Everything Must Go
Tomorrow is my big sale and I have spent the entire week getting ready. I am a veteran of these types of sales and early on in Pie history I did a post on throwing a successful yard sale. So I present an updated version with few more suggestions for making your next sale great.
My Top Yard Sale Tips!
1. Advertise! Take some pics and make a fetching flyer, you can upload it to flickr, or the like and then it makes it very easy to set up ads on Craig’s List since you will need to repost it several times, twice the day before, AM and PM. There are also a lot of other sites you can advertise on for free like yardies.com. Signs are also important, even if they are just in front of your place, make sure you put them where traffic can see them easily. Be sure to go back and take them down after the sale is over!
2. Do not wait till the last minute to get organized, the better prepared you are, the better your sale will be. Place like items together and uses boxes and bins to hold them so it is easier to move them out to your selling area. A clothing rack is very handy and tables. It might be worth it to invest in a sturdy folding table, I have one and find many uses for it.
3. Clean as you go! As I go through my house and pull out the items I will sell, I have my vacuum right by my side and also clean dust off the items as well as the space where they once sat. The nicer your items look to buyers the more they will pay.
4. If you're flying solo see if you can find a buddy to team up with, it makes it much easier. Especially if you need a bathroom break.
5. A big time saver are pre-printed pricing sticker sets like this one from Avery. Just try to remember what you priced stuff at. People have been known to "switch" stickers and it is easy to forget when you're busy and distracted.
6. I like to have one little box to organize the stickers, sharpie, tape, staple gun and anything else you need for setting up.
7. Have some bags and a little trash can at the ready, if you have a lot of breakables, some newspapers, tissue paper or bubble wrap are a good idea.
8. Go to the bank the day before and get plenty of singles, fives, tens and also quarters if you need them. And have some kind of purse or fanny pack (if you must) so you can keep it all on you. Also keep your most valuable items close by... sadly people do steal.
9. Set your time table and stick to it. Early birds are annoying but to be expected, I once had a guy show up the day before! If you have a way to close off your selling area till you are ready, that is helpful.
10. Have handy coffee, snacks, cold beverages, sun block and a little background music is a nice touch and will make the lulls more pleasant.
Also, be realistic with your pricing. People go to yard sales in search of bargains. In most cases you will not get what you paid, if you are looking to profit, then sell it on eBay or etsy. I found even more great advice and some funny stories on yardsale queen. My favorite tip was she never lets people in her house, if someone needs a bathroom she politely points them toward a public option.
Wondering how to score great finds at your own local sales? Check out this helpful feature with Cari Cucksey of HGTV's "Cash & Cari"... on the topic. She is an estate sale organizer and has a her own store in Northville, Michigan called Repurpose.
Here is my groovy flyer just in case you missed it. If you are any where near Atlanta I hope to see you here!
all photos & content © Lara Rossignol
Friday, June 3, 2011 at 5:00AM
Reader Comments (7)
I think you have some great ideals, esp about being realistic on pricing. I have been to sales where people just think their crap is gold!
If I did lived with in 200 miles of you, I would be there! So sad I live on the west coast!
Fantastic post! Oh and I love Cash & Cari!
Fun post, and timely for me. My sale is NEXT weekend as part of a 3 neighborhood community sale, although I'll run Friday & probably Sunday in addition to the "official" Saturday sale day. I always struggle with pricing and tend to waffle between low prices and ebay level prices. I generally follow most of your suggestions already, but will work on the flyer idea. Yours looks great.
Wish I could attend your sale, but Atlanta is way too far from Minnesota.
BTW, Cari's store is in Michigan, not Minnesota. Our states often get confused for each other. ;~b
Oh thanks for that correction! With pricing when I'm unsure I just ask myself how much to I care about the item. If I would rather keep it then sell it for less than say $20... then I might mark it $20 or $25 to have a little bargaining room... and so on. Good luck with your sale!
Great poster! You have a great eye for graphics! Did it take you long to learn photo shop?
This looks like it's going to be an awesome sale! I hope you have beautiful weather and lots of nice buyers!
Hey Marcy,
I started using PS seriously in 2002 and I'm still learning!