Ultimate Guide to Sourcing for Resale at Yard Sales

             It’s that time of year again! The country is thawing out and spring cleaning is in full swing. For many people, this means yard sales! Yard saling is one of my favorite ways to source for items to resell on eBay and Amazon. If you have never been to yard sales, you are in for a treat! People want to get rid of everything from antiques and collectibles, to clothing and shoes, to car parts and household items. It doesn’t matter what your niche is you can find inventory in people’s garages!

A Cornucopia of Treasures

         I happen to be into the antiques and collectibles end of reselling and just this past weekend I happened upon a home where the ladies had inherited a slew of gift products that were originally intended for a retail gift shop. Among the items were several boxed collector items such as Stone Critters, Ice Cubs, Pot Bellys, Clayworks figures and MORE! …All priced under $5! To say I did well here is an understatement! At another sale I happened upon brand new never opened games and puzzles for $1 each, these got sent into Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon). Other things I’ve found to send into Amazon are household items new in the box, electronics and, of course, books.

               Other items that are great to source from yard sales are plush animals, children’s books and toys, household items, clothing of all kinds and guy stuff, too, like knives, tools and fishing gear. If you don’t mind shipping larger items, furniture can be had for pennies on the dollar!

Room to Negotiate

                The really great thing about this type of sourcing is prices are usually very flexible and there is a lot of room to negotiate. One of the tricks I use is when a sale has a lot of good stuff I make a pile. Once you have a pile it is much easier to negotiate a good price. Have a reasonable price in your mind but ask them what they will take first. You always want the seller to name the first price, you never know how low they have in mind! If they come in too high, negotiate down to a good compromise where you can still make money and they are happy with the sale. Never be afraid to ask, the worst that can happen is they say no. There’s always more stuff out there to find at the right price!

Specialty Items Galore

                It can also be really fun to have niche items to search for, like treasure hunting! One of my good friends, Miriam Otto, specializes in shoes, she pays $1 or $2 at yard sales and sells for sometimes upwards of $100! She shares her yard sale round upon the eBay Life Blog. I’m always amazed what she finds in her very small town week after week.

                 Now you might be saying to yourself, “there are no good yard sales around me.” I know there can be challenges to those living in rural communities, but don’t count them out. Always check local newspapers for barn sales, estate sales and flea markets which serve the same purpose as individual yard sales in larger communities. Craigslist has a whole section just for garage sales. Or check Yard Sale Search, which is adding cities all the time.

                    One of the best things about yard sales is that the risk is low. Usually items can be had for under $5 so even if you bring home a couple of items that should go in the donate heap you won’t have much invested, and certainly the good items will far outweigh any duds. I plan how much I will allow myself to spend and pull the cash from my Paypal account. I can put myself on a pretty strict budget this way, and when the cash is gone I go home and start listing! I can keep track of this as a business expense by noting the withdrawal from my Paypal account was for product purchases. My free Outright account helps make this very easy for me!

                  No matter your budget, yard saling is the perfect way to find great profitable items to sell. Enjoy the sunshine and outdoors, and the treasure hunt