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How to run a jumble sale?

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Hello all,

I'm thinking of running a jumble sale for a family charity: The Melanie Braysher trust, but not sure how to go about it as never done this kind of thing before.

Does anyone have any tips or advice on the best way to co-ordinate one and advertise? I'm sure I can rope in lots of help to sort and sell but just not sure on any other details.

Your help would be warmly received
:o

p.s - sorry if this is already a thread, i searched but new to it and not sure I did it right (i have read the guide but still unsure!!)
SPC5 #1651 total so far: £78.59

Comments

  • *Scottish*Lass*
    *Scottish*Lass* Posts: 2,071 Forumite
    Hi, we run an annual Jumble Sale for the local scouts, here are some of the things we do:

    1. We do a leaflet drop 2 weeks before the Jumble - the scouts go round all the streets & deliver them & they usually say: "We are holding a Good as New & Jumble sale on date and will be collecting items on date. If you have items you wish to donate please leave them outside your door after 6pm on this date & we will collect them." I don't know if you have a local scout group, but our group do leaflet drops for anyone who wants to give us a £20 donation to do it! (not bad considering their's nearly 4000 folk where I live!)

    2. If possible do it over 2 days (Friday night & Saturday aft.). Advertise it as a "Good as New" on the Friday & "Jumble Sale" on the Saturday. The better items that you get donated will sell first on the Friday & you can charge a little bit more for everything. The rest will (hopefully) go on the saturday.

    3. We sell binbags in the last half hour on the Saturday, usually £2 a bag and people can fill it up with what they like from the sale.

    4. Talk to your local charoty shops about taking what you end up being left with. We usually end up with tons & tons of stuff, we bag it up & take it to be split between the 3 local charity shops. They'll take most things excluding electrical items.

    5. Have a tea & biscuits stand - 50p for a cup of tea & a biscuit is what we charge, anything to bump up the takings! lol

    6. Have a collection plate at the door for people to donate on their way in, we don't get much out of this, but every little helps.

    7. Talk to your local radio station & newspapers about free advertising.

    8. Collect the items 2 days before the sale so that you have plenty of time to set everything out. Sort it from baby through to adult, we pile ours up on trestle tables and the buyers just rake through everything.

    9. Make sure you have plenty of change, and that the people helping are strong characters, you wouldn't believe what people will want to pay for items!!!!

    10. Bring a couple of tape measures (you'll get curtains and things, plus people like to check inside leg etc when they buy stuff).

    11. If you get stuff with tags on display them away from your other items so you can charge a wee bit more!

    Hope some of that is of help to you, if I think of anything else I'll pop back!
    .•:*¨¨*:•..•:*¨¨*:•..•:*¨¨*:Scottish & proud of it! .•:*¨¨*:•..•:*¨¨*:•..•:*¨¨*:
  • thank you so much, thats really helpful and a great idea about roping in the scouts!! I think this is going to need more organisation than I thought but definitely still going to give it a go!!

    off to print off your list now!! :D

    ta very much xxx
    SPC5 #1651 total so far: £78.59
  • *Scottish*Lass*
    *Scottish*Lass* Posts: 2,071 Forumite
    No bother! lol It is a lot of organising, but if you can get the help then its worth it. We usually make about £700 for the 2 days, so its a good fundraiser. If you need anymore info then just get in touch! x
    .•:*¨¨*:•..•:*¨¨*:•..•:*¨¨*:Scottish & proud of it! .•:*¨¨*:•..•:*¨¨*:•..•:*¨¨*:
  • seashore321
    seashore321 Posts: 1,027 Forumite
    Hi there I have organised a few jumble sales and we keep any unsold clothes and bag them up and contact the man/company who collects from charity shops their unwanted rags. We bag them all up he comes and pays on average about £4 per bag. They sort through them and sell good stuff and send the rest off to be recycled.
    Last time what we had left over made us £110.00 So perhaps a good idea to contact local rag man and make a bit extra!

    Anything that is left we take to a local table top and sell for 20p and 50p whatever the item and that has made us between £60-£89.
  • thanks again, all very useful - I have a busy couple of weeks ahead but once it dies down I'm gonna crack on and organise it so will let you know how it goes! thank you :)
    SPC5 #1651 total so far: £78.59
  • snax
    snax Posts: 275 Forumite
    ....... and anyone wanting in the night before, when you are setting the place up, for a "wee look" because they are ....
    working tomorrow/visiting a sick relative/have a sore limb/my Granny is in a wheelchair/looking for Jimmy/can offer you a free valuation ....... and any other lame excuse ................ will be a dealer/ebayer/buyer hoping to sting you for a real bargain.

    We usually charge them £10 entry [90% walk away] and for those that pay, really haggle UP on anything they show an interest in. [books,jewellery,china ornaments usually]
    They are all experts at trying to get as much as possible for pennies. We have a friend of a friend [retired auctioneers porter] who will come along and value the more unusual stuff we are donated .. anything from paintings to old sewing machine parts to jewellery etc .... really anything we are not sure about, most other stuff you can generally decide for yourselves what it's worth [what would you be happy to pay for it]

    Do the black bag thing near the end [we charge £1] ... really helps to clear a lot of stuff.
    Once had a man in a van turn up at the end once and offered us £75 to clear the room .... paid for the hire of the room ;)

    Anything saleable left, we do a carboot to get rid of .... usually sell it all at 50p or £1 regardless of what it is ... there is no point in holding out for a price, you got it for nowt so let it go cheap to get rid of .... start again fresh next year.

    You will need a few £5 notes and £1 coins to start as a lot of folks will have £10's/£20's [it's worth investing in some pens to check £20's with ... search for Counterfeit Money Detector Pen .... about £20 for 4 or 5 so if you catch 1 it pays for itself - or don't take £20's, just say "sorry - no change"]

    We also charge 50p entry [free after 1st hour] and have a think about ...
    raffle
    tombola
    lucky dip for kids
    face painting
    balloon animals
    plant stall in summer
    auction of nearly new
    refreshments [juice crisps etc ... try not to buy too much stock, better to sell out than be left with it]
    beg/borrow/steal whatever from wherever [tables/chairs/bunting/music for atmosphere/microphone and speaker].

    If you have a local sunday market pop along and see if there is anything suitable wanting a low cost pitch [candyfloss/bouncy castle etc ... avoid burger/hotdogs - too much hassle]

    Our hall had it's own insurance for public events - you need to check [not an expert here - just what we were told]

    Advertise,advertise,advertise .... we used bright orange leaflets with bold black easy to read type ... really stands out ... do houses, car parks, businesses ... any where you can think of [notice boards in supermarkets,library,hospital/doctor/dentist, community/sports centre as you only need 1 for each]

    hope it helps
    Learn to laugh at yourself ... everyone else has:rotfl:
    Regards
    S.
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