Setting up a monthly comic shop in your garage - Would it work?

[kav]

At our previous house I had the perfect location for a "garage shop" that I always wanted to open a general merchandise store to sell different things in. About the time I started thinking about seriously starting something up our town passed an ordinance that you couldn't have any more than 8 garage sales within a calendar year because there were a handful of people putting junk out in their yard every weekend trying to sell it and enough people started complaining about it. I could still sell stuff out of our garage but couldn't have the overhead door open I just decided it would turn into more of a headache than it was worth.

I would just do it.

I can't see city employees going around keeping track of how many yard sales a year people have....

 

You really don't get out much, do you?

I really don't

[techtre2003]

Sad thing is that's exactly the type of stupid little thing they WOULD pay attention to.

 

Not trying to start a "p word" conversation, but I think most governments are the same: focus on the small inconsequential stuff and ignore the big issues.

[shadroch]

Sad thing is that's exactly the type of stupid little thing they WOULD pay attention to.

 

Not trying to start a "p word" conversation, but I think most governments are the same: focus on the small inconsequential stuff and ignore the big issues.

 

 

People have a right to enjoy the quiet comfort of their homes. Having a neighbor running a business out of their homes in a residential neighborhood can prevent that. Would you like to live next door to a person running a flea market in his yard every weekend?

A couple of years ago, my town passed a law limiting the number of volleyball games one could have in their backyard. It sounded crazy, but it turned out one house was running volleyball tournaments every weekend, attracting huge crowds and causing terrible parking problems. Teams were coming from all over, and the prizes (bets) were in the thousands of dollars for some games. I went to see it myself, and the guys backyard must have had two hundred people standing around watching ten people play. I certainly wouldn't want to live next to that house.

[DiceX]

From about 1987 through 1994, a local convenience store would let me have "comic shows" in their parking lot. They had a little paved strip at the side of their building and me and two other friends would set up little 6 foot tables and sell our goods. We did these about once a month during the warmer months.

 

Admittedly, 75% of the time we were buying and selling books to each other. But we did have a good time doing it.

 

 

[revat]

Sad thing is that's exactly the type of stupid little thing they WOULD pay attention to.

 

Not trying to start a "p word" conversation, but I think most governments are the same: focus on the small inconsequential stuff and ignore the big issues.

 

 

People have a right to enjoy the quiet comfort of their homes. Having a neighbor running a business out of their homes in a residential neighborhood can prevent that. Would you like to live next door to a person running a flea market in his yard every weekend?

A couple of years ago, my town passed a law limiting the number of volleyball games one could have in their backyard. It sounded crazy, but it turned out one house was running volleyball tournaments every weekend, attracting huge crowds and causing terrible parking problems. Teams were coming from all over, and the prizes (bets) were in the thousands of dollars for some games. I went to see it myself, and the guys backyard must have had two hundred people standing around watching ten people play. I certainly wouldn't want to live next to that house.

 

all good points. you'd think this would be obvious to most people, but I'm glad you could make it clear to the people who are struggling with this concept.

 

Another thing that no one has really mentioned, if you run a 'business' out of your house and someone gets injured, your home insurance may not cover it depending on your coverage.

[kav]

If it becomes a nuisance it's gotta go definitely.

Just like me...

 

[techtre2003]

Sad thing is that's exactly the type of stupid little thing they WOULD pay attention to.

 

Not trying to start a "p word" conversation, but I think most governments are the same: focus on the small inconsequential stuff and ignore the big issues.

 

 

People have a right to enjoy the quiet comfort of their homes. Having a neighbor running a business out of their homes in a residential neighborhood can prevent that. Would you like to live next door to a person running a flea market in his yard every weekend?

A couple of years ago, my town passed a law limiting the number of volleyball games one could have in their backyard. It sounded crazy, but it turned out one house was running volleyball tournaments every weekend, attracting huge crowds and causing terrible parking problems. Teams were coming from all over, and the prizes (bets) were in the thousands of dollars for some games. I went to see it myself, and the guys backyard must have had two hundred people standing around watching ten people play. I certainly wouldn't want to live next to that house.

 

I do see your point, but to me putting up with stupid mess your neighbors do is just part of living in town. I'm surrounded by neighbors with dogs that constantly yap every time they are outside; I'd rather see a flea market across the street every weekend. Not to mention I live really close to the high school so I get cars parked in my yard all the time anyway.

 

In my case, I was on a corner lot by myself far off the road. My junk would have all been inside my garage. Plus there was an unused gravel parking lot right across the street that I had permission to use from the owner. I do try to be somewhat courteous to my neighbors so if I felt I was imposing on them I wouldn't have done it.

 

And that volleyball thing sounds pretty fun

[divad]

I did very well last year selling $2 books at a spur of the moment garage sale and it has gotten me thinking about what to do this year. If I registered a comic only garage sale once a month would I run into any legal issues? My vision is to convert my garage into a temporary mini comic convention booth and see how it goes. Anyone heard of this type of set up?

 

Oh yeah, my wife would be all over this . . .

 

Not only would I'd be the crazy comic/box guy who fills every bit of free space in his house with comics, but now I'd be publishing my eccentricities to the neighborhood.

 

Although, I have to say, I love to diddle with a few long boxes in the garage while listening to NPR or a Niner's game .

[mysterio]

I doubt this would be worth it, but have you considered selling out of a storage locker? Not too long ago my brother rented about a 10x10 climate controlled indoor unit that cost about $100 a month. The area had access control and was monitored 24/7, so security wouldn't be an issue for storage (of course, it may be an issue for customer entry). I know that storage unit complexes will occasionally hold garage sales for the renters to sell items, so (depending on the rules at a particular complex) something like that could potentially be a good solution in that you wouldn't be selling out of the home and would have secure storage for the bulk stuff.

[InvstmntComcSuply]

Running a monthly business out of your garage has the potential to miff your neighbours.

 

Yeah, as a homeowner dealing with people parking in front of my house and generally disturbing the area with traffic and vehicles would not earn "good neighbor" points.

 

I've lived in a neighborhood with the "perpetual garage sale house" and from a homeowner standpoint - it sucks.

 

I like the idea as well as the giveaways - is there a flea market or something like that close by that would be easy to haul stuff to?

 

We had, what turned out to be squatters, doing a perpetual garage sale on our street every Saturday and Sunday for a couple of months. It was NOT a good thing.

 

In addition to the local ordinances, most homeowners associations have clauses restricting this sort of activity.

 

Be that as it may, unless you are getting several cars at a time, you might be able to get them to park in your driveway and not totally torque the neighbors for the first 3-4 sales, if you were doing it once a month.

[divad]

There was an old guy in the neighborhood that had a "garage" sale every weekend for about a year. It really pissed a bunch a people off. Although it wasn't realy close to me, I still had to drive by coming and going, and didn't appreciate the "white-trashiness" of it. The town never did anything about it, but eventually the guy died (or was foreclosed on) and it stopped.

[DiceX]

I doubt this would be worth it, but have you considered selling out of a storage locker? Not too long ago my brother rented about a 10x10 climate controlled indoor unit that cost about $100 a month. The area had access control and was monitored 24/7, so security wouldn't be an issue for storage (of course, it may be an issue for customer entry). I know that storage unit complexes will occasionally hold garage sales for the renters to sell items, so (depending on the rules at a particular complex) something like that could potentially be a good solution in that you wouldn't be selling out of the home and would have secure storage for the bulk stuff.

 

Most storage places won't let you sell out of the units anymore.

 

 

[MatterEaterLad]

Local guy did it advertising three comics for a dollar. It was done in his basement on Sundays. The three dollar rooms took you towards more expensive rooms but I don't remember any genuine collectible comics. He also sold candy. He was open for quite a while and may still be. He "suggestively sold" to little kids, offering them "investment opportunities" .

 

 

 

Yeeesh.

 

I picture this guy washing blood out of his clown suit.

 

 

[kav]

Sad thing is that's exactly the type of stupid little thing they WOULD pay attention to.

 

Not trying to start a "p word" conversation, but I think most governments are the same: focus on the small inconsequential stuff and ignore the big issues.

 

 

People have a right to enjoy the quiet comfort of their homes. Having a neighbor running a business out of their homes in a residential neighborhood can prevent that. Would you like to live next door to a person running a flea market in his yard every weekend?

A couple of years ago, my town passed a law limiting the number of volleyball games one could have in their backyard. It sounded crazy, but it turned out one house was running volleyball tournaments every weekend, attracting huge crowds and causing terrible parking problems. Teams were coming from all over, and the prizes (bets) were in the thousands of dollars for some games. I went to see it myself, and the guys backyard must have had two hundred people standing around watching ten people play. I certainly wouldn't want to live next to that house.

 

I do see your point, but to me putting up with stupid mess your neighbors do is just part of living in town. I'm surrounded by neighbors with dogs that constantly yap every time they are outside; I'd rather see a flea market across the street every weekend. Not to mention I live really close to the high school so I get cars parked in my yard all the time anyway.

 

In my case, I was on a corner lot by myself far off the road. My junk would have all been inside my garage. Plus there was an unused gravel parking lot right across the street that I had permission to use from the owner. I do try to be somewhat courteous to my neighbors so if I felt I was imposing on them I wouldn't have done it.

 

And that volleyball thing sounds pretty fun

You can make a complaint with animal control about that kind of nonsense.

[shadroch]

They have cooled down now, but a few years ago," estate sales" in vogue here were.

More often than not, they should have been called divorce sales as that's what they usually were. some of these would attract hundreds of people, with folks lining up at 6 AM and some sleeping in their cars. I tried to go to one once and when I arrived was given a ticket with somewhere around number 245 on it, and told to come back in an hour or so. I didn't bother.

[techtre2003]

Sad thing is that's exactly the type of stupid little thing they WOULD pay attention to.

 

Not trying to start a "p word" conversation, but I think most governments are the same: focus on the small inconsequential stuff and ignore the big issues.

 

 

People have a right to enjoy the quiet comfort of their homes. Having a neighbor running a business out of their homes in a residential neighborhood can prevent that. Would you like to live next door to a person running a flea market in his yard every weekend?

A couple of years ago, my town passed a law limiting the number of volleyball games one could have in their backyard. It sounded crazy, but it turned out one house was running volleyball tournaments every weekend, attracting huge crowds and causing terrible parking problems. Teams were coming from all over, and the prizes (bets) were in the thousands of dollars for some games. I went to see it myself, and the guys backyard must have had two hundred people standing around watching ten people play. I certainly wouldn't want to live next to that house.

 

I do see your point, but to me putting up with stupid mess your neighbors do is just part of living in town. I'm surrounded by neighbors with dogs that constantly yap every time they are outside; I'd rather see a flea market across the street every weekend. Not to mention I live really close to the high school so I get cars parked in my yard all the time anyway.

 

In my case, I was on a corner lot by myself far off the road. My junk would have all been inside my garage. Plus there was an unused gravel parking lot right across the street that I had permission to use from the owner. I do try to be somewhat courteous to my neighbors so if I felt I was imposing on them I wouldn't have done it.

 

And that volleyball thing sounds pretty fun

You can make a complaint with animal control about that kind of nonsense.

 

Nah, they are all inside dogs and are just out 15-20 minutes at a time. They just ALL happen to be the little yappers. We actually have 2 of our own but I go out with them and make sure they keep quiet. It's nothing to complain about at all, everyone is pretty cool with each other. Besides, I've had a few late nights in the man cave that I'm sure can be heard outside when everyone is having a good time. Like I said, all part of living in town (thumbs u

[Fan Boy]

They have cooled down now, but a few years ago," estate sales" in vogue here were.

More often than not, they should have been called divorce sales as that's what they usually were. some of these would attract hundreds of people, with folks lining up at 6 AM and some sleeping in their cars. I tried to go to one once and when I arrived was given a ticket with somewhere around number 245 on it, and told to come back in an hour or so. I didn't bother.

 

Of course - naturally! When I get that number - all the good stuff was already gone anyway. I'd go home.

[thehumantorch]

Sad thing is that's exactly the type of stupid little thing they WOULD pay attention to.

 

Not trying to start a "p word" conversation, but I think most governments are the same: focus on the small inconsequential stuff and ignore the big issues.

 

 

People have a right to enjoy the quiet comfort of their homes. Having a neighbor running a business out of their homes in a residential neighborhood can prevent that. Would you like to live next door to a person running a flea market in his yard every weekend?

A couple of years ago, my town passed a law limiting the number of volleyball games one could have in their backyard. It sounded crazy, but it turned out one house was running volleyball tournaments every weekend, attracting huge crowds and causing terrible parking problems. Teams were coming from all over, and the prizes (bets) were in the thousands of dollars for some games. I went to see it myself, and the guys backyard must have had two hundred people standing around watching ten people play. I certainly wouldn't want to live next to that house.

 

Agreed, there are always people willing to abuse any system and push the boundaries of common sense.

[thehumantorch]

We recently looked at a collection advertised on kijiji. The seller had essentially created a kijiji store, constantly advertising there for free and making appointments with buyers in his home. Honestly, his books were all VG or worse 80s to 90s books that we considered almost worthless but he'd already sold over $4k worth.

[Chaseman210]

It sounds like a pretty cool idea, but I would think somebody would complain about it. Maybe you can advertise online and set up sales that way instead of people randomly coming and parking all over.