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I was wondering if anybody has shopped garage sales for stamping stuff ... or had a garage sale to sell stamping stuff. If so, what kind of prices? I'm selling just about everything and have no clue what kind of price points I should set.
We are going to advertise on Craig's List so hopefully I'll get some real paper crafters coming through.
i never find anything at garage sales....ok, i dont go to garage sales ! but i would love to be near you so i could take a look and see what you have to offer, even though i have "quite a few" stamps that never met ink !!
I was wondering if anybody has shopped garage sales for stamping stuff ... or had a garage sale to sell stamping stuff. If so, what kind of prices? I'm selling just about everything and have no clue what kind of price points I should set.
We are going to advertise on Craig's List so hopefully I'll get some real paper crafters coming through.
Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!
I haven't but my mother in law does. Well she shops at garage sales every week, yes every week. She rarely finds SU stuff, but when she does it's always really cheap. People at garage sales always want stuff for practically nothing (or at least around here they do).
Just about three weeks ago my mother in law got me Old Fashioned Christmas, Best Witches, Haunted House, Penguin Pals, and about 10 other misc. stamps (2 of them were psx stamps) all for $10- yep only $10.
I've sold SU at my last garage sale. I even advertised SU in the newspaper and on Craig's list in the garage sale sections. The only SU stuff I sold was to my ex mother in law. I priced my stuff really cheap, like $3 a set and they still didn't sell. I did list my stuff on Craig's list in the craft section and I ended up selling just over $100 worth so I made out better on Craig's list, but my husband didn't like the idea of me meeting with people to make the sale. My husband went with me and we met the ladies at my local AC Moore craft store.
If you are able to ship your items I would try here in the buy sell trade forum first. Of course ebay would be the way to go, but I stay away from there when I'm selling, it kills me to pay those high fees.
I went to a garage sale of sorts that several of the demos in town had. It was inside the house and they had about four tables full of retired stamps, papers, inks, and accessories. Everything was 40% off the catolog price. It was not advertised as a garage sale but as a retired stampin up sale. They each sent out emails to all of their customers, put up signs near the place where it was held, ran a classified ad, and craigs list. There were quite a few people there when I was. I got there very early, first in the door so I have no idea how they did. I just happened to see one of them today and they are doing it again so they must have made out ok.
I have sold a ton of craft stuff --- if they are crafters they will know what the pricing is - and if it's a good deal. I do about 50% off if it's new or practically new. 75% off on other things.
If you want a certain price for something and someone offers you less, don't be afraid to stick to you guns. You can explain why it's that price and what a deal it is if they don't seem to know ---
I have had many people decide to pay my price and even more walk away --- then I sold it later to someone for what I wanted.
I've also sold things by the boxfull --- everything in this box for $$xx --- but you do have to make sure that they don't sneak other stuff in there ---
it really is all up to you --- do you want to make money? or do you want it gone more and whatever you get is okay?
I agree with the Patty. People who go to garage sales want stuff for dirt cheap even if it is NIB. The only person I've ever seen make any good money at a garage sale is one selling baby items. I would put it up on the B/S/T here, on ebay or on Craig's list. At least that way you might hope to get decent money for it. JMHO.
The people who shop at garage sales around here, and also when I lived in California, want stuff for practically nothing. I remember pricing something at 50 cents and the person wanted it marked down to 25 cents. Jeesh - I looked her straight in the eye and said - "it's 50 cents! And you want to try and bargain for a better price than that? Give me a break!".
I've found I do better by putting my stuff in my LSS consignment area. I don't get the cash, but instead get the credit to use at the store - which I have no problem spending there!!
Wow, some of you don't sound very friendly. I don't think I have shopped at your sales, or I would have probably quit shopping. I love to go garage sales, and just came in from doing so. Half the fun is dickering with the prices. Most of my craft stuff is from garage sales or bought using coupons. Yesss, you can mark it high, but be prepared to take it back in the house when the day is done. Garage sale fans go to garage sales to get a good deal. If we wanted to pay high prices (and not drive all over town we would shop in the stores). Most people have garage sales because they want to clean house, and sure if they can make a little money, then so be it.
I agree that Craig's list is probably the way to go if you want to make more money, but for me and my house, give me a good garage sale any day--it is even more exciting than chocolate.
I have sold a ton of craft stuff --- if they are crafters they will know what the pricing is - and if it's a good deal. I do about 50% off if it's new or practically new. 75% off on other things.
I think this is probably a good guideline. I've been to lots of garage sales with SU stamps sets; some are priced really high, some are priced really low. I've found a few good deals, but in most cases, I feel the prices are too high (like only a few dollars off the book price, which is OK for brand new but most are heavily used).
You could always try a price point, and if you notice a lot of people looking but not buying, you can always adjust the prices.
You might offer a deal, too, like buy two large sets, get a small set for free, or something like that.
No advice, but can I just say that I am sorry you are selling your supplies? I'm sure you have thought it all through but I have enjoyed your gallery and your style.
I don't think sticking to your guns on a price for something means you are unfriendly. Would depend on your tone I'm sure. And just because you want to get a certain amount for something doesn't mean you are unfriendly.
You can make serious money if you want. 2 years ago I made about $700 in my big destash sale. Maybe a little more. Invite all the crafty people you know and tell them to bring their friends. I did a lot of giving people a box and then we looked and agreed on a price for all of it. They were my friends --- I wasn't going to be unfriendly to them and didn't want to be unfair to them. We all agreed the prices were great.
We just had another last month and made over $1200 --- it was more household stuff and not as much craft stuff on this one so maybe only about $400 this time.
I had a banker box that was a little over 3/4 full of full sheets of scrapbook paper - whole box for $5 --- it was OLD paper.
I had some "stacks" that were from $2-$4 depending on how much was missing.
I also sold my Creative Memories cutting system - the whole set - circles, ovals, template, ruler, and the cutters: red, green and blue. I bought them at different times and a long time ago but probably spent around $60 for all of it. I've hardly used it. Kept it 2 years ago because I thought I might --- but didn't so tossed it in. I priced it at $7. I don't think was an unfair price. And the lady with her agreed.
I had some foam alphabet stamps I bought at hobby lobby and never used. They are priced at $8 new in the package. I asked $3 for them. Nobody wanted them. And I was okay with that - not because I'm going to take them back -- but because I would rather give it away to teachers I know to use in their classrooms than take $1 for it. And we were selling stuff b/c hubby got laid off.
I don't know - maybe that makes me unfriendly but I don't think so.
Here's another example - we had a box - another banker box and it was a little over half full - of electrical stuff....like switchplates and the thing you actually stick a cord into and other stuff like that. A guy was looking at it and asked how much for the whole box. My mom told him $5. He balked. Hemmed and hawed. Shook his head no. Before he could even walk away completely another guy handed my mom a $5 and took the box. he knew it was a great deal.
I have certainly dickered and taken a lower amount. But not always.
I have also given things away. There was a young girl - about 11 or 12 - at our last one that bought a stamp - just one little one for a quarter. My mom asked if I had any ink pads and I said yes ... but I guess she couldn't find them and off the girl went. I knew they hadn't been bought yet - they were in a bag with several of them and so I rummaged, found it and chased her out to her car --- told her to pick whichever one she wanted. She picked a black one and I gave her a pink too. Because as we all know - sometimes black just doesn't cut it!! *wink*
Anyway - I don't know what your situation is but I just give these as examples because I don't want you to feel like everything has to be marked at 25 cents.
I just sold a bunch of old stuff to one guy at a garage sale who bought it all for his girls! So sweet! I didn't make as much as I could have if I had done ebay, but I just never got around to ebay. And now it's out of my house, I don't have to ship it or nothing, so I don't care! And he got a heckuva deal! I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when he showed up with four boxes of stamp sets and paper and odds and ends!
I've made decent money at garage sales; but NOT on craft stuff. I understand wanting to get a good deal at a garage sale, and I usually price my stuff a little higher then I'm willing to take to allow for the "dickering" part. Household stuff, toys, clothes, etc.
But craft stuff, even if it's priced 60-70% below retail, people want to pay less than a dollar for anything craft related!! There are a few things I just want to get rid of; but SU stuff I always do better on Ebay even with the fees. I know it's a deal to pay $5 for a set that was originally $23.95 and it just makes me mad when people want to pay a $1.00 for quality craft supplies.
So for my personal sanity I don't sell my craft stuff in a garage sale.
I'm sorry if how I feel seems unfriendly. I HATE haggling with a passion. I see a price, I ask myself if I'm willing to pay it. If not, I walk away. It is that easy. I also don't coupon clip. I don't run around town looking very where first. I don't ahve that kind of time. If someone doesn't like my price, they can walk. I am sorry if I seem grouchy about it. I just feel like, most people sell for cheap at a garage sale. If the price is 50cents, why are you arguing? This is aslo coming from someone who doesn't do yard/garage sales for just this very reason. Too much work for so little reward. I feel better just donating.
No advice, but can I just say that I am sorry you are selling your supplies? I'm sure you have thought it all through but I have enjoyed your gallery and your style.
Best wishes.
I second this! I just went to your gallery, and I love your style; your cards are beautiful. Thank you for sharing and inspiring us!
I'm sorry if how I feel seems unfriendly. I HATE haggling with a passion. I see a price, I ask myself if I'm willing to pay it. If not, I walk away. It is that easy. I also don't coupon clip. I don't run around town looking very where first. I don't ahve that kind of time. If someone doesn't like my price, they can walk. I am sorry if I seem grouchy about it. I just feel like, most people sell for cheap at a garage sale. If the price is 50cents, why are you arguing? This is aslo coming from someone who doesn't do yard/garage sales for just this very reason. Too much work for so little reward. I feel better just donating.
This is THE exact reason why I no longer hold garage sales. I cannot stand the haggling and I know garage salers love the haggling part. I'm already practically giving away my stuff and I honestly would rather give it away to a charity that can sell it for profit. It's also why I can't stand going to Mexico. I can't handle the presence of so many beach vendors coming up to me, trying to sell me merchandise and having to haggle over the price.
TJ, I was going to suggest you advertise your sale as a craft sale rather than a garage sale. I think people are more willing to pay a little more (or haggle less) with a 'craft' sale. Of course, maybe you are getting rid of other household stuff, too. Whatever you do, I hope you are able to shed the items you are wanting to shed and make a little money doing it.
P.S. I very rarely have ever shopped at garage sales. Usually only for books when I've done it. I know there are great finds to be had out there. I just don't enjoy the hunt. More for the rest of you, I guess.
It's funny to read this thread now. I just yesterday read a listing for a yard sale and they were listing stamping up items (yes that's how they spelled it and no initial caps either).
I've never really gone to a yard sale, garage sale or what ever you want to call them. But from just driving by them, they mostly seem to be selling old stuff and junk.
I have to agree with a post several back that I would be looking for items priced very inexpensive. It seems to me that if you wanted top dollar for the craft items, that you would be presenting them in a better setting than out on your driveway or front lawn. I do agree that you need to advertise craft items if you are including those kinds of items in addition to household items. To me, listing a specific brand name of stamps wouldn't matter though. I would be the one wanting to break up a set and asking to purchase only specific ones from a set.
I sell my old sets at my local scrapbook store's garage sale for store credit. I price my sets at $5-$12. Most, but not all, of them sell. Crafters are buying those sets, and they are aware of the face value, versus the average garage saler.
My friend recently revamped all of her craft/paper supplies. She advertised on Craig's list as a craft sale and also stated in the ad, NO HAGGLING over prices, as it was priced low enough to be a good deal for everyone, including her! Most things were "priced" as a bundle, she made over $1,200 for almost all of her craft/paper supplies. What she didn't sell she donated to her son's school.
I think when people go to garage sales just the activity is a form of entertainment. They buy a few things for a couple of dollars and that is about it. They purchase on a whim. So prices need to reflect this
Craig's list is also whim shopping.
When people go to e-Bay they generally have a product in mind. However there are hundreds of SU stamp sets and craft items at any one time on e-Bay so does a person get the price they wanted?
The used market is for people who are either starting out or who want to add a few things to their collection without spending much money .
Most people want the newest and latest things and those are not available on the used market
I have been to garage sales where the seller had a table full of SU stamps sets priced at 25-40% off catalog price. A month or two later they still have the same sets for sale at the same prices. I have purchased a couple of SU sets and I paid $5 -$8 for them . Many sets are one use sets so the $5- $8 range makes sense
I think a person needs to ask themselves why do they want to sell their stamps and supplies? Is it to raise money or to clear out a stamping room of things they no longer use ? If it is to raise money then e-Bay is a better choice even though it is much slower
I sold many stamp sets at a sale last fall. I priced mine depending on what they were.
SAB sets went for $5 - $8
Some of my large SU sets sold for $18
Some really common not real liked sets I put a cheap price to get rid of them.
I ended up selling $198 worth and that was all store credit for the LSS here.
I recently had a garage sale selling off a deceased friend's vast stamp collection. I specifically advertised it as a "craft sale" and included Stampin' Up in the ad. I sold all SU! sets for $5, regardless of the size. Single stamps (SU! and non-SU!) were priced at $0.25, $0.50 and $1.00 each, depending on size. I also had a lot of embellishments, tools, and paper which sold anywhere from $0.50 to $10.
I advertised in the paper, and on CraigsList.
We made $700.
We had only one or two people try to haggle, but when we explained that the money was going to a scholarship fund established in our friend's memory through our church they gave us the full amount, or more.
I think the poor economy has kicked the legs out from under the resale market. We have a friend who has a large collection of Harley Davidson memorabilia and Jim Beem bottles. From time to time he will sell doubles of things he has . He said lately those items don't sell quickly or for nearly what they did even a couple of years ago. He said he thought part of the problem is there are so many people selling these things to raise money . Plus people are thinking twice before they spend money on luxuries. The selling price has to be set at what people will pay, not the value the seller places on it.
TJ, I wonder if where you live will be a factor, too. We have a lot of stampers around here. A neighbor who's a big SU! person will advertise she's selling SU! items at her sale. (She's a demo, wants to keep current and doesn't like the idea of a huge collection.) She prices the stamps at what she paid for them originally, and she'll pretty much get what she asked for. What she doesn't sell, she hangs on to till her next sale (she does one pretty much every year). Most of her stamping things go pretty quickly.
__________________ If you don't want your tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying you want a country based on Christian values, because you don't. ~ Jimmy Carter
I'm sure where you live plays a big part of how much things sell for. In my area I tried to sell my SU stamp sets in my sale and they didn't sell, not even for $3 for the small sets.
Thanks so much for the info! We are going to have a special area and signage for our stamping stuff. We are going to advertise on Craig's List for crafters.
What I don't sell (which from the sounds of things might not be much!) I'll probably list here. I've sold here before and was very successful. I don't overprice ... I DO want to get rid of it but I'd like to make SOMEthing, KWIM? $5 a stamp set seems fair at a garage sale. I have LOT to get rid of! But I also need the $$$.
I'll let ya'll know how it goes. The sale is next weekend.
And thank you for the VERY sweet comments about my gallery. Ya'll made me blush!
We generally don't know the circumstances of the people who go to garage sales. Some maybe just too cheap to pay full price and others may not be able to pay full price.
I have a friend who drove to California about 3 years ago. She stayed for a week and went to garage sales on Saturday. She came back with a good size suitcase filled with rubber stamps and most of them were SU sets. She said she paid less than $50 for all of them. She was thrilled. You see she lives on a small fixed income and could not afford to buy more than a set or two of SU stamps a year. The sellers didn't make money but they certainly gave my friend a lot pleasure.
the prices at garage sales depends on the seller. I went to a couple were SU were ok. then i went to one 2 weeks ago and man, this lady was selling her SU for $2-3. I was so shocked. of course when i got there, there were only 3 sets left. And of course i grabbed those. wish i had been there earlier, i would have bought her whole lot.
good luck! Why don't you sell on here, Im interested in what you have
Thanks so much for the info! We are going to have a special area and signage for our stamping stuff. We are going to advertise on Craig's List for crafters.
What I don't sell (which from the sounds of things might not be much!) I'll probably list here. I've sold here before and was very successful. I don't overprice ... I DO want to get rid of it but I'd like to make SOMEthing, KWIM? $5 a stamp set seems fair at a garage sale. I have LOT to get rid of! But I also need the $$$.
I'll let ya'll know how it goes. The sale is next weekend.
And thank you for the VERY sweet comments about my gallery. Ya'll made me blush!
TJ! So you are finally doing it. :( If I wasn't so sick I'd come up. It's my birthday next weekend you know... I could spoil myself at your sale. I'm so proud of you for finally going through the stuff.
I did want to say you might want to put no haggling on your sign. I know you don't care for haggling and I also know garage sale-ers love to haggle. ;) And I know you want to sell so you are going to price stuff your lowest to begin with.
I wish you the BEST of luck, I hope you get thousands of dollars, I KNOW you have thousands of dollars of stuff.
I'm sure you know but if you are sitting on any cool caribbean you know a nice girl who needs some... hahah
__________________ My BlogMy GalleryAll dog's feet smell like Fritos. I know you don't believe me, go check... See, I told you so.
TJ! So you are finally doing it. :( If I wasn't so sick I'd come up. It's my birthday next weekend you know... I could spoil myself at your sale. I'm so proud of you for finally going through the stuff.
I did want to say you might want to put no haggling on your sign. I know you don't care for haggling and I also know garage sale-ers love to haggle. ;) And I know you want to sell so you are going to price stuff your lowest to begin with.
I wish you the BEST of luck, I hope you get thousands of dollars, I KNOW you have thousands of dollars of stuff.
I'm sure you know but if you are sitting on any cool caribbean you know a nice girl who needs some... hahah
LOL! Yep, finally biting the bullet. We'll see how the sale goes ... I may be here selling stuff too. I just SO don't want to deal with shipping and all that.
Yeah, a no haggle sign would be good. I'm not a haggler!
Update!
Day 2 of the sale is today ... so far all my embellishments, tools, etc... have sold. I've also sold about 25 or so stamp sets. I priced them at $5 each.
I did pull out some that are worth WAY more and I'll either sell them here or Ebay but overall I'm glad I put the others in the garage sale.
There was a local scrapping group that held a crafter's garage sale yesterday. They rented a shelther house at a park and rented tables for (I think) $20 each. We stopped by ($1 to get in) and looked around. There were a lot of SU sets that were still sitting there, and it was getting close to closing time. Most were priced at $7-10 or so. I cant' say I saw a lot of buying going on,but it was late. I purchased a Sizzix die and a horsey stamp for $1 each.
__________________ Diana
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Save your drama for your llama.
We advertised specifically for Stampin Up on Craig's List. The stampers that came and bought (and they bought a LOT) said they look on Craig's List for garage sales/craft sales. Two of the girls heard by word of mouth from their friends.
It was really successful for me. I sold most of my stamp sets! The only embellishment that's left is a pot of that iridescent paint stuff (can't even remember what it's called).
I did keep my paper though ... and my inks. I'm still undecided about that stuff. I kept some stamp sets for me and some to sell here or on Ebay.
I've sold stamp sets on eBay quite a few times. I do auctions for single stamp sets that sell well and group together ones that aren't so hot into a lot and sell them that way. I always print my postage online and request pickup at my door - it's actually cheaper and doesn't require me to juggle my packages and my boys!
Also, our military base has a consignment shop, and I've sold hoards of older crafting stuff there. In the last month, between my eBay sales and my consignment shop sales, I've sold about $400.
I'm saving up for a fancy camera, but now that I'm researching cameras and lenses, I'm thinking it might make more sense to use it for a down payment on a new vehicle. Goodness, that stuff is pricey. I'm quite found of my little Sony Cypershot!
Garage Sale Pricing
