Planning a Yard Sale

Everyone knows hitting summertime yard sales can yield dirt cheap toys, clothes and household items.  But holding a successful yard sale of your own is not as easy as grabbing some cash and following Saturday morning signs.

Having your own yard sale requires time, planning and a good bit of luck. But it can be an excellent way to simplify your belongings and make some extra cash.

So how can you turn your extra junk, er stuff, into cash? 

Advertise:

• Spending a few dollars to put your ad in the local paper is not a step you should skip.  Many yard sale shoppers plan their entire Saturday mornings around local sales. If your sale and address are not listed, you will miss an entire group of shoppers. 
• Be sure to take advantage on online sites such as Craigslist and YardsaleAd to list your sale for free.
• Include date(s), times, address and a description of items to be sold in all ads.  If you have any special items such as furniture, electronics, maternity clothes, etc., be sure to list those items.
• Use clearly written or typed signs! Inkpen on torn cardboard speaks volumes about how well you take care of your stuff.  Take the time to write neatly and clearly, preferably with LARGE letters in thick, black marker on a brightly colored or white background. Include date(s), times, address and arrows. 
• Post your signs at all major crossroads near your house.  If all your signs match, shoppers will know they are going in the right direction. Be sure to check with your HOA for any requirements on signs (cannot be attached to road signs, etc.).

Location: 

• My sister and I recently held a yard sale at my mother's house. We had chosen that location because she has a huge yard, adequate parking and gets tons of pass-by traffic.  In retrospect, we would have been more successful holding it at my house which is smaller, has less parking and virtually no traffic.  However, I live in a town, and my mom lives in the country.  My house would probably have drawn in traffic from other local sales, whereas there were no other sales close to my mom's house.
• If your house is inaccessible, far from an urban area, or has no available parking, consider asking a friend to host the sale. Or check with local churches or businesses to see if there are any available sites.
• It is true that shoppers breed shoppers. So if you have the space, park your cars to look like shoppers and keep as many bodies near the tables as possible. Make your yard as attractive as possible. Mow the lawn a few days ahead of time and clear any extra clutter from the front.  If you are in or near your garage, curtain off any not-for-sale items.

Timing:

• Don't plan your sale for a holiday weekend. Although it may seem like a good idea, holiday yard sales usually are a flop. Most people already have their weekends planned, and even though the drive-by traffic may increase, vacationers do not want to stop and browse.  Pick an alternative weekend. Most yard sales are on Saturdays, but there are a good many that will begin on Friday and continue to Sunday. Beginning on a Friday can be a good way to get everything ready ahead of time without rushing like a fool on Saturday morning (spoken from experience!).
• If you do not want shoppers' parked on your grass at 6am, be sure to post starting times and whether or not early birds are welcome.
• Setting an end-time is always a good idea. It is easy to get caught up in the just-one-more-hour time warp, but late afternoons are rarely money-makers.

Planning: 

• Deciding to have a yard sale "next weekend" is never a good idea. It takes a great deal of time to gather all your unneeded stuff, organize it and price it. It took me a full month to organize all my goods. Granted, most of that time was spent convincing my daughter that she really didn't need all 14 baby dolls.
• Gather your unwanted, saleable items and begin organizing them by type. Pay attention to the condition of the items and ask yourself, "Would I buy this?" Chances are, no one wants your husband's old socks. If you are not good at purging, find someone who is and go through your stuff together.
• Wash any clothes, stuffed animals and linens. Run toys, dishes and washable knick-knacks through the dishwasher. Dust electronics. If it's shiny and smells good, it will sell much more easily than if it's dusty and musty.
• Organize multi-pieced items in clear plastic bags. Stack books, cds, movies and video games in cardboard boxes or plastic storage totes. Keep like items together.

Pricing:

• As I was planning for my yard sale, I ran across much conflicting advise regarding pricing.  Some salers swear by pricing nothing and allowing the shoppers to set their own prices (arguing that if the first offer is the shopper's, it will be higher). Most experts, however, agree that clearly marked prices are the best option.
• Use pre-printed price stickers, or make your own on colored dots or labels. Mark each item, or put a large sign on like-item tables (All baby clothes .50cents, etc.). Consider having a fill-a-bag price for clothes.  Label a box or laundry basket ".25cents for all items" and load with kid's meal toys, and small knick-knacks.
• Guard against overpricing your items.  I was at a yard sale, last summer, where every single item was over $2.00. There were draperies selling for $200!  The homeowner kept protesting that she spent over a thousand dollars on them.  If you have items that you simply cannot stand to see underpriced, take them to a consignment shop. Take a look at yard sales in your area to get an idea of prices on basic items.

Morning Of:

• Unless you are planning on setting up the night before, be prepared to rise early the day of your sale!  Organize like items per table.  String a rope between two ladders and hang adult clothing, curtains or extra-special kids' items.  Consider having a "guy table" with tools, appliances and electronics.  The "guy table" was the best seller at our recent yard sale!  Make sure your tables are neat and wares are folded and organized.
• Bring extra labels, markers and bags. If you are sharing the yard sale with another family, have a notebook to record sales in. Keep an electric cord and batteries available to test toys and electronics. Have a storage bin, with lid, close to keep your personal items in.
• Consider having some coffee if a chilly morning or lemonade if it's a hot day. Manning the lemonade/cookie stand can be a great opportunity for older kids to learn responsibility and money-handling. Or stock a cooler with soda and sell.
• Have on hand plenty of change and small bills. If you do not have a locking money box, keep your money in a fanny-pack.
• Be sure to have enough man power. Unfortunately, there are shady characters even in the world of yard sales.  If you are distracted by a customer, another customer could easily walk away with high-priced goods.  The rule of thumb is two staffers for every sale. If you have small children, have an older child available to help babysit.

Sale Time:

• Be friendly, but don't overwhelm. Most shoppers know what they're looking for, or just want to browse. Say "Hi!", but don't hover over the shoppers.
• Know your goods.  My mom had an old receiver and speakers for sale that she knew nothing about.  Fortunately, I have spent many a late-night hour hovered behind our receiver while my husband was "testing things."  I was able to show the customer exactly how to hook up his receiver, speakers and other electronics and I made the sale. If a shopper asks you what something is, don't give them a nondescript "doohickey for the kitchen" answer.  Instead, offer an idea of what it can be used for, "I kept toothpicks in it…"
• Offer bags to each customer, or offer to hold the items he/she has already picked up. If you are holding the items, the shopper is less likely to put them back.   
• Tally items yourself instead of allowing the customer to add each item. I had one lady walk away with an extra bag of clothes for which she did not pay because I took her money without adding it myself.  It may have been an honest mistake, but from then on, I made sure to add up each item before sale was finalized.
• As your sale nears it's ending time, offer two-for-one bargains or extra discounts. 
• Contact a local charity to arrange pick-up of any unsold items at your stated ending time, or take them yourself.  If your goal was to clear out your house as well as make some extra cash, do not bring the leftovers back into the house!
• Be sure to take down your signs when you are finished.

[photo source: seraphimC]

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 4th, 2008 at 6:00 am and is filed under Frugal Living.