Since I was yard sailing all day Friday, I completely ignored the internet. Nothing personal, of course, it’s just good to get away every once and a while. If anyone spent the day wringing their hands, wondering the fate of my stuff, I’ve got one thing to say to you: get a life. But even if you weren’t, here’s what happened:
The Shower Stool went for $10. I marked it at $25, but a woman wanted it for her 95 year old father, which meant that my naked butt meant nothing as far as increasing the price. I also noticed that most people, when bargaining down more than a dollar or two, liked to include a sob story of why they needed the item at an extreme discount. For instance, my air conditioner was also marked at $25, but a woman offered $10 with the explanation that it was for her divorced friend whose kids were currently dying of heat. Whatever, dude. Just don’t make me put it into your car for you.
The Ansel Adams calendar went for 50 cents, along with my 2001 Brian Froud Fairies calendar, which I marked down to 25 cents.
Mookie Wilson did not sell, because I adamantly priced him at $10 and refused to sell him to anyone who would not admit he was the greatest Met of all time. Perhaps it will be Ebay for him, or maybe my dashboard. Who knows?
Sorry, Sister Alyson, the nail art sold for $3. It was the last thing to go before the skies opened up and ended our sale three and a half hours early on Saturday afternoon. But the man who bought it was really happy, and we didn’t tell him that hours earlier Birmingham had come to visit and used it to make faces with his tongue sticking out.
Wilson Philips and Shari Lewis are still in my possession, even though I priced the tapes at 5 for $1 and 8 for $1.50 (no one fell for the shady 8 tape deal). But, I did sell the “No Son Of Mine” single to a dude who was really excited about it. For his dollar, he also got Tesla, Warrant, Poison and Ozzy Ozborne. Then, as he and his wild hair got back into his pickup, he told me he was “jazzed to go to work because now he had his favorite music to listen to!”
But my biggest success of all was the cookies. Knowing that I wasn’t selling many big ticket items, I decided to have a little bake sale on the side. I made these: Citrus-Drizzled Cranberry-Oatmeal Cookies.
I wrapped them up in cling wrap and a ribbon, and sold them in packages of two for 50 cents. These cookies are madly easy to make, and they’ve garnered me some serious compliments. Sometimes I make extras to give to my neighbor in exchange for the wifi he lets me bum. (I don’t know what I’m going to do when he moves in July.) They sold pretty well over the course of Friday, one guy bought two at once. Then, a few hours later, he returned and bought everything I had left! Lacking the ingredients for more cookies, I made Jenna Fischer’s 88 calorie brownies for Saturday. They were delish, but not as popular. So the extras went down to New Jersey with me on Sunday and became instant father’s day brownies.
All in all, I earned about a third of a stimulus check for my efforts. Nice work if you can get it.
19 responses so far ↓
apollocreed // June 16, 2008 at 11:29 am
I’m just happy knowing that someone has given the nail art a happy home.
Just sorry it couldn’t be you.
Allie // June 16, 2008 at 11:57 am
The bake sale idea was brilliant!
Not a bad haul. I keep trying to talk the hubs into a garage sale, but he’s not having it. Some day, I’ll just have one and explain what’s going on as it’s happening.
I’m actually pretty good at baking. I like the idea of tricking your betrothed into a garage sale.
Kate // June 16, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Tesla??!! I might have driven out there for that one.
On tape, too!
freeandflawed // June 16, 2008 at 1:09 pm
I have a garage sale just about every year. Every year the same woman comes by and offers $1. For everything. She doesn’t speak much English so she always asks “1 dolla?” No lady, that’s a TV. I am not selling it for $1!
Aside from her, everyone will try to talk down everything. I hate garage sales. If I wanted to sell it for $5 don’t you think I would have marked it $5?
We had the $1 people. And I marked some stuff up, hoping to raise the initial bid.
nancypearlwannabe // June 16, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Wow, a third of a stimulus check? That’s a pretty good chunk of change! Maybe you should just have a weekly bake sale outside. It seems like a lucrative gig.
I feel like I’ve already spent my profits, though. And the bake sale only netted about $12, which is no chump change…
bing // June 16, 2008 at 2:16 pm
The bake sale was a good idea. Those cookies sound awesome. I’m currently drooling on myself at my desk…thanks!
They are awesome. You should make them!
3carnations // June 16, 2008 at 2:16 pm
I want people to haggle when I have a garage sale. People seem hesitant to. The last one we had, someone showed an interest in hubby’s old bike. They seemed interested, but started to leave. I asked hubby if we would take less, knowing we just wanted it gone. He said yes, so I approached the guy as he was getting in his car, and said we would take less. He made an offer, sale made.
Yeah, I tried to do that with a glass shelf I had, but it didn’t work.
Tara // June 16, 2008 at 3:00 pm
This makes me want to have a yard sale just for the stories, the human connection and the comic relief.
It’s true! I met a handful of neighbors I never knew I had!
Laurel // June 16, 2008 at 4:33 pm
$200 is an amazing haul for a garage sale! Nice work.
The neighbors made even more, they had furniture.
Kristabella // June 16, 2008 at 4:47 pm
No one wanted an autographed Shari Lewis? How far they fall, huh?
Congrats on the entrepreneurship with the cookies!
Yeah, but maybe it’s worth more on the internet…
lizgwiz // June 16, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Ah yes, the power of a good cookie. Maybe you should have given a bonus cassette tape with each dozen cookies.
I could have! I wonder if it would have helped move the brownies.
Pants // June 16, 2008 at 5:39 pm
When I see awesome cassette tapes at garage sales and thrift stores I wish I had something to play them on. Perhaps I should start looking for an old school boom box?
Your cookie and brownie recipe look super yummy!
I still have tape players in my stereo, but I never think to use them.
courtney // June 16, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Not bad! I may have to make those cookies. They sound good.
They are a huge hit, good for holidays, too.
Vanessa // June 16, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I love how everyone comes up with a story to justify the discount!
Yeah, very few people are willing to admit that they’re just cheap.
Stefanie // June 16, 2008 at 10:30 pm
You sold an air conditioner for $10? How are YOU going to stay cool now??
My mom insisted on pricing this terribly out-of-style and out-of-date bedspread at my grandma’s house at $40. She insists someone will pay that price because a new one would be $80. (She printed a page from the JC Penney catalog to prove it to us.) I can’t wait to see what happens there when they have the sale.
I can’t use air conditioning in the cottage for various reasons. (It’s actually not that bad.) And yeah, no one is paying $40 for a comforter. My neighbor sold one, along with 4 curtains and a set of sheets for $15.
alexa // June 16, 2008 at 10:41 pm
noelle you did awesome!!!
i’m impressed. you are making me want to make some extra cash.
and anything with a citrus drizzle just sounds fabulous
The best is the stuff I sold that I didn’t pay for in the first place.
Lara // June 17, 2008 at 11:21 am
OH my god, I am giggling over the guy buying the tapes! And the “shady eight-tape deal”! You’re hilarious. And inspiring! I am going to have to start planning a yard sale, STAT!
erikka // June 17, 2008 at 11:34 am
wait, you made either $100 or $200 from a yardsale!?! go you! the most I’ve ever made was like, $25. you must have had a lot of stuff to sell or it went at good prices.
either way - you win.
mickey // June 17, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Yard sailing! I had a different image in my head before I read on, but I really like the term anyway. Now I just need a big, flat yard and a sewing machine…
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