[tallyhoe]

Im in the process of liquidating my step fathers lifetime collection. Everything you can think of that a do it yourselfer would have. I opened the barn this last summer for people to come by an but things. Cheap. Stuff our older generation would love to have. The whole process has soured me on people. Id just soon scrap the stuff now that be deal with selling any more of it..

[Cliff R]

I quit having yard sales for some of the reasons mentioned.

All the items left over after my parents Estate Auction and when we closed down our Wine Bar couple of years ago went into a few yard sales we had here. What a PITA dealing with tire kickers and "black birds picking corn out of cow poop". We put a BIG row of stuff out with a huge sign on it "FREE", some really nice stuff too, and had trouble getting rid of it. I'm surprised they weren't asking us to pay them to take it!

After the last sale I loaded up most of it and tried to dump it at Goodwill but the manager came running out as one of the employees was helping me unload some of it and started bitching about a little nick on this or a scratch on that so I loaded it all back up and burned most of it in a big fire!.......Cliff

[sdbob]

I've been volunteering at St Vincent DePaul along with wife,one day aweek. I check all electrical equipment. Some people drop off junk,my dumpster is 10 ft away. Stuff on our day is cheap,used microwave for 3 bucks, clean works. Some people try to change prices on stuff. Then come back another day,we figure they are selling online. Others truly need help.

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by sdbob

I've been volunteering at St Vincent DePaul along with wife,one day aweek. I check all electrical equipment. Some people drop off junk,my dumpster is 10 ft away. Stuff on our day is cheap,used microwave for 3 bucks, clean works. Some people try to change prices on stuff. Then come back another day,we figure they are selling online. Others truly need help.

Back in 2011 I had a work related injury and the company I worked for wants to keep you working so they volunteered me to work at the local Salvation Army. They had a lot of clothes donations and the stuff was sorted through and what was no good thrown away, good stuff was but out near the food pantry area for free.

One woman drives a Cadillac comes there daily, and takes bags of clothing with her leaving just that much less for people needing it. We found out she's running an eternal yard sale from her house and selling the donated clothes. They put a stop to that after I went to the commander of the unit and told him what I suspected she was doing with the clothes.

FWIW, most of the Salvation Army clients don't own a car, nor do they own a home. If they are lucky they rent an apartment, many push shopping carts and live in abandoned homes, or under bridges. Nice that that woman put her self above them in her needs to keep clothing in her forever yard sale...…….

Aren't people just wonderful?

[Chris65LeMans]

Originally Posted by Cliff R

After the last sale I loaded up most of it and tried to dump it at Goodwill but the manager came running out as one of the employees was helping me unload some of it and started bitching about a little nick on this or a scratch on that so I loaded it all back up and burned most of it in a big fire!.......Cliff

I learned that lesson, too - Goodwill doesn’t take crap when it’s furniture- they only have so much room. About 15 years ago, my mom gave me a bunch of furniture and made me promise not to throw it away. (stuff that was junk when her mom bought it in the 40’s, an ugly sofa sleeper that weighed at least 300 lbs, a nice rotating tv stand that was obsolete, etc.). Goodwill surprisingly took an old glass-doomed stereo cabinet but passed on the rest. I hauled all that stuff to the dump, but told mom that I bribed the Goodwill guy to take it all - she felt better.

I go to Goodwill with my kids every year to buy Halloween costumes. That store does a lot of good for needy people.

[Brian Baker]

I like the potential buyers who try to chew you down on the price and then say something like "I have to drive 50 miles one way to you to get it" or "I'm a 2 hours drive from you". That's when I offer to deliver and when they ask how much would I charge to deliver, I tell them the difference between what they want to give me and what I'm asking.