What WILL people actually buy on auction sites?

[mjr]

I'm not going to name one specifically, but it sounds like g-Yay.

I started organizing/cleaning our garage the other day (a LOT of crap in there). It got me to thinking about what people might actually buy. I found some stuff in there that people might buy.

I mean, I'm not expecting to make tons of money off of it, I just have some stuff to get rid of.

Some of the things I have:

A Dale Earnhardt, Sr. magazine, teddy bear, and clock.
A hand-painted ostrich egg shell
A seashell my dad gave me
A portable drink blending machine

There's some other stuff, but those things are just off the top of my head.

My wife's not a big fan of garage sales, so we're really not doing that, though we could probably use a garage sale to get rid of some of the old clothes we have.

[KuariKaydrith]

Check sites like eBay to see what similar items go for and then price according to how fast you want the stuff to leave your house.

[mjr]

Check sites like eBay to see what similar items go for and then price according to how fast you want the stuff to leave your house.

Honestly, I've checked before. I thought about taking some of this to the local pawn shop and just getting whatever I could for it.

But then I remembered it was a pawn shop.

Anyway, I've checked a few of those things, and I'll have to go back and re-check, but they really don't sell for much. I'm not really worried about that, though. I just want to get rid of some of the stuff.

I think I have one of the old National Enquirers from when Elvis died, and those can bring close to $60 or so.

[morgana]

What's the seashell like? I might be interested . . .

[mjr]

What's the seashell like? I might be interested . . .

I don't have a picture of it, but it's one of those spiraly ones. Probably 8 or 9 inches by 4 or 5 inches, I'd guess...

It's not exactly like this, but it's a similar shape:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...dd31460014.jpg

[Aragarthiel]

Dale Earnhardt Sr. stuff will most definitely sell. Especially if you get my father-in-law involved, he's got his own Earnhardt Sr. man-cave.

[Lurking Sockpuppet]

If you are on facebook, see if you have a local swip swap group. I have seen lots of stuff sold through there.

[mjr]

Dale Earnhardt Sr. stuff will most definitely sell. Especially if you get my father-in-law involved, he's got his own Earnhardt Sr. man-cave.

I'm not expecting to make a lot, but based on what I've seen, the stuff won't sell for very much at all. I think I saw the bear for something like $5. The clock is kinda neat. I think the battery connections have oxidized a bit (but I think they can be cleaned). But it's got a light sensor on it, and during "daylight" every hour the car goes around the clock, with an "announcer" saying something like, "...and the winner is Dale Earnhardt!"

I'm trying to figure out, though, how the "buyer pays shipping" thing works. I guess I'd have to take everything down to the post office, have it weighed, and go from there. Or use one of those "flat rate" boxes that the USPS offers.

[Dreamstalker]

If the item can fit safely with appropriate packing material in a flat-rate box that's how I charge (rounded up to the nearest dollar, maybe adding another buck or two if it needs specialized material that I don't have). Most sites have a Calculated Shipping option that lets you enter a weight; I weigh the item packed and sealed in the shipping box, then round up to the nearest pound. You can buy small digital postal scales at an office supply store for $25 or so.