I would venture to guess that the number one reason people shop at yard sales is to find a great bargain. No one expects to pay full price on ANYTHING at a yard sale, whether it’s brand new or not.
So when it comes to pricing the merchandise that you have collected for your yard sale, you have to leave your feelings and sentimentality out of it. If you’re not willing to sell something at a “yard-sale-level” price, it probably means that you’re not really willing to sell it.
I will be the first to admit, though, that it’s hard not to take things personally…especially when someone is trying to talk your already-low-price down even further on something that is fairly dear to you.
Baby clothes, for example. I was selling some onesies for 25 cents each! Not only was that a great deal, but they had also been graced by the presence of my precious babies’ bottoms being in them! So imagine my shock and horror when someone tried to pry them out of my hands for 5 cents each! Well, such is the fate of yard sale merchandise. If you can’t be reasonable or willing to negotiate, don’t sell it.
So how do you come up with that middle ground price? The skinniest of fine lines between wanting to make some money yet wanting to please your customers? Well, after years of hosting my own yard sales and learning the hard way, as well as researching other peoples’ yard sales, I have come up with a pricing system.
If you’re preparing for your own yard sale right now and are in the middle of collecting and pricing merchandise, check out this Pricing Consulting Guide! This should get you started and give you a general idea of how to price common yard sale items.
Clothing:
- Jeans – 2
- Polos – 2
- Dresses – 2 to 3
- T-shirts – .25
- Blouses – 1 to 2
- Shoes – 1
- Baby – .25 to .50
- Kids – .50 to 1
Kitchen:
- Pots/Pans – 1 to 2
- Utensils – .25
- Mugs – .25
- Dishes – (set) 4 to 8
- Blenders – 3 to 5
Electronics:
- Lamps – 3 to 5
- Box TV’s – 10 to 20
- Ceiling fans – 8 to 10
- Radios – 5 to 7
- DVD’s/CD’s – .50 to 1
Household:
- Picture frames – 1 to 3
- Floral arrangements for the next day flowers delivery – 2 to 4
- Trinkets – .25 to 1
- Wreaths – 2 to 4
- Mirrors – 3 to 5
Furniture:
- Small bookshelf – 8
- Coffee table – 8
- Kitchen table – 12 to 18
- Filing cabinet – 5 to 7
- Single chair – 2 to 5
Kids:
- Small toys – .50 to 1
- Walker – 6 to 12
- High chair – 10 to 12
- Pack ‘n Play – 10 to 12
- Stuffed animals – .25
- Scooters – 3 to 5
- Strollers – 10 to 15
This is definitely not an exhaustive list, and obviously doesn’t cover those “unique” yard sale items that I’m sure you’re going to sell. But hopefully this list will point you in the right direction.
All of the items listed here are a tad (by “tad” I mean 25 cents to a dollar) above what I would typically pay if I were a shopper. I price my merchandise in this way so that I have a little wiggle room if a shopper wants to negotiate. But the price isn’t so high that the shopper is scared off.
There are so many more components that go into yard sale pricing: the look and placement of the tag, whether to group items in a bin or not, and how to handle separating profits at a group yard sale. If you’re interested in learning more about yard sale pricing (or yard sales in general), check out my book, The Yard Sale Book!
I hope you make tons of money and have fun doing it! If you have any yard sale experiences or tips to share, please do!
“Yard Sale Sign” photo in header by: Daquella Manera
“TV” photo by: LISgirl
“Kids Stuff” photo by: Super Formosa
