I can’t say that I have always loved garage sales, but in my adult life I have hosted and helped friends with several of them. I love cleaning out closets, getting up early, and putting similar items together. However, this weekend our family hosted an estate sale at the home of my father-in-law who passed away last November. Most of the family showed up to help organize and price the artifacts left behind by their father.
Price.
That’s where I drew the line.
It started a few weekends ago when I went up to help get ready for the sale. I had cleaned out a few of my own closets and found several things I could do without. They were donated to the cause without a thought, but then this question kept resurfacing: “Julie, how much do you want to put on this?” No matter what I said, my suggestion was either too high or too low. No matter how many times I declined to answer the question, they continued to ask. However, a few of my items were taken home by the family for personal use. I guess “free” was a good price for those. 🙂
One week before the sale, I let a friend do some shopping in the trailer. She spent $67 on two chairs, a quilt rack and a cat food bowl. Another friend bought the stereo for $50 and a pair of boots and a napkin holder for $10. Then it happened. “How much do you want for that outdoor furniture?” he asked. “It’s not priced? Are you sure it doesn’t have a price on it somewhere?” I replied. Really, I looked everywhere. My husband and I looked at each other. I had already told him that I was NOT going to price one single item because my prices were always rejected by his family, but he wouldn’t say anything so I decided. “$25 for the two chairs and table.” Needless to say, when I revealed that information on the day of the big sale, it was not well-received. All I could do was shrug my shoulders. I mean, someone walked out with a free $129 Tempur Pedic pillow, and the other pillow I donated was sold for $1. I guess I’m still not clear on the pricing procedure. I’m just glad it’s over.
We still have a trailer full of some over-priced and some under-priced goods. I just hate that I still can’t tell which is which.
[julie]
