Tiffany Raiford
We’ve talked about garage sales in the past, and I’ve even considered having one of my own because I have so many baby items. I have 16-month-old twins, which means I now have two swings, two bouncy seats, two bumbos, two infant car seats with basis, 3 double strollers that we don’t currently use, two rock and plays, two baby baths, etc. You get it. I have two of everything and even though my house has a laundry room the size of most master bedrooms, I’m finding that the extra ‘storage’ space has not calmed down my feelings of anxiety over having clutter and things I don’t use. The only problem I have is a lack of time to actually have a yard sale.
That brings me to the point; yard sales can be a great place to shop when you want something that’s pretty cheap. And the art of the yard sale is something that many people focus on as a way of making a little extra cash. I told you last week that there are items you have that you consider total junk that someone else might pick up, improve and sell for a significant profit. People do this; and baby and children’s items are big ticket items. Why? For a simple reason.
Kids are expensive. And they destroy things in about six seconds flat. By the time you’re having baby number two or three or four (or three and four at the same time) you no longer care if your Fisher-Price outdoor play toys made of plastic are brand new and purchased by you (like we did with babies one and two). You just want to stop spending money on the same things over and over again. And you’re not the only parent that feels this way. Additionally, grandparents love to have baby items at their house for when their grandbabies come to visit, but they’re not always interested in paying full price. So if you’re in the market to make a little cash, you can pick up some very specific baby items at the local yard sale and turn around, resell them and make a huge profit.
Disney Movies
Here’s the deal with Disney movies; they’re not always available. They are in the ‘vault’ for many years, and it becomes impossible to find the one darn movie your little girls want to watch. So you keep your eyes out for a movie. You find a few, even if you already have them, and buy them for $1 or whatever they’re on sale for. You can then turn around and sell them online for more like $10 since they’re not always available.
Books
Children’s books are expensive. It’s just the fact of reading for kids. When my husband and I take our kids to Barnes and Noble for a little light Starbucks time and peace and quiet quality time reading with the kids, we let them each choose a book. And sometimes we walk out with $75 in books and we have only purchased four children’s books. They’re not cheap.
Legos
Everyone loves Lego. If you see them for next to nothing, get them, resell them and make a profit. These are almost always a hit since they are so desirable, difficult to find at times and always something that kids love no matter their age or gender.
Older Toys
My mother and father will stop at a yard sale to find toys that they once played with as kids that are not made anymore. People love this stuff, and they’re often willing to pay big bucks for them since they are often considered vintage pieces. If you see them, get them.
Swings
Baby swings are popular, and so few people use them. With our first daughter, she lived in her swing. Our second daughter and the twins never even used their swings more than three or four times. And that’s kind of a bummer since we spent $300 on two swings for the twins that they hated. People will pay a lot for swings in good condition because they’re lifesavers for many.
Furniture
Cribs, changing tables and other baby furniture are always in high demand. Cribs are expensive. You don’t even want to know how much we paid when went to Pottery Barn Kids to outfit nurseries in this house, and I’m embarrassed to even admit that I felt that this was a good purchase.
Strollers
There’s something you should know about baby strollers; moms hate them. We cannot find one we love, ever. We have 5 – yes, 5 – double strollers for the twins right now and I’m about to buy a sixth on because I do not care for any of the ones we have. Use them a few times and see the flaws; move on. It’s a life problem for mothers, especially mothers with multiples.
Outdoor Play Yards
These are big ticket items. They’re durable, withstand just about anything and they’re moderately expensive to buy brand new. You can buy these for nothing at a yard sale, clean them up and turn around and make big bucks selling them to people not looking to pay full price.
Brand Name Clothing and Shoes
Every time I clean out the twins’ closet, I have people begging me to come look through their stuff. I usually donate it, but people are always asking if they can go through and pick out the Mini Boden and the Nike and the Carters and the Ralph Lauren items – and people are obsessed with deck shoes. We love the kids’ Sperry’s and that’s kind of all we buy for them at this age, and people are willing to pay nicely for gently used items like this from what I understand.
Big Ticket Toys
Play kitchens, doll houses and things of that nature are always a good idea to purchase cheap and resell. People want these, but are not always able to pay full price for them, so it helps to be able to pay a small fee and get them, resell them and profit.
What NEVER to buy: Car seats. DO NOT BUY USED CAR SEATS FROM A STRANGER. I’m sorry, but you just don’t know if that seat has been in an accident or not. It’s not worth the money saved to put a baby in an unsafe car seat.
Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images
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