Tips for Selling Valuable Items at a Garage Sale

Perhaps the best tip is don’t! Don’t sell that valuable item at a garage sale. Why? Because people want to buy bargains at garage sales; that’s why they go. So they won’t be prepared to pay top dollar for anything, even if it is labeled as valuable. Dealers often go round garage sales in the hopes of buying valuable goods at rock-bottom prices. They are certainly not going to tell you a thing is worth $500 if you’ve priced it at $5. If you want a decent price for your valuable item sell it in some other way.

It may be that you simply can’t be bothered selling it in some other way. You’ve put a lot of effort into this garage sale and want to see if you can sell it there. In this case, make sure you advertise it well. If it is something that you know is valuable, at least advertise it in an appropriate trade magazine before the sale, then you may get dealers who know its worth to come and offer you a fair price.

If you have something that is a larger item and in good condition and so is worth over $100, find a similar item in a store catalogue, cut out the picture of it along with the price, and tape it onto your item. This will give the customer an idea of the price of the article in new condition and point out what a bargain he is getting at the price you’ve set.

If you know your item is valuable, yet are not sure how much it’s worth - and don’t much care as long as you get rid of it - fair enough. Sell it for a bargain price. But always put some kind of price on it. Most customers don’t really want to make an offer.

If you do decide to offer a valuable item at a garage sale, be careful what you stick on it for a price tag. Many valuable books can have their dust jackets ruined when a price tag is removed. This will lower the value significantly. Leaving it out in the sun may fade the colors considerably and turn pages yellow too, so be careful how you display it. Packaging of most collectables also forms part of their value, so be careful to do nothing that will tear or damage the wrapping or the box that contains it.

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