Discovering Gold in a Garage Sale

This afternoon was an awesome afternoon! I am all smiles whilst typing this entry and that’s how awesome it was.

We held a garage sale at my house along with my Development Communication group mates to raise funds for our project for Pook Libis – the community which we will be offering our Service Learning to.

Joyce already gave me a few blouses to sell before Christmas break and for my contribution I scavenged my closet for blouses that haven’t been used for quite some time and got my reader digest condensed books which I bought at a book sale, scavenged Bea’s stuff too. Well for two bear stuffed toys which she wouldn’t miss because it has been stored at the top of our closet for years. I also threw in three heels which were all given to me because trust me I wouldn’t spend for heels -my feet and my style advice me against it. I also threw in perfumes given to me as gifts whose scents aren’t my taste at all. The only scent I appreciate by far is the white musk scent of any brand of perfume. Speaking of that scent my French professor wears the same scent. I know because I’m seated at the front of our class and he usually brings lots of stuff to class – his home cooked lunch, mint drink, canned goods imported from France and one time his perfume was lying there and I told him it was the same as mine. He just looked at me.

Going back to the garage sale, Riza and Yanna arrived at lunch time and Yanna was equipped with cute bracelets which she seldom used and contemporary books. One book was titled, “Mga Kwento ng Puso” and when we teased her about it she defensively said it was for her Creative Writing class. I bought a printed skirt from the clothes Riza bought priced at 20php and it was not bad at all.

I was going upstairs to get some money and Tita Beau asked if we were just exchanging stuff. I said that we are the number one customers of our own garage sale. Actually Riza is the number one customer because most of the pretty stuff Yanna brought was sold to her as in two charmed bracelets, a new brown Hang Ten purse with a navy blue little ribbon and the new fake Mac eye shadow set which were all gifts to Yanna which she said she will not be using.

Maan arrived later on and brought clothes too while we were entertaining some of the few customers who passed by. Because all of our stuff are for females we couldn’t accommodate what the tri-bike drivers and other men who passed by were looking which are men’s wear. We promised them we would have on Friday afternoon.

When Erica arrived from school after we already packed up after three hours of marketing, I told her to take a look at the container of unsold bracelets and surprisingly she liked one – a colorful crystal gartered bracelet and it was sold for 20php. Wylo my 2nd grade niece surprisingly was interested in the crystal dog keychain originally priced at 20php but I sold it to her for half the price.

Wylo was really happy about the keychain that she still kept looking at the other unsold bracelets. I thought she was just admiring them but to my surprise once my classmates went home and I put all unsold stuff in my room with Erica and Wylo’s help and I was already doing homework, Wylo went in my room and casually lifted some unsold books from the container of the unsold bracelet and was expressing interest in a black bracelet with a silver key and asked me how much it was, I said it was 20php and asked if she had money. Surprisingly she had and immediately handed me two ten peso coins. I was surprised and thanked her for contributing to our funds. She was still observing the container and asked me how much the crystal lizard keychain was and I said I wasn’t sure if its 20php and checked our price list but I told her I’d give it to her for 10php. She gave me the 10 and eventually gave me another 5php. I told her it’s okay she can keep the 5php because she might not have any money anymore and I even clarified if it was her own money to which she affirmed. I was giving her the 5php back and said that she should keep it in case she’d be interested in the next batch of stuff we would be selling on Friday. She gently pushed my hand with the 5php coin back and it was just a sweet gesture.

It was great experience raising 445php in 3 hours. You learn promotion, sales talk, what people want and don’t want and you get to discover people who are willing to help.