6 signs you need to stop yard-sale buying and start yard-selling

Posted by Dispatch staff on August 29, 2012 in For buyers, For sellers, Tips

One the hardest parts of owning “stuff” is knowing when some of that stuff needs to go. Here at Yard Sale Secrets, your team of intrepid bloggers certainly has learned how to make those tough decisions, so with that in mind, we offer you a series of tips on the right time to ditch your stuff.

Missing some pieces from your 1970s “Jaws” game? Then it’s time to sell!

1. YOU BOUGHT A NEWER VERSION – If you just bought a new recliner, don’t just plant it next to your old, beat up recliner for more sittin’ space. Get rid of the old one. Our suggestion: If your old thing still useable, sell it at your next yard sale.
2. YOU DON’T HAVE ALL THE PARTS — You’ve got just about all the pieces to your “Jaws” action game from 1975. But darn it, somehow you lost the fishing pole. Our suggestion: If you think the parts themselves may be valuable, put them on eBay.
3. IT’S OUT OF STYLE — You may have no more love for your leather bomber jacket, but someone else may still totally be into the idea of looking like a WWII flying ace. Our suggestion: Style is definitely relative. Put it in the yard sale.
4. YOU DON’T HAVE THE ROOM – After you bought a whole bunch of other things at other people’s yard sales, that vintage Coca-Cola cooler doesn’t have a good home anymore, so you’ve buried it under some plastic tubs in the garage. Our suggestion: If it’s collectible, save it for next year’s yard sale or put it on an auction site. If it’s something practical, try giving it to a local charity store.
5. IT’S NO LONGER APPROPRIATE – For the last two decades, you’ve been a proud owner of a blinking Schlitz Beer sign. Now that your mancave has been taken over by your eight-year-old, it just doesn’t seem right. Our suggestion: Yard sale fodder.
6. YOU NEED THE DOUGH – You just bought this incredibly ornate antique chandelier. Your friends and family are wowed by it when they come over. But then you get your daughter’s first bill from college. You panic. How are you gonna pay? Well, maybe that chandelier should go back — or on the auction. Our suggestion: Ask those friends who were ooh-ing and aweing over it. If they aren’t interested, take out a classified ad!