The 21st Century Yard Sale

Recently my husband and I had been wanting to do a yard sale to get rid of some stuff.  Over time "things"  have managed to accumulate in our garage and closets.  

We have sold and purchased things on Craigslist before as well as Facebook Marketplace but never a lot of items at one time.  We decided instead of dragging everything out to our front yard and sitting out front an entire day trying to sell stuff, we would take pictures and post the items on Facebook Marketplace.  

We were super surprised at how well the items sold and how quickly they moved.  I thought I would share this is a great way to purge your garage or sell those no longer needed baby items, really anything.  

We went through our house and  we were able to sell seldom used toys, gently used clothes and shoes, as well as furniture we needed to get rid of.  Most of the big items sold rather quickly over the weekend that we posted them, the smaller items took a little longer but everything we posted SOLD.  This is an excellent way to make some extra money maybe for the upcoming holidays.  

When you go to list an item for sale, there is usually a Facebook Yard Sale Group specific to your neighborhood, you can also list in nearby neighborhoods to expand your reach.  

If there is no interest on an item, try grouping that item with other items.  Instead of trying to sell one small toy, group it with a set of toys and sell as a "lot".  We found this to be very helpful.  This especially comes in handy with selling kids toys or clothing.  Most people do not want to drive to someone's house for one item.  

Make sure to take close up pictures of the item in daylight.  Be sure to disclose if there are scratches, tears, or any wear and tear.  

If the item is a brand name, include the brand name in the title.

There is a whole language to selling and buying things online so I thought I would share some of that lingo with you in case you do not know.  Many times on a post you will see an abbreviation of letters, this is what they mean.

NIL - next in line 

PP - porch pick up, meaning they will leave the item on their porch and you leave cash in discussed area (mailbox, under the door mat, etc).

PPU - pending pick up

PM - private message sent or requesting you to private message them regarding the item.

INT - if someone comments INT means they are interested, if you do not sell to the people above who have reached out, they want to be contacted.

Cross Posted can also be posted as x-posted or XP- means the seller and posted the item on other places to sell.

Bump - bring up my post, people will write "bump" in the comments of a post to have recent activity.

F - if you see someone comment F, means they are following the post.  Maybe watching to see if the price drops or if no ones purchases then they will.

BNIB - brand new in box

Firm - if you see this listed with an item, means the seller is firm in the price, does not want to negotiate.  

OBO - if you see this listed with an item, means the seller is listing the item for a price along with or best offer, meaning they are willing to negotiate.  

SF - smoke free

ISO - if you see an item listed with this, means the person is in search of that item, not selling the item.

NH - means no holds, first person to arrive and pick up, as agreed will receive the item.

I also wanted to share some safety tips to keep in mind.  You should not share your exact address on the original post.  Once a buyer has messaged you, and you agree on a meeting time, you should only give them the area you are located in, then when they say they are on their way give exact address.  Too often if you give your address out right at the beginning, the buyer can cancel, or then you end of changing times, you could have said a time frame or window that you would not be home and then they have you address as well as know you are not home.

If possible you can meet people at a public location rather than giving out your home address, you can meet at Starbucks or grocery store nearby.  

Try not to meet at night, daytime hours are safer.

If possible schedule meetups when a spouse, or another adult is present.

You want to be wise and cautions as you are selling and buying from people you do not know.  

We found selling on Facebook Marketplace extremely helpful and easy to use.  Selling online also came in handy since it was during the summer, we did not have to spend a Saturday out in the heat.  While Fall is a great time for a yard sale, with the cooler weather, we also have winter and the rainy season upon us.  Utilizing Facebook Marketplace is a great way to still accomplish your "yard sale" no matter what the weather is like.  

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