So how cheap are you?....

[audiyoda]

As some of you may know, my wife and I are moving. Well today we had a moving sale -- just getting rid of the excess that we don't want and don't use. I cannot believe how cheap some people are. Here are some examples:

We have an older break maker -- bought new for over $200, still being sold as Best Buy for over $100. I price ours at $5.00 adn include two recipe books. This old guy has the guts to offer me $3.00!!!!! Then $4.00. I explain to him that I put that price on there for a reason -- he leaves.

I have a 1 year old Lawnmower with a 5.5hp Briggs & Straten engine. Bought new for $350.00 -- I want $30.00. Some clod offers me $5.00!!!!! Tells me a story about how some old lady sold him one last year for that price and all it needed was a new carb. I told him I'm not an old lady adn it don't need a new carb.

Old guy and his older wife come in and offer to take everything off our hands for 1/4 asking price. Tell us they've had an annual garage sale for the last 20 years and they are trying to help us out by takingthe risk of selling this "junk". I ushered him out the door.

The worst part is -- I've got one more day of this hell to go.

-Craig

[Colonel Sanders]

It sucks how much people expect things to depreciate when it is used.

I have a CD-player for my pcik-up, however my pick-up got sold. Got $5000 when it is worth about $6-$7000, my dad decided to sale it to his ex-girlfreind and her husband at such price with out me knowing. Kinda dissapointing. Anyways, on to the CD-player. It cost me $240 new, about 6 months ago, and the price hadn't gone down any. I said I'd sale it for $100, but then someone else walked up and claimed because it was used, it was worth $50 tops, right as I was about to make a deal. After the supposed buyer heard the $50 price, the deal was off. I wanted to kill the person who calimed it was worth only $50.

[Kubie]

audiyoda,
Those people are reselling. The items you mentioned will be at the flea market at $50.00 or more.
Carl

You actually have a garage sale in Michigan in four feet of snow?

[RayH]

I live in San Francisco. Supplying your own stove and refrigerator are not unusual in this city's rentals. Anyway, about 25 years ago I was moving to my first home and didn't need the stove. I offered to sell it to the new tenants.

I wanted $125. It was an old Chambers stove. It was a huge mother. It was the top of the line before people started installing restaurant stoves in their home. Anyway, the guy offers me $50. A new Chambers at the time was $1200!

I told him if he didn't buy my stove, he'd have to get another stove and move it in! He said that the stove that was here looks like it's too big to move out. He stuck with $50. I told him if he didn't give me the $125, I'd just call the Salvation Army to haul it away. It thought I was kidding. I told him I wasn't. He gave me the $125. It was a bargain!

Phooey with the cheapskates!

[Tiretool]

audiyoda, you don't have a pawn shop that will take this stuff off your hands for your asking prices? They can surely double or triple their prices on these items and make a chunk of money.

By the way... why not post some of the offerings on the For Sale forum here? One man's garbage is another man's treasure! You never know who might want to give you more than what you're asking for something.

Just trying to be helpful.

[Gintaras]

Originally posted by Tiretool audiyoda, you don't have a pawn shop that will take this stuff off your hands for your asking prices? They can surely double or triple their prices on these items and make a chunk of money. By the way... why not post some of the offerings on the For Sale forum here? One man's garbage is another man's treasure! You never know who might want to give you more than what you're asking for something. Just trying to be helpful.

That's true.

A few years ago I found a LP record in a basement of the building I lived in. It was Led Zeppelin very first press and even it was full of multiple scratches-but didn't skip.
A few months ago I sold that LP on Ebay for $136. Buyer was so happy, he e-mailed me after he received LP how happy he was- after 20 years of search for this LP.

You never know what you may have

Don't you watch Antiques Roadshow?

I'd second Tool's encourage to post unwanted items on FOR SALE forum.

[audiyoda]

Originally posted by Carlgif audiyoda, You actually have a garage sale in Michigan in four feet of snow?

No...everything's in the house -- well except some of the yard stuff. Anyway, what snow?

-Craig

[Toaster]

Hello AudiYoda,
I worked some in sales and found that if something was offered at too low a price, the potential buyer became suspicious.
In your case, I would have doubled about everything and let them talk you down to a price that would actually exceed your minimums.
Also, "haggering" over a price is the norm for used goodies. Its fun as well as rewarding in most cases.
When I buy used thingies, I rarely give the asking price unless its unavailable or cheaper then I'd chance to lose the item.
I suggest therefore that you asked too little and then gave no room for the eventual "haggle".
Pawn shops here give about 0.05 on the dollar. Pawn brokers here "take advantage" of any who walk through the door. Obviously, there are 6 in this small town of 30,000.

Your Lawn mower could have been lited for say 50-60 bucks with a "haggling" price of about 30-40 bucks. Then, there is the chance that someone would buy it as the higher price is fair.
Your bread maker was far too low. It suggested to the buyer that you had NO CLUE to its worth, therefore the rediculous offer(s).

Peoples are equally put off on too low and too high pricing. If too low, some folks assume a defect of some sort.

[mc2phat]

Very good point Toaster, and you are right, but I see Audiyoda's point. I had a big garage sale last month, and as you pointed out in your post I had my nice stuff "haggle" priced. The problem is, at yard sales, people insult you. A check of most of these types will reveal many of them are "used" (junk) store owners that want to find someone stupid enough to give something away, and they make offers with an air of condescention and get angry when you don't accept their first RIDICULOUS offer. Case in point at my sale, items and offers:

-I had a mint foul weather military parka. I knew I could get at least 30 on eBay for it, so I figured I'd take fifteen at the yard sale, price it at 30 and let them talk me down. All DAY I had people insult me on it. "Well, I never pay more than a dollar for these," or, "I can't believe this is thirty dollars," and so on. After about a dozen of these idiots, I took the parka inside. I sold it on eBay for $55 the next week.

-I had six NEW military wool blankets that I bought to take camping/hunting. I never used them. I had them priced at five dollars each, figuring I'd get 2.50 each for them. Again, "Well, I can get these for a quarter," and so on. I asked that guy where he could get 'em for a quarter so I could buy a truckload. After 5 or so idiot comments like this, a guy walked up and gave me thirty dollars, no questions asked.

-eight pairs of size 34 X 32 Levi's jeans (see "phat" in mc2phat):
priced at four dollars each. Offers started at a DIME. More insults. After awhile you're mean to the people. "You won't get 'em for a dime here, Budrick." Yet again, two ladies walked up and handed me 32 dollars cash for the whole lot.

My point is, haggling is fine and fun usually, until people with bad attitudes come by, insult you, your merchandise, then stick their noses in the air when you tell them to take a hike. That's yard sales. I have this happen when I sell cars/motorcycles too, but it's not as annoying because someone who really wants it will come along and haggle me to a fair price.

I made $280 at my sale by the way.

[HAL9000]

I have to admit, yes, I am cheap, but I always intentionally start low to avoid paying too much and will haggle until either the price is more than I'm willing to pay, or I walk away happy with my new found treasure. Realistically, yes, I probably would have insulted you on the bread maker as well, but not as bad as the price you were offered. I probably would have started with at least $20.

[mbossman2]

Having been in sales (B2B and otherwise), I have found that most of my customers take this dictum: "What's the worst they will do, say no?" to heart.

I don't blame them for low balling BUT they should not take your rejection personally.

You have something they want (the item) and they have something you want (the money), and an accomodation can be made.

Additionally, someone should also make an offer in line with the value of the item, if an item is priced at $5 but is worth $20, then you should pay the $5 and take it, not offer $3, that is semi-insulting and says to me (as a seller) that you really don't know what you are doing.

[Statica]

Rather than having to deal with the prospect of haggling over the money, with people who look like they can even afford to buy it retail, have always found myself happiest when giving Goodwill / Salvation Army a call and have them keep the stuff. Guess its all the bad experience, as aforementioned, when helping friends move & watch them try to dispose off their stuff.

[troysvihl]

I think you may be able to deduct the value of the property you donate to places like the salvation army/goodwill.

I know I've heard radio ads calling for donations of old cars, and that you can get a deduction if you donate that. But I'm not sure if you can do that for all personal property donated.

If you can, then you can probably grab a pretty decent deduction, since you can inflate the value of the donation substantially.

Anyone know for sure?

[freptide]

Keep the stuff. I hate it when "bargainers" come
to a yard sale at the end and think they can nickel and dime
their way into a sale. My neighbor Frank Capasso used to do that
whenever I would have a yard sale. He is such a fat cheap idiot!!

[Hpro]

As I'm living in Asia - and here it's only bargain - I sure got my share of it.. for me it's very easy - if I want to buy something I usually pay the price asked for - but with a prior note to the seller like - OK you give me your best price - "I will not bargain with you" - or "No that's too expensive "- usually then I will tell him my price which will be about 10 - 25 % less of what he told me..

But If I sell something then the price is also fixed - no overhead - letting go 5% max.. otherwise NO SELL will take place..that's why my whole house is a junk yard..

I will not sell or give away things like presents or gifts or likewise as this is family custom..

[archie]

An item that once cost 10 dollars is often only worth 10 cents at a garage sale.
I've had garage sales and been to some. When having a garage sale, it's organized once a year with the neighbours as a street sale. It brings more people and it means less traffic throughout the rest of the season. It's a big job of pricing and labelling everything, I mark it as low as I think it will sell so that it's all over as soon as possible ... at most by 11:30/noon. Sometimes people ask for a lower price and they may get it but more often than not, the price stays as it is, especially early in the day, and if there are people within earshot ... once you start haggling, others start too ... a relaxing morning can soon seem like an auction sale.
In going to garage sales [there are some good deals to be had sometimes], if the price is what I'm willing to pay, I pay. If there is nothing marked, I may ask for the price of one item but only if really really interested. Sometimes there's the 'hmmm, I'm not sure how much I'm selling it for' from the seller.
There are some who will have garage sales, mark too high or not at all, and end up having to bring everything back in their cluttered garages until the next year.