The sign out front said indoor garage sale, the sale had started five minutes earlier, and yet the parking lot was nearly empty. Josh and his wife Haley took a chance on the church anyway, and he says it paid off in a big way.

The resellers behind the @HairyTornado channel found a sale where nothing had a price tag. The volunteers simply said, make us an offer, and what happened at the checkout table is the part everybody remembers.

A Church Sale With No Prices And Almost No Shoppers

“Nothing here is really priced,” a volunteer told them at the door. Everything, from crafts to the bake sale table, was a make-an-offer deal.

Josh says most of the people working the sale were volunteers, so they were not out to compete with anybody. He counted maybe eight shoppers inside, and he figures that if they had gone to a big neighborhood yard sale that morning, there would have been 200.

“We are smart,” he jokes. “We think through things.”

A Golden Snitch, A Dooney Purse And A Box Of Books

The couple filled a big box and three bags. Josh grabbed a Golden Snitch from Harry Potter on a little stand, a sealed 500-piece Harry Potter puzzle and book set, a glass hummingbird feeder and a 2005 US Open golf gnome.

Haley found a Dooney purse, Vera Bradley bags, a pair of brand new Vans and a few coffee mugs, plus a Snoopy mug. They also picked up Dollar Shave Club razors, Bath and Body Works products, a Burton snowboard jacket, a Carolina sweater and a slightly used Yankee candle in Berry Bramble.

Then there were the silly things. A pickle that yodels, jumbo playing cards, a Taco Bell fire sauce inflatable and a deck of Uno golf cards all landed in the bag, and Josh says the pickle is the perfect item for their Whatnot gift giveaways.

Halloween was just around the corner, so they snagged a door knocker that talks, a haunted mirror and another Snoopy Halloween mug. That was the third Snoopy mug of the day.

A Box Of Fantasy Novels That He Thinks Is A Good Flip

One box of books caught his eye because fantasy novels can do well. He looked up several titles by David and Leigh Eddings and found the first two he checked appeared to be first editions with super clean dust covers.

A copy of Polgara the Sorceress said first edition, November 1997. Josh decided to buy the whole box and sell the books in a big bundle on eBay. His guess was that they could offer about $10 for the box and perhaps get $50 for everything.

The Couple Offers $140 And The Seller Says “150 And You Got A Deal”

At the table, the couple tried to guess a price that would not shortchange a church or overpay on their end. Josh says that was a fine line, because they would not short change anyone, but overpaying is “classic Hairy Tornado.”

“How about like $140?” he said to the seller. She did not hesitate. “150 and you got a deal.”

The shock was the reason behind it. Josh says her instructions were to add $10 to every offered price. He laughed and said he loved it, and he happened to have exactly $150 in cash, in exact change. “You go, girl,” he told her.

The volunteers were gracious to the end. Josh and Haley mentioned that they make videos and go to flea markets, thrift stores, abandoned storage units and church sales, and the seller thanked them and wished them a good day.

Church Sale Report Card, 8.5 For Items And A 1 For Advertising

Josh gave the sale an 8.5 out of 10 for items. He says there were many solid bread and butter things, the kind they buy for $1 to $5 and sell for $30 to $50, though nothing worth $100.

The friendliness score was a 10 out of 10, with plenty of staff for the small number of buyers. The advertising score was a 1 out of 10. The sale was not on any of the apps they saw, and the only way they found it was one small sign in the church parking lot.

He half jokes that a quiet sale may be better for buyers, because shopping with just a couple of other people is how they found so much good stuff.

The Halloween Items Paid Back About $50 On Whatnot

He did not want to sit on the Halloween pieces, so the couple sold the three of them the night before on Whatnot. The talking door knocker went for $13, the Snoopy mug went for $13, and the haunted mirror, sold for $31.

After fees, Josh says they made roughly $50 on those three items. That leaves about $100 invested in everything else, and he expects a profit of around $200 to $400 once the shoes, the Harry Potter pieces, the Dooney purse, the mugs and the candle sell.

He admits he kind of wishes she had just taken the original $140. “It’s a church,” he says. “I’m sure the money’s going to a good use.”

Smart Moves For Your Next Church Or Yard Sale

• Look at the small signs. This sale had no listing on any apps, and one sign out front was the only clue.
• Check the books for edition lines. Josh found first edition notes on the title page and sold them as a bundle.
• Offer fairly. A church sale is a fundraiser, and a fair bid keeps everyone happy.
• Sell seasonal items early, since Halloween pieces sold quickly before the holiday.
• Bring cash, and ideally small bills, because the seller may counter with a round number.

The lesson from the church table may be the simplest one. Make your offer, and be ready to pay ten dollars more than you planned.

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