Make an offer sale. Different from our usual rummage sale.
By writersedge
@writersedge (22563)
United States
September 20, 2008 8:31pm CST
We had a make an offer sale. We just want stuff out of our house. But we would like a little money, too. It's interesting. People are offering me at least a dollar. We are selling to make some money, but also to clear out a room upstairs. We have three rooms with stuff in, but one needs to become a bedroom. So after we brought the stuff to the sale, we were able to move a bed in there. Have you ever had a make an offer sale? Have you always put prices on things? I noticed last week that people were turned off by prices and didn't want to try to talk me into a lower price. They would be interested and then look at the price, put it down and walk away. If they want it and want to give me some money, then they need to just say something. So we changed our tactics. That's when the make an offer sale was born. We don't want all that stuff back in our house.
My brother and sister-n-law didn't get rid of much last week, so they had to bring it to the humane society. HS were happy to get it and HS is getting to be the only one that will take rummage or garage sale leftovers. Salvation Army used to, but they don't anymore, St. Mary's Mission used to, but they don't any more. So if you have a sale to make room and you don't want it all to go back into your house, where do you take it or what do you do?
2 responses
@PearlGrace (3171)
• United States
21 Sep 08
A Make an Offer Sale is a fantastic idea! I wouldn't have thought of that in a hundred years. I do think more people might be willing to offer a little something, and if you are just wanting rid of the item, you can pretty much accept any offer.
We take books to the secondhand store because there's absolutely no way we could keep every book the 2 of us read. I haven't had a garage sale since we moved here 5 years ago. We tend to just drop off items no longer wanted or needed at the Goodwill.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
22 Sep 08
We're getting rid of stuff. Even the make an offer sale isn't getting rid of very much stuff very fast. All three of us together made $50. I made the least with 9 dollars. My husband made the most with 23 dollars. My brother made the rest. Today was the worst, so cold that not very many people stopped. We did have a pile of free stuff, too. Some stained, dirty yarn went. The ugliest lamp in the world finally went. An old phone went, too. I'm hoping the tons of old wallpaper that came with the house goes away. There used to be a wallpaper company up here and the employees got some free and some at huge discounts. But much of it is old and rotting. Maybe someone will remake it (probably me at this rate) into recycled, handmade paper.
Fewer and fewer places are taking drop off stuff. Most sort and give you a lot of it back or sort and throw a lot of it away. So we have to call around and find somewhere that will take stuff. My brother and sister-n-law have three rooms worth of stuff to drop off. They took her sister in and she lost her trailer. So they had to move everything to their place. The bottle collection alone is almost half a room. So I was concerned, but the humane society said they would take it. We used to drop things off at St. Mary's Mission but they said only certain things, they would go through it and we would have to take things back that they didn't want. Same with our Salvation Army. So many people drop off to these places that they don't have room any more and they don't want to deal with too much stuff. So now you have to call around, you can't just drop off to where you used to any more. If we had Goodwill, but the end of garage sale season, they would probably say, NO MORE. Luckily, most people don't think of the humane society so they were glad to get three rooms full of stuff. But if everyone brought their leftover rummage sale stuff, they would have to say no after awhile, too. Esp. with so many people loosing their homes, relatives dying and people ending up with more than one household worth of stuff. Some families are combining. They were separate, but people can't afford to live separate any more. Many are going back to extened families. I'm glad you can drop things off to the same place for 5 years. We did for 7, but we can't any more.
@carolbee (16230)
• United States
21 Sep 08
We donate everything we don't want and take a tax deduction. It's just easier for me to do things this way since I have a messed up back now. All our items go to the Children's Home Society since I originally came from that organization. I was living there while the adoption process was in progress. Was only the first 6 weeks of my life so I sure don't remember anything.
I do like your idea of "make an offer sale." Starting out with a price the potential buyer wants to pay is a great idea.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
22 Sep 08
Fewer and fewer places are taking things here and more and more places are putting restrictions on things they will take.Many sort through things and throw stuff away. So it is getting harder and harder to bring things. Many will only take certain things. The humane society is taking things now, but they may decide not to in the future. Children's Home Society sounds like they do a lot of good.
I find with my back a garage sale is way easier than my job. I can sit and stand when I want. So I like it a lot. But I don't make enough money to live on. Thanks and take care.
