away any home goods no one should ever buy used at a garage sale, here's how to price everything so it's gone once and for all.

Pricing in increments of fives will make it easier to make change, so start there. Begin with the lowest amount as a quarter and continue upwards. Set reasonable prices, as garage sale experts recommend you set items no higher than 10% of the original retail price if they're in worn condition. With items that are like new or that still have the tags, you could consider going up to 50% of the sticker price. An example is if you have a high-end espresso machine that retails for $500, you could price it at $250. As you price items, ask yourself, "Would I pay this much for this?". Also remember that buyers might haggle, so have an idea of how much you'd like to counter with in response.

When you place your items up for sale, group and price like things by category with color-coded stickers to get them out the door, or garage, faster. A sign that says "All books and DVDs $1 each" will likely encourage buyers to buy in bulk rather than having to sift through individually priced items. If you have exclusive pieces, such as a limited-edition book release or an out-of-print vinyl, you could make an exception and price them individually after careful research of how much they're typically sold for on eBay or Facebook Marketplace. And if you're trying to sell an entire estate sale's worth of items, check out some tips on making the most you can with an estate sale.