Yard Sale Refresher!
It's that time again! I've been getting itchy to do another yard sale and also to shop the yard sales... I've noticed a lot of really bad signage(no offense-if it was you, you probably didn't read this post before :) )... and realized if they don't put effort into the sign, they really don't usually have anything worth while so PLEASE... If you have AWESOME stuff and really want to sell it, read through these tips :)
Yard Sale Season is upon us. It's a great time to get rid of clutter, downsize, or empty out those storage units AND make some cash! I have done a few yard sales... and recently. I have read up on tips for yard sales and learned a few of my own.
These are the tips I suggest if you are going to be putting on a yard sale:
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1) Use Craigslist.org or a local classifieds(KSL.com) to post yard sales for free. I suggest listing it about 5 days prior to the sale and then the day before the sale. Include a list of the best items for sale, the time and location, and pictures if possible.
2) Use all the same color poster board and make sure they all look alike so your potential "customers" don't get confused. Cut them in half for major stop light areas, then in fourths as you get closer to the actual location (I posted them around the entire block where we were having our sale)
3)USE A FAT BLACK PERMANENT MARKER. Simply put Yard Sale with an arrow directing traffic(make sure you know which way the arrow should point)... I left some blank just in case I need to rethink the location of the sign. If the sign is a couple of blocks away, put a simple address under the arrow.
4)Make sure you are getting every angle for drivers- 4 signs are best but AT LEAST TWO for the different directions of traffic at the major stop lights near by. Be sure to keep the signs no more than 2 blocks apart so traffic can easily spot the direction they need to go without getting lost.
DISPLAY:
There are different methods you can take for this one but these are the ones I like most.
1)ALWAYS SET UP EARLY. If your garage sale is at 8am... be there at 6am getting everything set up... PEOPLE WILL COME AT 7!!! Early bird catches the worm. Seriously! And that means YOU can get rid of more clutter.
2) Try to categorize by kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, clothing, electronics, shoes, baby gear, furniture, ect. If you have a baby crib, a stroller, baby clothes and accessories- put them all in an area of their own... just like at an actual store. This goes for everything you have for sale... have a computer desk and cords to sell? Put them together. Set up "rooms" with the furniture.
3) Clothing. This is my weak spot. I know you get more money if you iron and hang all your clothing up but the time spent doing that isn't worth it to me. So INSTEAD, I do try to hang clothing up if I have the space to do so but if not, I have a huge tarp to lay the clothing out on. Organize it by gender, size, and season. This just makes it easier for a buyer to spot what they might be looking for.
4) Bring furniture- like dressers and couches clear out to the side walk area to draw people in. And wipe down any furniture as well.
Other tips:
1) Have an overall theme for your garage sale. Once I gave everyone a free magazine with their purchase(I had a lot that were about to hit the trash) or a free mini calculator(I also had an abundance of these) if they spent $10 or more. *Back to the clothing for a second, I often use the clothing to pull people in- $2 per grocery bag(which I would have available) of clothing or 10 CENT TOPS... that keeps them looking and they may just spot something else along the way that costs a little more.
Other common themes are bake sales included with the garage sale, or hand made goods, or a lemonade stand- your kids will make it a success;)
2) Always ALWAYS try to have AT LEAST 2 families doing it together- then you can advertise honestly as a multi family yard sale... this is much more appealing because that triggers in the buyers mind- twice as much stuff to buy!
3) Pricing, I have tried both not pricing anything and pricing everything. I actually like pricing just the big ticket items, price them for MORE than you really want so the customers can haggle with you(it is part of the experience for lots of yard sale goers) then you will most likely end up with what you want for it.
4) Be sure to welcome them to your garage sale- as if they are walking into a store. Stores know what they are doing and that's why we buy from them.
5) For all the items without a price, have the lowest price in your mind that you are ok with selling it for so when someone asks, "how much?" You can either respond with "How much would you pay for it?" or you can give them a STARTING point to barter with.
All in all, be prepared, start early and have fun making some money!
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