Is this a dumb idea?

NewFamily09 · September 2011

I'm a SAHM and money is tight at our house. We are doing okay, able to make all our bills just fine and get all the necessities. Our only debt is the mortgage. But we don't have a lot of extra to spend on fun stuff. I have tons and tons of clothes that I don't wear anymore. A lot of them are professional clothes that I no longer need because I SAH. Others are stuff that doesn't fit well or that I feel like I'm too old to wear. A lot of it is name brand stuff, like Gap, Old Navy, Ralph Lauren. I'm thinking of having a garage sale in a few weeks and trying to sell all of it. It's cluttering up my closet and I have a tub or two full in the attic. It's just sitting there not being worn. Meanwhile, the clothes I do fit into and look okay in are getting worn out. I could really use a new wardrobe, but we can't afford it. Would it be naive to think I could sell some of these clothes and use the money to buy a few new things? I'm guessing I couldn't sell each item for much, maybe $2 for a shirt, $3 for pants, but if I could even make $100, I could buy just a few shirts and maybe a pair of pants, maybe even a haircut. It would make me feel better about myself. I just don't want to go through all this effort if no one really buys clothes at yard sales. What do you think? Do people buy clothes this way? How much is a fair price? It seems like people buy clothes from Goodwill, why not sell them myself and keep the money?

bucklebunny1 · September 2011

I'd give it a shot. Or take then to a consignment store. You might get more $ there depending on their rates.

bucklebunny1 · September 2011

Also are you selling other things at the garage sale or just clothes? An all clothes garage sale might not draw in the masses.

srs5624 · September 2011

Ditto ebay.

I don't think a yard sale for one or two sizes of women's clothes would be too big of a hit. It's a narrow market.

Do you have any consignment shops in your area? You could sell stuff there.

kia@mac.com · September 2011

I'm also a sahm and we have had 3 garage sales this summer. I think pricing dependes on where you live. 2 and 3 $ seem fair. It helps get people in though if you have bigger items or even kid stuff. If people don't buy anything you can take it to a consignment shop. We have one here and i get about that much for my clothes. It's important to buy yourself someting now and then.

RyAnsMoMMy123 · September 2011

I agree with pp. You won't make much at a garage sale. The neighbors had a massive garage sale last week with an absurd amount of stuff and everything sold except the clothes. Plus when people go to garage sales they are intending to get things for much cheaper than you want to get rid of them for. If you say $2-3/item, you can probably expect to get, maybe, $1 for them. Ebay is probably your best bet!

o2bme · September 2011

I do much better taking my stuff to a consignment shop and its alot less hassel.

TakeLuck · September 2011

People will buy ANYTHING if it's the right price. I sold a bunch of my older designer stuff on craigslist last year and made just over $200. Some of it was over ten years old but people still bought it. I sold a couple of expensive purses that were gifts from an old bf for $50/ea and jeans and jackets for 10-20 each. So if you're offering items for $2-3 a piece, people will be clammering for it.

NewFamily09 · September 2011

Thanks for the consignment idea. I hadn't thought of that because I don't think I've ever been in one of those stores, except the ones for kids. I looked online and there is one in our town and they pay 50% of the sale price. I have no idea how much they would sell my clothes for. It sounds like you get paid as your stuff gets sold, so that could take months. I do have other stuff to sell- kids clothes, toys, a few electronics, books, etc. Obviously, that's all family stuff so I wouldn't use that money to buy myself clothes, but maybe it would lure in more people. Also, it seems from my experience with shopping, that my size is very common (6-8) because it sells out really fast at stores. Maybe I can try $2-3 and then towards they end of the sale do something like "fill a bag for $5-10. And maybe take whatever is left to a consignment shop or if it's the junkier clothes, just donate them and call it a day. I guess I don't have that much to lose except my time and $5 for the yard sale permit.

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