Lessons learned from a yard sale

A couple of weekends ago we had our first big yard sale. By all accounts it was highly successful: we made over $500 in cash, visited with complete strangers, and sold almost everything.

Timeline:

5:45am – The alarm clock sounds; Justus and I make a pot of coffee and begin sweeping off the driveway and sidewalks.

6:15am – Rebecca, Justus and I begin putting out the goods. Lisa makes a pot of oatmeal. The sun is coming up.

6:30am – We notice die-hard bargain hunters circling the block. We are still putting out and displaying items.

6:45am – Our first two customers grow tired of waiting. They park at the curb and begin browsing. We are still pulling our wares in the yard – boxes and boxes of clothes, shoes, books, toys, videos, electronics, sports goods and exercise equipment.

8:05am – The first wave of shoppers is gone. Half of our inventory is already depleted. The ten signs Justus and I put out around the neighborhood the night before say, “Big Yard Sale.” I’m already feeling we’re now committing false advertising.

11:30am – The major traffic has come and gone, only the occasional straggler browses the leftovers. Justus and friends make signs stating everything must go, every item is half-price.

1:30pm – Lisa’s parents bring us lunch. We are so hungry!

2:30pm – We close shop and clean up. Whatever remains is put directly in the truck for a single trip to Katy Christian Ministries.

It was a great day.

In our preparation of the event, Lisa, the kids and I sorted and categorized.  Our dining room looked like a self storage unit.  We read blogs of experts on the strategies of yard sales.  Time and time again we read not to expect great success in selling books and clothing items, especially shoes.  Well, of course we had hundreds of books, clothes and oh yes, a sea of shoes.  Lisa and I priced everything in hopes of blessing others, not to make a lot of money (Most children’s books, shoes and articles of clothing went for 25-50 cents).  Nothing was sold tattered, broken or with missing pieces.

Our first blessing that morning came a little after 7am: an elderly Hispanic couple speaking very little English. They saw all the children’s clothing and shoes.  They took an entire bin of shoes before Rebecca could finish sorting them. They filled seven yard bags of clothes to presumably take back to their extended family in Mexico.  In hindsight, we had the perfect amount of clothes.  The old man looked through my table of electronics and asked if I had an amplifier for sale.  I didn’t have one on the table, but felt compelled to fetch the 200W Sony Dolby surround-sound amplifier collecting dust in the house. I sold it to him for a song.

Two days prior, I mentioned to a family friend that I was selling a 4×8 speaker cabinet with a Peavey 400W amplifier, a beginner electric guitar player’s dream. I was asking $50 for it.  That evening, the friend’s son, who plays guitar in a youth rock band at our church, called to inquire about the cabinet.  We had a great “nerdy” conversation. As he was about to hang up the phone and ask his dad if he could buy it, I felt Jesus prompting me.  I told the teen that if I thought there would be any possibility that this equipment would contribute to the honing of his gifts and the sharpening of his faith, I wanted him to have it.  He was blown away.

About midmorning of the yard sale, a special needs teacher dropped by and thumbed through the boxes of books. I helped her make trips to her car with all the books that would soon bless her classroom.  In hindsight, we had the perfect amount of books.

Later that morning, a car pulled over and a lady climbed out to inquire about the golf clubs on display.  She asked seemingly disappointed already, “These are right-handed aren’t they?” I said, “No, actually they are left-handed.”  She lit up and called her teenage son from the car.  Her son tried out the clubs.  The clubs, golf bag, accessories and even the golf shoes were perfect for him.  The teenager was so pleased he could start playing and the mom was simply delighted.

Sure, we were blessed to make some money and to regain storage space in our house.  But I think in the end, we were more blessed to be a blessing to others, and that will stick in our minds long after the event is over.

-D

Comments

comments