Are your closets cluttered? Is your garage a maze? Are you thinking about having a garage sale to clear some of it out? Think twice before you do. Yard sales, garage sales, and estate sales are against the deed restrictions in most of the Kingwood Villages. That doesn't mean that you're stuck with your stuff though. There are a number of ways to recycle those unneeded items.
Community Yard Sales
You can't have your own yard sales, but there are sanctioned community yard sales in the area. Some Kingwood villages will sponsor them from time to time and the Kingwood Civic Club sponsors community yard sales three times a year.
The dates for the Kingwood Civic Club yard sales for 2006 are March 5th, June 4th, and October 1st. The sale is held in the parking lot on Sorters-McClellan Road across from Kingwood College from 7:00 am to 2: 00 pm. Space fees are $30.00 for one space or $50.00 for two when bought in advance or $35.00 for one and $60.00 for two the day of.
Online Yard Sales
Yes, it's true, you can have an online yard sale. KingwoodYardSales.com launched in 2004 and is Kingwood's answer to Ebay. Basic accounts are free and allow free item listings with a short description. Premiere memberships are $7.95 per month and allow pictures for the listings.
Ebay
Of course, there is always {htmlfix}<a href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/k277y1A719PRZRQVVRPSSQSWTZ" target="_blank" onmouseover="window.status='http://affiliates.ebay.com';return true;" onmouseout="window.status=' ';return true;">eBay</a><img src="http://www.afcyhf.com/42106snrflj46E65AA647757B8E" width="1" height="1" border="0"/>{/htmlfix} to sell unwanted items. If you have items that are in demand, you would probably get more on Ebay. However if the items are slow movers, it would be more economical to sell them on KingwoodYardSales as there is just one monthly fee rather than listing fees and a percentage of the selling price.
If you have something that you would like to sell on Ebay, but don't want to be bother with the hassle of listing, customer follow-up, packing and shipping, stop by The Auction Post in Kingwood Town Center. The Auction Post is an Ebay retail drop off store and a registered Selling Assistant.
You just drop off your item and the staff at The Auction Post will photograph it, list it on Ebay, handle the sale, pack it and ship it and send you a check (minus their fee).
Online Classifieds
The Kingwood Connection offers free classified ads to registered users. You can even upload a picture of your item or include a link to a photo on the internet.
Baby Daze
Baby Daze is a consignment sale focused on children's clothing and baby items held by various local churches. The most established is the one by Kingwood United Methodist and is normally held in February. Strawbridge United Methodist also holds one in September.
Consignment Shops
There are a number of consignment shops in the area:
Charities
You may decide to donate the items rather than going through the hassle of selling them and using the value as a tax deduction. There are various charities in the area that accept donations:
- Humble Area Assistance Ministries (HAAM): HAAM has a resale shop that helps funds their programs.
- Goodwill
- FamilyTime Thrift Shop
- The Mission NE: One of the programs that The Mission NE provides is food, clothing, and household items for families in need. They are always accepting donations. Small household items are usually in short supply.
