To yard sale or not to yard sale?
That’s something I’m trying to figure out. Admittedly, I’m using the internal debate as a technique to procrastinate. I don’t want to go down into the crowded, dimly-lit, spider-filled basement and sort through boxes!
It needs to be done, though. We’ve been living here for a year and a half and most of the boxes cluttering the basement haven’t been opened in months. The leftover contents are sometimes valuable — like my collectible porcelain figurine and the best of my husband’s baseball cards — and sometimes the sort of thing that can only be described as “another man’s treasure”.
Here are my arguments on whether a yard sale is appropriate for us:
PRO
- It would be a good way to get rid of lots of random stuff. Craft supplies, extra dishes, kids’ toys and books.
- Like ripping off a bandage, it’s all done at once. Leftovers would get hauled to the Salvation Army or left on the curb with a “Free” sign.
CON
- Everything needs to be priced individually and very cheaply.
- Haggling. I hate haggling.
- We don’t have garage space for the sale, so weather could ruin our plans.
- I’m not much of a salesperson and the onslaught of bargain-hunting strangers would make shy me feel very uncomfortable.
What to do, what to do? If I don’t run a yard sale, I could eBay the shippable items that have enough value to be worth the time. Larger items could go on Craigslist (my husband effectively sold some larger items that way when we moved). Leftovers could be donated or freecycled. It would take more time, but we could also expect to earn more through those approaches than we could at yard sale prices. And I’ve got time over the summer, anyway.
Hmmph. I’ve never sold anything on eBay, though I’ve bought there. We have boxes for shipping. Maybe I’ll pick an item and try to sell it, then make a decision about how to unload the rest.
