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How to Make Money From Someone Else' Lawn Sale

Lawn sales are hard. Years of packing and storing your unwanted possessions is only the first step. Those items will need to be unpacked, cleaned, tagged, and moved from storage to your front lawn. You'll have to move tables to display your items. Placing an ad in the newspaper to promote your sale will take time and money. There will be signs to post directing traffic to your sale. Then, after all that work, you'll have to sit on your lawn for hours while strangers pick through your possessions and haggle with you about the price. Why bother? Let someone else do the work!

Making money from other people's lawn sales is more profitable and a lot more fun! All you need is an internet connection and a few dollars (literally) to start your own online resale business. Enjoy the summer lawn sale tradition! Cash in big without pulling a muscle or getting a sunburn!

1.

Decide what you want to buy and sell before you set out. You never know what amazing deals you'll find at a sale, but you should have an idea of what you're looking for. You'll want to select items that are in good condition, easy and inexpensive to ship, and in high demand. Infant and toddler clothing are a great place to start. Because they have no moving parts, you can assess their condition without having to trust the seller when they tell you "it works". Also, because infants and toddlers grow so fast and play so gently, their clothing is generally still in excellent condition when they have outgrown it. In fact, because they grow so fast, you often find clothing that has never been worn. Shipping infant clothes is inexpensive because they are small and light weight, and can be folded to fit in very small shipping containers.
2.
Step 2

Choose the right sales. Browse the classified section of your local newspaper for sales listing the items you want. Try to focus on sales in better neighborhoods, but not affluent neighborhoods. Sales in middle-class neighborhoods will generally have items in decent condition because finances allow the original owners to replace the items before they are totally worn-out. Avoid affluent neighborhoods because these sellers often price their items higher and are unwilling to negotiate.
3.
Step 3

Plan your day. Timing is everything at lawn sales. However, where many people have to get up early and try to grab the early-bird best, resellers generally do better waiting later in the day. This is because a seller's motivation changes over the course of the lawn sale. At the start of the day, the goal is to make as much as they can from their items. As the day wears on, however, the goal often becomes getting rid of merchandise to avoid repacking it. Plan to arrive in the final hours of the sale. However, don't wait too long or you may find the sellers have given up and closed the sale down.
4.
Step 4

Evaluate the situation. Look the items over thoroughly to make sure there are not significantly damaged. There are no returns or exchanges at lawn sales. Also, observe the sale. Is it still busy? Is there still an abundance of the items you want? Are the sellers already packing up for the day? All these factors should weigh heavily on the offer you will make.
5.
Step 5

Make a reasonable offer. If the sale is fairly quiet and the seller still has a good deal of the item you are interested in, use the situation to bring the price down. A good rule of thumb is to offer half of the initial asking price. If possible, select several items and ask for an even better deal on the lot. Most sellers would rather settle for less than they expected than pack their items up and haul them back to storage. If the seller is already packing the sale up, you can be bolder and offer a third of the original asking price. If you are uncomfortable offering a price, ask the seller what they would be willing to take for the item. If a seller is unwilling to negotiate at all, move on to the next sale.
6.
Step 6

Clean and organize your inventory. Now that you have a collection of items to resell, you'll want to clean them up before offering them to the public. Make sure you do so gently. If you have purchased clothing, you may wish to wash them in cold water in a gentle cycle. Also, when storing clothing or fabric, do so in an air-tight container with a dryer sheet to ensure they will still smell fresh and clean when you are ready to ship them.
7.
Step 7

Picture time! Get the digital camera and start clicking. Create a clean and bland background for your items. A clean, white sheet works well. Avoid taking pictures that display your home as the condition of your house will influence potential bidders. Take your pictures in a bright light, preferably natural sunlight. Take multiple pictures of each item to ensure usable images. You don't want to have to take photos again. Then, resize your photos using basic photo editing software (most computers have a basic program included). Note: even if you will be selling your items as a lot, you should take pictures of each item in the lot individually. This will allow the bidder to see exactly what they are getting in each item.
8.
Step 8

Weigh your inventory. Weigh each item or lot in the container you will use for shipping. This weight, along with the size of the container, will determine how much you will charge your buyer for shipping. Most bathroom scales will do a good job of getting the approximate shipping weight. As your business grows, you may wish to invest in a shipping scale, but it is not necessary in the beginning. When listing your auction Ebay will calculate the shipping charges based on the weight and dimensions you provide.
9.
Step 9

List your auction. Use Ebay's seller's tools to create an auction for your item. List accurate information and use your best pictures. You may start your auction at any price you choose, but it is a good idea to list your item for at least what you paid at the original sale. Also, you will want to list your auction at a time when most people will be browsing. For instance, it is better to list your auction at 3pm on a Sunday than 3am on a Monday. Auctions end at the same time of day they begin, and because most bidding occurs at the end of an auction, it is better to have an end time when bidders will be around to participate.
10.
Step 10

Sit back and watch. Check your auction regularly to monitor progress and answer any questions potential bidders might have.



This post first appeared on Online Money Portal, please read the originial post: here

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How to Make Money From Someone Else' Lawn Sale

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