STUFF FOR SALE
When you are ready to downsize, how to sell stuff.
Older readers may recall the estate auctions. When a family was no longer able to live in the family home, usually due to a death or serious illness, an auction company would be hired to liquidate their personal property. The typical estate auction was held in the driveway of the family home. The crew and/or family would carry everything out to the driveway and front yard early in the morning. At the appointed time the auctioneer would begin to sell things item by item. Bidders would meander around waiting for the items of interest to be sold. The winning bidders would pay for their item and haul off the sofa or table that they had out-bid everyone else for.
This method proved effective at the time because everything was sold and paid for on auction day. The obvious problems were potential weather issues, size of crowd and competing activities or other nearby auctions. Today this type of auction has become rare. Auction houses have found it difficult to generate enough revenue to justify live auctions unless it involves higher ticket items like guns, cars or real estate. Even with those items auctions remain subject to the weather and competing events.
Named for their location, the garage sale has continued to be popular in most American cities. Spring through Summer drive through almost any neighborhood and you may discover a variety of personal ‘stuff’ lined up inside an open garage door, spilling out onto the driveway. Homeowners patiently await their next customer to stop and shop the array of items for sale. The garage sale is a low-cost method of selling things one doesn’t want anymore. Downsizing if you will. Or perhaps just to generate a little extra cash.
A recent evolution melds the traditional auction with the garage sale concept. Fueled by the technological advances the latest “Tag Sale” or Estate Sale combines the marketing power of the internet with the convenience of in-home sales. Numerous small companies have sprung up in most communities offering to sell your stuff for a nominal fee. Their services typically include surveying the merchandise, photographing, pricing and arranging everything for display. The items being sold are ‘advertised’ online, allowing shoppers to consider your inventory from the comfort of their homes. Some companies sell exclusively online. Once the buyer wins the item with the highest bid they arrange to stop by and pick up the item. Other companies sell online and also allow the inventory to be viewed in the home, usually for a single weekend.
The online auctions and tag sales have become very popular and effective in finding a new home for your stuff. We suggest that you interview more than one such service in your area before committing to a sale. Be sure to ask about any up-front charges, commission rate, and what happens to everything that doesn’t sell. A recent survey of this type of service in Lincoln NE revealed a variety of service levels with different commission rates.
In conclusion, garage sales are not recommended unless you enjoy that type of activity. One will almost certainly sell far less items than you had hoped. It is very labor-intensive and subject to shopper volume. If selling an entire household multiple weekends sitting in the garage awaiting the shoppers may be needed.
The Tag-Sale and online auctions have certainly gained in popularity. Due primarily to their success rate. Keep in mind that they will not sell everything. Dealing with the leftovers will need to be addressed. Be sure to interview more than one service and get a clear understanding of all the details.
