Monday, February 18, 2013

Tips for Facebook Yard Sale-ing

So I discovered Facebook Yard Sale Groups.  About 6 weeks ago.  I was a member of one a few years ago but it got shut down due to drama.  Imagine - a bunch of women trying to sell their worldly possessions causes drama!  Ha!

I don't want to leave you in the dark though - just throwing you a list of sites to help you sell your crap with no direction. So here's a few of my tips that is making me sane and successful in this adventure.  Now I'm trying to get rid of a LOT of stuff.  A lot of little things.  If you're just trying to pawn off off a handful of things - maybe you don't want to go to these extremes.  But if you're serious about decluttering and trying to make a few bucks in the process, these tips help the process go smoothly.

1.  Be Patient.  If you post something - do not expect immediate response.  Some of the groups have a ton of activity - so your pictures can "get lost" in the feed.   Or maybe your product doesn't catch the eye of someone right away - but might 2 weeks down the road.  You have no idea what people are looking for and when.  My philosophy is to post the pictures and stage your "tag sale" stuff somewhere in your house where it's easily accessible.  I do this in my front porch. You can do it in your attic or basement as well.  Keep everything together so when you get a hit - you know where the stuff is without hunting all over your house for it.

2.  Make Your Own Dedicated Album and post solely in it. 


Most people do not do this - they just post on the wall - but it makes organizing fast and efficient.  When something sells, you can just go to your album and delete the thing that sold.  It also highlights all of your postings - so if someone sees something they like in your album, they're more apt to browse your other photos and possibly see other things they like from you.


Doesn't it look pretty when all your inventory is right there in one convenient location?  The wall posts just get all grouped together in all the random photos - so trying to find your past postings is time consuming and sometimes impossible.  

3.  Get a Binder.  


I love binders.  They make the world so much easier to function in.  This gem is only $1.79 at Staples if it's not on sale or you don't have any coupons.  It's just a 1" basic economy binder.  


I created a generic inventory list and I write the stuff I post and the price on the list.  Yes - it's chicken scratch and it would look a lot nicer if it was typed - but that takes time.  It's faster to just write the stuff.  I post to 3 groups so when I post to that group, I check it.  When it sells - I cross it off.  It works for me.    Since I can have over 70 things posted at the same time, this makes it easier for me to see what has sold and what hasn't without going through the inventory or checking the tag sale site for prices.  I also keep a "Sold Amount" on the side to keep track and audit my next part of the binder...


The profit list.  I keep this just to see my results.  It ads up over time.  I'm actually up to $140 since I took this picture.  Had a good weekend, I suppose.  


4.  Be Trusting.  A few times, people are available when I am not.  So I have offered to leave the stuff on my front porch and tell the people to just leave the money in the mailbox.  It has worked.  I haven't been scammed or cheated yet.  Most people won't cheat you.  You're usually talking $5 or $10 at most - so it's not a huge deal.  I wouldn't recommend this if you're trying to sell a big ticket item.  

5.  Be private and cautious (which is funny since I just told you to be trusting).  If someone expresses interest in your item - send them a message and don't blast your home address or meeting spot on the Facebook group post.  You don't know who is lurking.  It's also nice if you message the person because you can see if you have any mutual friends.  That sort of gives you a sense of comfort knowing who you are dealing with has a connection with someone you know.  Due to shifts in Facebook, some messages go into people's "Other Messages" folder - a folder that doesn't give notifications to people.  So you might want to comment on the item something along the lines of "I sent you a message - you might want to check your "Other Messages" folder if you don't see it.  Thanks."

6.  Have Fun and Don't Think of the Money.  Sure.  We all like money.  It's a motivating factor to sell crap.  But focus on the fun and decluttering aspect of this and not the dollar amount.  It keeps you sane. It's really fun to see shopping bag after shopping bag LEAVE your house.

7.  If you are posting a lot, consider organizing your own traditional yard sale.  That's what I'm doing.  I have it in the back of my mind that I'm going to have a yard sale in early spring.  So all my staging and prepping isn't going to waste should I not sell everything online.  I think I'll get more money online - but the goal for me is to get the crap out.  Since I know I have a lot of crap - but not necessarily enough to have a huge yard sale, I have asked a couple friends if they would be interested in joining my yard sale adventure.  So hopefully come spring, I'll have a yard full of crap and a hopping tag sale going on with their help.  Posting it online is just really a prep as I'm waiting for the warmer weather to hit.

8.  HAVE FUN!  DECRAP YOUR LIFE!  HAVE FUN TAG SALE-ING IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD! 


If you live in or South of Boston, here's a list that my friend from Mommalicious Cakes & Treats shared with me a while back:

BOSTON YARD SALE   https://www.facebook.com/groups/359488084137406/
Bridgewater Area Yard Sale  https://www.facebook.com/groups/309120285852003/ 
Cohasset Yard Sale 24/7...From One Home To The Next With Love! https://www.facebook.com/groups/252657561509697/
Hingham Yard Sale-free to join!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/370844036331394/
HOME FURNITURE & ACCESSORIES  https://www.facebook.com/groups/158025347659693/
South Shore Gently Used Baby Gear and Kids Toys  https://www.facebook.com/groups/southshortkids/ 
SOUTH SHORE Halloween Costumes Kids/Adults  https://www.facebook.com/groups/350545808366382/
South Shore Hockey Yard Sale  https://www.facebook.com/groups/251422098294273/



1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The link you posted for South Shore Gently Used Baby Gear isn't working. Is that group still active? Do you have a working link?