Wednesday, June 3

Planning a Yard Sale

This weekend we are having a yard sale to declutter our home. My husband and I have been married for seven years and we have averaged about one yard sale each year so I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of it. Did I mention we have an aversion to clutter? It is overwhelming to think of putting one on initially, but once I get started, I usually enjoy it. I've come up with a list of helpful hints that will make your yard sale less hastle and more fun. I still have a couple of days until the sale so if anyone has any tips for me, please post away!
Pick the right date most people get paid on the 1st or 15th of each month so planning your sale as close to then as you can usually has better results
Include neighbors try to convince neighbors to have one on the same date, increasing your clientele :)
Advertise in your local paper, hang up posters, on the radio
Plenty of change lots of one dollar bills and quarters. Don't price anything less than a quarter that way you don't have to worry about having dimes and nickles, plus it is easier to calculate someones total; anything I don't think will bring a quarter, I place in the "free" box.
Price everything someone is more apt to buy something with a price on it than asking how much you want for it
Check your forecast if it is supposed to rain, have an alternate plan
Send the kids and pets to Grandma's :) only in some cases i.e. small talkative children, hyper and bouncy dogs, overly friendly and shedding cats. Customers don't want to be bothered, usually.
Be liberal (not politically speaking) getting rid of stuff. My husband says if it has been in the attic and isn't Christmas or Fall decorations, it needs to go. Honestly, we tend to accumulate so many things that we don't really need, so go ahead make some money from it.
Price right be reasonable on pricing, people come to yard sales for bargains so give them one
Place items strategically or at least easy to get around. Don't put boxes full of stuff for people to dig through, display what you've got.
Set times when you advertise, tell what time it will start and end. If it is set to start at 8am, have everything out and priced by then. Most of our items sell within the first hour.
Be honest don't try to sell broken items
Save bags and boxes for people to carry their new treasures home in
Consign or donate the items that don't sell if you planned on getting rid of it, don't bring it back in your house.