FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Elaine Wong sets up shop at Kam Super Swap Meet recently hoping these toys find new owners.
There are times when it seems we have too much stuff and not enough money. Douglas Nonaka, of Douglas T. Nonaka, CPA, in Aiea, said selling unused goods is the way to maximize returns on such items. However, most choose to make donations to favorite charities because it's less of a hassle and fosters feelings of contributing to the community, he said. Swap unused clutter
Last of two parts | Part 1
for cash at isle flea marketsBy Ruby Mata-Viti
For those who'd rather cash in, giving other consumers a chance to buy their rejected goodies at a steal, we looked at options for game consoles, games, books, jewelry and clothing last week.
Here are a few more options for the motivated. There are many more clearinghouse opportunities available for those who want to study the Yellow Pages, community bulletin boards or classified ads.
Garage sales
This is best organized with a group of friends. That way, you can put in a day's work while enjoying good company. Plus, you can divide the cost of advertising and signage, and if you have the time and inclination, you can even get the kids involved selling baked goods or lemonade.Putting an ad in a daily newspaper such as this one will cost you about $15 for two days. Free publications may charge less, at about $10 or $11, but you can never be certain of the size of their audience.
When you place an ad, make sure to specify the times of your sale or you may have eager deal hounds ringing your doorbell at 7 a.m.
If you have an enclosed garage, you might want to set up a day ahead in anticipation of those early birds. Tag all items in advance to minimize haggling. Then, on sale day, make sure you have lots of change on hand and be prepared to take a deep breath when they want deep discounts on things you paid hundreds of dollars for.
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Napua Galarza, left, who just had a bone marrow transplant in Seattle, and dad Rico Galarza, were selling personal items at the swap meet because the family recently returned to Hawaii and is moving into a smaller home.
Swap meets
These are for hard-core power sellers. To pack the car and leave at dawn -- hopefully landing a spot with high traffic and visibility, not to mention shade -- to set up "shop" for a few hours is quite a production.One would need a heart of steel and the savvy of a street-bazaar vendor to watch items you've collected over the years handled by hoards of people trying to argue you down to a dime for each. It's even worse if they pass you by, your once-cherished belongings unacknowledged, dismissed and just plain unwanted.
The two big swap meets, Aloha Stadium Swap Meet and Kam Super Swap Meet operate 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, with gates opening at about 5 a.m. for vendors.
At Aloha Stadium, $10 will get a vendor two stalls to park a car and sell wares. Customers pay 50 cents per person for admission. John Telles, who manages the Aloha Stadium event said Sunday is the big day for locals who sell a cross-section of wares, including knickknacks, old kitchen gadgets, clothing, toys, tools and more. The other days are what he calls "good for tourist" drawing power, with commercial vendors selling things like Hawaii T-shirts and aloha print surf trunks in bulk.
The mood over at Kam Super Swap is more like a farmer's market, said manager Lennie Ka'alouahi. "We have more produce here."
Wednesdays and Saturdays are high-volume days at Kam; Sundays are prime time for the Aloha Stadium site.
Ka'alouahi said vendors who don't have reserved stalls, something commercial vendors pay a higher rate for, start lining up from 4:30 a.m., "even though we don't let them in until 5 a.m."
It costs $12 to rent a stall on Wednesdays; $15 on Saturdays and Sundays. The area in front of your parked car is considered your selling turf.
The vendor turnaround is fast, he said. "If you throw your clothes down in a pile on a mat, people come around at 5 a.m. with their flashlights, grabbing and shoving. By noon the vendors who were waiting at 4:30 a.m. are out because they've sold their stuff."
And contrary to retailing principles, hanging clothing neatly on a rack doesn't draw a crowd, he said. "Usually if it's set up that way, people think it must be expensive."
If you're serious about clearing your home, a strategy is to visit the flea market every three months, taking your items in increments, and drive straight to a charity afterward to donate whatever isn't sold.
Click for online
calendars and events.
