What is a good item that I can make to sell at yard sales?
By Debra
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A lot will depend on where you live. Go to some yard sales and see if they have homemade craft ideas and see if they are selling. Where I live homemade craft things just don't sell, even if they are marked dirt cheap. Your best bet might be to get a bunch of things made up and hit flea markets/ art in the park events. You do have to pay a registration fee to sell at these things and you also have to have your own display area to set up.
You can also consult Craigslist and click on Arts and Crafts. It's either going to be supplies or things people make. That will give you an idea of what is selling in your area.
If you belong to a group like at a church, book club, etc, then pick peoples brains and find out if anyone tried and made it or didn't and why.
For instance, I wanted to see if my granny squares would sell well, so I kept track of eBay's sellers. Most didn't sell. But, when I clicked on fabric squares, it was a hole other story. Now, I know what will most likely sell and what is perhaps a waste of time.
If you crochet, you might start out with something simple like scrubbies or dish cloths. These are simple and cheap to make. I wouldn't make a ton, but perhaps 1 of each of the colors of the crayon boxes...red, green, purple, etc. Advertise them on CL and see what happens.
I have found that people are not looking for crafts at yard sales any more than they would look for second hand stuff at a craft shop. The two don't tend to mix. That said, see if you and some of your friends can get together and have a small "craft sale". Does someone have a nice garage? Perhaps a spare room they would rent out? How about a pretty and big porch on a nice busy street?
I can tell you from a small business stand point, that "fast nickles are better than slow quarters". If you make something that takes you 3 hours and cost 30.00 for materials, you will lose money if you sell it for less than 60.00-75.00 dollars.
But, if you make something that costs you .25 and you can make 30 of them in an hour, you can sell them for 1.00 and make a pretty good profit.
Another tip is to leave most of the Holidays alone. In other words, if you do only seasonal, you may be left in the dust with all the craft fairs etc that you find during the Holidays. But, if you pick things that are non seasonal, things that people would either need every day or want for occasions like for gifts and such, you have a wider variety.
I once crocheted a cell phone purse that can also hold id, money and such, for about .50 and it took me 1 hour. I sold it for 15.00 and I was sitting in front of my tv while I was doing it.
Do some research, find a niche and start small. I hope all this helps. Sandi/PBP
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