Getting Rid of Things

Sometimes, you reach a point where you know something is not going to sell at a price that will make a profit.  

There's point where even looking at it will cause you stress.  It's time to let it go.

I have been messaging about this with a friend.  In her case, she had to take a break from having a booth and she needed to get rid of all the extra stuff in her house.  She tried a market.  She tried inviting vendors to her house.  She was trying to sell the things without feeling like she was throwing money away.  It can be a dismal feeling.  She finally decided to take everything to an auction and get rid of it all once and for all.

I wrote something to her that I want to share.  I think it might be useful for MORE than just people closing a booth.  It's useful for  people with a booth, too, who just need to clean out some things.   Here's what I wrote to her -

The auction will be so much easier for you.  You can get everything out of your way and not have to worry about it anymore.  I have reached a point where letting things go is not about making any money.  It's often not even about getting what I paid for it.  It's about lightening my load and passing things on to people who will enjoy them.  I've taken load after load to Goodwill.  I've given things away to friends.  It feels good to be generous.  It feels good to not feel the stress of seeing things that I no longer want or need.  Even if you take a loss at the auction... even if you see some things go for prices that are sickening... try to let it all go with joy.  Say a prayer that whoever gets it will enjoy it and then just smile.  

This is very much the attitude in a marvelous book - The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.  That book will help you learn to let go.

Keep in mind, I don't have a booth right now, so my letting go is way more drastic than it would be if I did have a booth.  I may pick up and have a booth again, maybe even next year, but for now, I'm cleaning out and lightening my load.  You may think it's mostly my husband's stuff, but no, most of the junk was mine.  We vendors tend to accumulate clutter.

Still, I used this premise often when I had sales in my booth.  There are times when you realize, something you found for your booth was a mistake.  Maybe you paid too much for it.  Maybe it's not right for your area.  Maybe it's got a flaw you didn't notice before.  Whatever.  Don't beat yourself up about it.  Don't hold onto it and feel irritated every time you look at it.  Sell it for a low price, pack it off to Goodwill, give it away, take it to an auction or whatever .... just get rid of the darned thing.  Don't let it take the fun out of your days.

There are some really good articles about that book by the way.  I have pinned those links on my Magic of Tidying Up Pinterest board.  There are clutter articles on that board, too, but a large number tf the pins are just about what's called the "KonMari method".  The book is a huge best seller.

UPDATE:  I had a reader comment on the Facebook page about this book.  The reader hated the book and thought it was very poorly written.  I was not shocked or insulted by the comment because I actually agree that it wasn't well written.

This was part of my reply  to her - It's not writing at it's best. I agree on that. Further, I think it should have been made into a much shorter book. However, hidden within the fluff. there were some fantastic ideas.  I've read a number of decluttering books over the years and I still found some real game changers in this book.  If you were so put off that you didn't actually read the book, I recommend reading some articles online (free).  I found a number of them that passed on some of the best advice very concisely.

In other words, if the book is too danged fluffy and long for you, get on over to my Kon-Mari Pinterest board and read the articles.  I did it backwards.  I read all the articles, then bought the book because by that point I was sold on many of the concepts... not everything, but enough to make me a huge fan of her method.

Cluttered Booths and Changing Styles

I recently visited a couple of out-of-town antique malls.  It was interesting.  One thing stood out - the clutter effect.  Many of the booths that seemed the most cluttered were having sales - 20% or 30% off everything in the booth.  The regular prices were low.  It was obvious they were just concerned about low sales.

I'm sure there were treasures to be had, but it just looked like a mass of unwanted junk.  I found myself standing in the aisle and doing a quick booth skim.  I didn't even want to enter those booths.  It looked like exactly what I want to steer clear of.  I suspect many customers felt the same way and the poor vendors are no doubt thinking that if they just mark things down, those knick knacks will sell.

It also brought to mind something else that I have noticed more and more.  About 5 years ago, having vintage smalls were all the rage -especially old kitchen items.  Many people decorated with all sorts of things from especially the 40's and 50's.  Magazine photos were full of photos examples of  people who achieved the perfect vintage look.

Now, in those same magazines, you still see some vintage items but having too much now looks overdone and sad.  There will likely always be a draw for vintage items, but the way they are used and showcased changes.  A vendor needs to stay on top of the shifts in styles!

As I've said before, the next hot style doesn't seem to be here yet, but people know what they are tired of!  Unless you are a specialty booth with continuing good sales, you need to make sure your booth isn't selling mostly what most people no longer want to see.  Look through current magazines and popular Pinterest pins to see what is trending in terms of styles and colors.  Keep your booth current and you won't have to have a booth wide clearance sale!