1. Earrings
SOLD: $3 at 10:02 a.m.
“My girlfriend had probably 30 pieces of costume jewelry, and all of it went by the end of the day. She set the price for earrings and rings really low, and almost nobody bargained.”
Unopened Blush and Lip Gloss
SOLD: $2 each at 10:02 a.m. (to the same woman who bought the earrings)
“I think people were glad to pay $2 for YSL makeup, but we still had some left over at the end of the day, so we sold a bunch of it to a woman for $1 each.”
Brand-new J.Lo Hat
SOLD: $2 at 10:18 a.m.
“A friend gave this to me as a gag gift. I would have paid someone to take it off my hands!”
Digital Camera
SOLD: $14 at 10:13 a.m.
“We originally asked $20 for it, but when this guy offered $14, we agreed.”
2. Books
SOLD: $1 each throughout the day.
3. Jeans
SOLD: $5 at 11:03 a.m.
“My girlfriend has a jean addiction. She needed to unload a few pairs.”
Chrysler Building Model
SOLD: $3 at 10:40 a.m.
“A cute little boy had his eye on this. I was glad to see him take it home.”
4. Necklace
SOLD: $3 at 10:15 a.m.
5. Back Issues of The Believer
SOLD: 50 cents each at 11:42 a.m.
“They usually run $8 to $10, but I put them out for $2 apiece. I ended up selling them— four mags for $2—to an illustrator who had recently lost her job. I told her I thought it would inspire her in her time of unemployment.”
6. 175 CDs
SOLD: $3 each, or two for $5 throughout the day
“I was excited to get rid of them now that I have them all digitized. One thing that people commented on was the fact that I alphabetized everything. That seemed to make a big difference.”
7. Rug
SOLD: $3 at 10:47 a.m.
Swiss Army Watch
SOLD: Never
“This cost my girlfriend a few hundred dollars originally. In the morning a man offered $15 for it, and that was the only offer she turned down all day. She’ll be better off selling it on eBay.”
Their Take:
McCarthy raked in approximately $450, nearly all from the CDs. His girlfriend made about $250.
Put Your Stoop to Work
A booming secondhand market—and finally some nice weather—is making for a midsummer stoop-sale bonanza.
• How to Turn Your Stuff Into Good Scratch
• Six Rules to Move Products Fast