My garage sale...selling what I found at garage sales.

[billjustbill]

We spent July 4th getting ready for our July 5th & 6th garage sale cleanout of garage and flea market finds....

Some highlights and good R.O. I. choices pay off...

I bought the Western Lamp for $4, sold for $35, a 20" ship's porthole cost $50, sold for $130, a "National" cash register cost $300, sold for $450. The best return on the dollar: 2 Parker County Historical Books that I paid $6 for the pair. The pair sold for $175.

Two day sale grossed just over $3,000.

Now, I've got room to go find some more and some dollars to spend....for now, I headed to bed

 

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[bush13st_beav3r]

Win!

-beav3r

 

[clovis97]

Nice scores!!!!

 

[war-digs-it]

Ooh, that brown bag looks like a Vogt! If so, the buckles are sterling and signed. They bring some good $$$.
Good job on those sales, looks like fun!

 

[diggummup]

Besides the obvious cash you made, the best thing I see about your sale is... doesn't look like much if any Chinese made crap there and lots of good vintage stuff too. I would have been first in line if I saw those pics on a Craigslist ad. lol

Thanks for posting! Good thread.

 

[famous turtle treasures]

Nice job on the sales, I have always wanted to have a rummage sale but still have never had one.

 

[jerseyben]

Diggum, I remember yours and didn't you clean up pretty well too?

 

[diggummup]

Diggum, I remember yours and didn't you clean up pretty well too?

I did alright but not $3k worth. People around here are cheap, they won't pay good money at a yard sale. Their are too many to choose from.

 

[billjustbill]

Well, I see that my thread on Ebay and IRS regs was closed down due to some bantering back and forth of some related/off topic perspectives.... So, Maybe...I can continue the spirit of the original listing in regard to questions of reporting garage sales and flea market income...

We took a pickup bed full of items leftover to the Goodwill yesterday, but any deduction has to come with filing the long form... I still have lots of antique tools and brass came' bevel glass windows. I'm thinking of taking that 'inventory' to the local flea market we have each month. The local flea market is coming back due to the citizens telling the 'new' town's leadership they wanted it in keeping with the town's and county's heritage and history. With some matching Federal dollars, the flea market is expanding and special/humane shaded and cooler metal buildings were built to keep livestock in non life threatening conditions...

Yes the government (city wise) has guidelines for being a non-food vendor. Average people who want to sell items down there can do so, but only twice a year if they don't have a Tax Number..... There is another government 'paper trail', but I can live with that as I can sell under my name twice and my wife can rent the space under her name twice if need be.

Like another thread where the poster listed "Retail Treasure Hunting" as the topic, there are good days to go looking for clearance and 'lost leader' items to resell.... It seems a good transition between a garage sale to a flea market sale is best done here in Texas around October as the cool seasons change. My best time was in MARCH. People have been 'hold-up inside' due to winter temps and now are really ready to comfortably get out and buy. On the first of the three times I sold at the flea market over the last 3 years, MARCH was the very best where I took refurbished chainsaws and other items. The saws were gone by 10:00 a.m. The other 'best time' is MAY; not too hot and vacations haven't kicked in.

The worst of the three flea market weekends was when the Regional NASCAR races and the large Tarrant county AIR SHOW happen on the same weekend.... I barely paid the $50 space cost over $500 in sales for two days of setting up as shown in the pic.

So, doing it right does have some good points, outside of IRS audits, fines, and jail time.... Between garage sales and flea market sales and Ebay, there might be enough in getting rid of my old stuff and new finds to add a little spending money for household needs and my off grid, 24v battery system of a future 3.5 kw solar panel project.... Working both sides of the fence, and at the same time, keep Uncle Sam Happy is work, but... After all, I get to keep 'the good stuff' I've found, plus with solar electric he reduces this year's tax load with a dollar for dollar 30% tax credit and I'm using the free 'profit dollars' to buy the solar equipment...

 

[Baltimore]

Love that solar setup! It will pay off big time, believe me! I have several friends who are off the grid back in Vermont, and they say it is the best decision they ever made!

 

[SilverForBrains]

It's about time for me to have one too, hopefully I do as good as you did!

 

[Mzjavert]

I admire people who can make money from garage sale finds. Congratulations.

 

[DFW_THer]

Congrats. My annual jewelry liquidation sale did just over 3K too, last Saturday/Sunday. Same rules in Maryland on the two sales per year without tax number. I swear... those tax rules should not apply to hard working full time employed 9-5ers who pay all their taxes on time, and are just trying to make a weekend buck on antiques. Tired of paying for other people to do nothing except collect welfare and vote for idiots. OK that's another topic entirely...