Summer is just about here, which means that yard sale season is almost upon us! Sure, anyone can organize a yard sale, and you’re bound to have a few people show up. But if you’re serious about having a seriously successful yard sale where you not only get rid of all that junk, but make a little money, then you’ll want to follow these tips to have the best yard sale ever.
Do a multi-family sale
The more items you have, the better your yard sale will end up being. So if you can, talk to your friends and neighbors and see if you can either organize a sale with multiple families at your place, or even try and get the whole street to do a sale! After all, the more items available, the more like you’ll be to draw a crowd.
Organize display tables
Like any kind of merchandise, how you present your items is going to make a huge difference. Get tables, if you can, and organize it by section. Have an area with knickknacks, one for kitchen items, another for kids toys, etc. If you can, hang up clothing, and make sure everything is labeled with a price so people know where to start haggling, if they intend to haggle at all.
Display clothing by size
While some people will dig through clothing at a yard sale, most people won’t. So, if you really want your clothing to move, make sure that it is organized by gender and size, and have it displayed nicely, if you can. You want people to be able to just walk through and see what you have without having to dig through a bin or table.
Get help with pricing
The worst thing you can do is to overprice your items. If you aren’t a good judge of what things are worth, then get a friend’s opinion when you’re pricing items. Always try and err on the side of less expensive, as you’ll be more likely to sell more items if they’re inexpensive than if everything is priced too high. Keep in mind that the alternative is to donate the items and make zero money, so compared to that, $1 is pretty good.
Prep the day before
If you have lots of items to sell, then it can make for a busy day. Try and organize as much as you can the night before. Find your display tables and gather all the items together. Then, first thing in the morning, set up the tables and the area where you’re going to sit, and let the day begin!
Advertise the sale
If no one knows that you’re having a sale, then no one will come. So, make sure that you advertise on Facebook, tell your friends, and make signs from major roadways leading to your sale so intrepid buyers can find your sale.
Donate leftovers
Remember that the point of the sale is, at the end of the day, to get rid of clutter first and make money second. So after the last day of your sale, box up whatever didn’t sell and take it to the local thrift store. If you have one or two really nice things that you want to hang on to for a different sale, go ahead, but make sure that you’re not keeping everything!