This past Saturday morning, The School Girl and I decided to drive around the boondocks looking for great deals on other people’s stuff. We got to one home in the far recesses of town that apparently had just woken up and straggled outside to take the tarpaulins off of their tables. The women who were running this yard sale were somewhat obnoxious. Luckily, I had my wife with me as a buffer so that I wouldn’t have to converse with them. They were very proud of their stuff. I was not that impressed.
My wife managed to find one item that was worthwhile to purchase…a plate stand. This particular plate stand was small and wooden and had a price tag of one dollar. I handed my wife 50 cents and told her that this item was only worth the change and besides they would only be out 50 cents from their original asking price.
The following is a (mostly) verbatim account of the exchange:
Bitch Yard Sale Lady: “Is this all you need?”
The School Girl: “Yes, will you take 50 cents for it?”
Bitch Yard Sale Lady: “Nope!”
Me: “Put it back and she can pack it up later, I don’t want it now. We can get a new one for $2 at Target.”
People please listen up. If you are having a yard sale it is because you want to get rid of your crap, the cash is just extra! You are not running a consignment shop; you have a crappy-ass yard sale in your unkempt yard! No one is impressed with your cheap Wal-Mart throw aways!
Also, if you think I am coming to your house to be sold like a used car salesman then you are sadly mistaken. I am not impressed with the birdhouses that your grandson made and I also do not find him to be so talented. If they are that wonderful then keep them!
By the way, if anyone is interested in a 30 year old dining room table, I will be glad to make you a great deal!
[...] Leblanc wants you to lend him your ear: People please listen up. If you are having a yard sale it is because you want to get rid of your crap, the cash is just extra! You are not running a consignment shop; you have a crappy-ass yard sale in your unkempt yard! No one is impressed with your cheap Wal-Mart throw aways! [...]
Gotta disagree with your stance on yard sales. The money, for me, isn’t a bonus – it’s the entire reason I go through the bother of hauling all my crap to some empty lot to sell it. I can’t use my yard, as there’s no place for people to park. It isn’t convenient.
Generally yard sales are to gain a little bit of cash. Now, if you were just giving the stuff away, you’d take it to Goodwill.
I’m a poor college student who relies on yard sales for extra cash and to alleviate myself of stuff that I don’t need. I don’t really like selling my things, but the profit is the key.
When I sit down to price everything, I strongly consider what I think it is worth. I don’t base it on any personal preference. And when someone tries to bargain, it’s rare that I make one with them. I’ve already chosen the exact price that I think is appropriate, based on what I think, and I have no reason to change it because someone else disagrees. It doesn’t mean I worship my old stuff, but it does mean that I think it’s worth a certain amount and I’m not going to lower it because that would be disrespectful to myself. If I paid fifty bucks for a video game I won’t give to you for five because it’s been used. Seriously.
But my point is, yard sales are not for giving things away. Notice the word ’sale’ there .. it IS to make a profit.