Toys For Sale: Impromptu Garage Sale

To have a garage sale or not....that is the question.

Earlier, this week, I got a sudden urge to get rid of unnecessary, unused, outgrown items in our home. And late that night, as I re-arranged my living room and made the decision to get a bunk bed for my two sons who share a room so that I could put their toys back in their room and remove them from the living room, I decided to have a garage sale...on Friday; as in, tomorrow.

Now, every few years or so, we have a garage sale, but I usually coordinate it with the citywide garage sale and take weeks to cull through and price and plan and debate whether to get rid of something or not. Other times, we drop off things at ARC's Value Village or give outgrown clothes to friends with younger boys.

This time, there is no planning time; no coordinating with other garage sales in the area; and there are a couple of glitches; Darling 1 and Darling 2. They are always adamantly opposed to getting rid of ANYTHING that belongs to them. And I didn't realize until yesterday that Darling 1 doesn't have school tomorrow. So, he'll be here to "help" me, as well as Darling 2.

I expect fits of crying and negotiating and stubborn arguing over the items I have selected to make their homes elsewhere. I expect I will have to be armed with lots of reason and explanations. And I have already paved my way to success, with a little bribery.

Without knowing exactly what will be on the chopping block tomorrow, the boys agreed to help with the garage sale and sell some of their things in exchange for $10 of the profit to spend as they please at Target.

This will be my bargaining chip each time they begin to slip in their resolve and clutch a raggedy stuffed animal that has been forgotten for years; yet has all of a sudden become his favorite stuffed animal of all time. Or when they attempt to show me that they can still fit in the Little Tykes car you push with your feet, I will dangle that $10 in front of their dazzling eyes.

Do I recommend bribery for every situation? Absolutely not, but I think there is a time and a place for everything. And I don't mind sharing the proceeds from their cast-off toys and outgrown clothes and gear. After all, it is their stuff; or was their stuff and is soon to be someone else's.

So, am I crazy to attempt this impromptu garage sale with my sometimes strangely attached to ragged, forgotten toys, always willful and determined, yet easily bribed with money to spend at Target children in tow?

Well, we shall see. I'm going to attempt it. I'll report back.

Do you have garage sales? How do you decide what to get rid of and what to keep? And are your children present at the sale? Over and out...

Anna

Comments

[Micah]

You can do it!

The only way you can pull it off though I think is to just set a flat rate, "everything costs $5" sort of approach.

Give the boys a choice "You can keep this toy or that toy but not both" they will pick the one they want. In theory you could get through half the toys that way without much complaint. Pick two different toys each time. Or do more of a cage match where the winning toy keeps going up against a different toy until the competition is gone. (Pick 10 toys for the cage match, it gets narrowed down to one, or 5 or whatever amount seems reasonable).

I have never done a garage sale, that I can remember anyway. Personally, I wouldn't want the kids there, they will jump back into the "I want to keep that" everytime a buyer picks it up. It will drive the buyer away (or it will make the buyer feel bad) both of which are no good.

Get rid of the stuff that hasn't been played with for months, get rid of stuff that is clearly out of their age range (chew toys, baby toys), anything broken is an easy one.

Good luck!

[Marta]

I've never had one, but I want to. I'm always put off by quite how much work it entails. I hope this quick impromptu one went well for you maybe I'll try to do one myself!