Sell your shelf-hogging entertainment
Almost every yard sale has at least some sort of media available.
Older folks might have some records for sale. With the advent of MP3 players and iPods, the younger crowd is ditching its collection of CDs. Tech-savvy folks upgrade from one computer system to another and don’t need their old software. Gamers move on from one console to the newest fad.
This all means that they have something to get rid of and here’s a handy guide on pricing such items.
First off, these suggestions are assuming that you really want to get rid of this stuff.
If you’re looking to “make a killing” on your unwanted games, CDs and other media, then test your money-making prowess on eBay. But if you just want more cabinet space, follow these guidelines:
- VHS Tapes — 25 cents — Currently one of the biggest “table fillers” in yard sales, VHS tapes are largely unwanted by anyone. This price applies to any sort of tape you have, including the “valuable” Disney clamshell-cased movies. Despite what Disney told you, these aren’t collectibles. If you price them cheaply, you might actually get some movement on them. Any higher, and you’ll just be taking them back into the garage.
- DVDs — $1 per disc – The DVD is slowly slipping away thanks to Blu-Ray discs. Since many DVDs have multiple discs (thanks to those special features no one watches), you might be able to get away charging per disc, but if you do, make sure you clearly mark it that way. You might cringe at a mere $1 for a movie originally priced at $20, but this sort of deal is going to get people interested in your oddball movies, too.
- Blu-Ray — $5 – Yep, it’s the newest technology, but they are already showing up in yard sales. A fiver seems like an appropriate amount.
- CDs — $1 — Most people buy an album for one or two songs. On iTunes, most songs are $1. By pricing your CDs for that, you’re making money and Apple Corp. isn’t.
- Records — Generally 25 to 50 cents — Records are a little tricky. Super generic or bizarre records, such as Christmas records, K-Tel greatest hits albums or anything by Jim Nabors, should be about 25 cents. Recognizable rock and country albums can attract interest for 50 cents. Truly collectible discs, such as a first-pressing Beatles record or an obscure jazz album, are better left out of a yard sale. Try a collectors shop or convention with those.
- Cassette Tapes — Free to 10 cents — Really, these are among the most-unwanted media type out there simply because so few cassette players are working anymore. Additionally, the tape inside them degrades quickly, so buyers are never guaranteed that the album will survive very long.
- 8-Tracks — 50 cents – While suffering the same problem as cassette tapes, 8-Tracks are a little more collectible simply because of their nostalgia value. Still, don’t expect much out of them.
- Computer games and software — Generally $1, but only if you have the box and instruction books — Desktop computer games and software are actually decent movers, but it’s vital to have all the discs, documentation and box available. Most of these packages have system requirements listed on the side of the box, and potential buyers need to be able to read this.
- Console games — $1 – Whether it’s an old Atari 2600 cartridge or a Xbox 360, $1 is a acceptable price for most console games. If you managed to keep the box and instruction booklet on pre 1995 games, you might be able to get a little more out of them. Take note that there are some highly collectible console games out there (such as Vectrex cartridges), but most aren’t.
- Softcover and hardcover books — 10 to 50 cents – Price them low to get rid of these shelf hogs. You may have paid $30 for some, but most books just do not sell at yard sales. Keeping them low helps trigger impulse buys.
- Comic books — 50 cents — Most comic books aren’t as collectible as you think, and 50 cents per is a decent price for comics from the 1980s to the present day. Comics from the 1970s back are possibly worth more, and warrant you a trip to a specialty shop.
THIS WEEKEND’S WEATHER
This weekend looks a lot like last weekend: Great for yard-salers!
Friday will be sunny with a high of 70. Ditto for Saturday, thought the term “decreasing cloudiness” is added in there.
Sunday, Mom’s Day, will be warmer at 75, but cloudy…unless you’re a mom surrounded by her children.:)
Follow this guide and you will make NOTHING at a yard sale.
We understand what you mean, Jordan, you will never make a ton of money selling old-format media. The best you can hope is that you sell in volume, rather than scoring one big windfall.
The hard thing about yard sales, versus using eBay, is that you can only hope to match up your items with buyers in the very short window of your very localized sale.
The prices we suggest are meant to get the merchandise out of your basement and make just a little bit of money doing it.
What sort of prices would you set, Jordan? We are interested to hear!
Sorry Jordan, but I have to agree with the York Dispatch staff’s article and their comments. The main purpose of a yard or garage sale is to GET RID OF YOUR STUFF.
As the article states, unless you know your items are truly collectible, the rest of your stuff can’t be sold for much more than what they recommended above. Otherwise, your potential garage/yard sale shoppers will just go to the sale down the block, where they’ll find similar media items at give-away prices.
Regarding comics, sellers may want to visit a site like http://www.comicspriceguide.com to find out if any of their back issues are in fact ‘collectible’. That said, the hard reality is that any comic valued at $5 or less really can’t be sold for any more than 50 cents at a garage/yard sale. You probably won’t get any bidders on eBay for such common comic books either. I collected comics from the mid-80s to the mid-90s, and out of my collection of ~400 comics, maybe 20 of them are worth keeping or selling on eBay. Plus, now that digital comics are becoming popular (especially thanks to tablets like the iPad), the demand for back issues is decreasing.
We also need to realize that both the DVD and Blu-ray formats are losing ground to online providers such as Netflix and iTunes. Blockbuster Video has already closed shop because of this, so pricing video discs for any more than what’s recommended above will be turning away a LOT of customers.
One exception to the above article is for CURRENT videogames, which are usually worth more than a measly $1. At my last garage sale, I priced my XBox 360 games at $2 each, and they were the first items to go. If you have games for a current console (i.e. PS3, X360, or Wii), then I would equate these to the same value as Blu-ray Discs, i.e. $5.
Alternatively, you could always bring your games over to your local Gamestop / EB Games and trade them in towards new game(s).