Monday, June 8, 2015

Used Curriculum Sale-Buying and Selling...




We just recently went to a Used Curriculum Sale... where we bought, and sold, many items.  What a blessing... we found some great things for our upcoming school year... and we sold a lot of items we no longer need.

If you have a chance to go, it can be such a blessing to attend one of these.  :)




This is what the room looked like when we started setting up our sale table... pretty big... and very empty....   We like to get there right away on time because it takes a while to set everything up so that we are ready to sell when it is time.

 We only have 45 minutes to set everything up... before customers are allowed to begin shopping. It may sound like a lot of time, but it is needed.






This is what the room looks like after things get going...  and actually, this wasn't the way it looked at the busiest... I was shopping at that time, so couldn't take this picture. :)  It was thinning out by this time... and you can see an empty table where someone had already closed up their selling table.




  We have been attending these events for many years... in fact, we used to have to bring a couple of blankets so our toddlers could relax under the table when they got too tired to be up.  That was a while ago.
:)

Homeschool curriculum is quite expensive... there are books and supplies to buy, so when we can find them at a reduced price, that is very helpful.  Some years, I have found LOTS of items to buy... this year, I bought some things, but not a lot.


Since we have sold things here for so many years, we have learned much that helps.  This year, they gave us 2 tables which was a huge blessing... and we also brought a folding table, so our selling area was larger than it has been before.

We have learned to bring folding bookshelves, as this really helps to display items and it makes it easier for people to shop. We also make use of empty boxes to use to stack other boxes on... as this brings things up to make it easier for people to see items without bending over so far. 

I've also learned to bring book stands for displaying books... I have collected several of the wrought iron folding ones (from garage sales. :)  and these are great for making the books more visible.

I like to price each item... AND I also like to put similar prices together... like I have a $1.00 shelf, a $2.00, $3.00, a 50c shelf (or box) and so on.  When we first arrive, we bring everything inside... then the girls and I set it all up to make it appealing. While we do that, the guys take the dollies out and help other people bring their things inside also. They enjoy helping others haul their items in... and other people tell us what a blessing they are for doing it. :)

The last couple of years, I have been making brightly colored signs to tape to the wall showing what I have... like Math u see, Usborne, Science, and more....

We bring actual school books... and we also bring other learning items... like Math manipulatives, Science experiment books and supplies, educational toys, health items.. gardening and herb books, nutrition books, novels, and lots more..... basically anything a homeschooling family may want to use.  One year, I even sold my KitchenAid mixer when I had bought a big Electrolux and didn't need the other one anymore. The lady who bought it was delighted. :)

After the girls and I have it all nicely displayed, we leave my husband and one of the kids (they trade out) to "man" the booth and sell things, while I go shopping. Someone goes with me and a couple of our kids "float" and take my purchases back to our booth so we don't have to carry them all. We have quite the system down now and it works well.

Usually, I will go back to our booth 3 or 4 times during the evening... maybe more... and will re-organize things. It is fun to notice that many things have sold, BUT I don't want it to look picked over, so I will pull out another book to put in a book holder(the book is already out for sale, but is in a box or on a shelf and I move it to a more visible spot)... you can see that one of the book holders is empty in the picture below... and I will move things around. This REALLY helps.. .and so many times, the new items I just put out, have been snatched up right away and I have to do it again.

Anyway... this is a wonderful resource to make use of and I hope you are able to attend a used curriculum sale near you. I hope you have a great week.





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16 comments:

  1. Wow, what a blessing to have this sale near you! There are not a lot of homeschooling families where I live, but I will have to look into seeing if there is a sale like this nearby :)

    Thanks for sharing with Roses of Inspiration. Enjoy your day!

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    1. They really are wonderful... we love going and it is a family event for us... we also get to see other homeschoolers and sometimes we meet fellow bloggers. :) I hope you are able to find one in your area. :)

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  2. I homeschooled from 1980-2001. We went to curriculum fairs. They were fun, encouraging, and it was overwhelming to see all that spread out before us. :-)

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    1. It IS overwhelming, I agree.... so much to look at and think about... it took a while to get a workable system down, but it was nice when we finally did and made the sale much more useful to us. :)

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  3. I wish I would of had access to a resource like this when I was homeschooling my daughter! I used E-bay to buy her books, but this would have been much more fun.

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    1. It really is a great resource... and I am so thankful to have it. I guess I figured they were in most areas and I am finding out that such sales are not as common as I had thought, so I am extra thankful. :)

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  4. Interesting!! I do not think this is done around here!!
    Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting on my Baby Bird post!!

    Hugs,
    Deb

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    1. I am finding that to be true in many areas, which surprised me.... I am thankful that we have this one. :) It was nice to see your baby birds. :)

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  5. What a great idea and a useful resource for families! Thanks for linking up at the Weekend Blog Hop at My Flagstaff Home!

    Jennifer

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    1. It is a wonderful resource... Maybe some of the areas that don't have this could start one... that would be a blessing to so many people. :)

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  6. Love Used Book Sales!!!!! You seem to have a great habdle on the process, it is a loy of work but always worth it. Our HS group organizes a sale each uear and it is a huge blessing.
    :)Dawb

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    1. Used book sales are so fun... so many treasures to find in a place like that. :) I'm glad to hear you have such... it seems that many do not... I feel sorry for them. Thank you for visiting. :)

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  7. I love this idea! I teach at a co-op and I usually just bring items there to give away. I don't think there is enough of us to do a sale like the one you have been involved in! It sure would be fun to attend!

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    1. It really is... we have seen people there who come from far away... maybe there would be a sale like this for you to travel to. I'm not sure how you would search for one, but it should be possible. :)

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  8. Wow! What a sale (and a lot of work, too). Thanks for linking up and sharing with us at Funtastic Friday. Hope you see you again this week.

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    1. It is a pretty intense time... busy, lots of pricing, lifting, selling.. etc. I'm glad it is done, but so glad we did it. :) Thank you for visiting.

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