How to Have a Successful Yard Sale

I have heard great things about advertising for a sale on Craig's List. The sooner you do it, the better - typically a week in advance is great.

Advertise, Advertise, Advertise. Make a simple flyer and pass it out around the neighborhood. And put out signs a couple of days ahead so as people go by them frequently, they will see the signs more than once and remember them better. Good luck!

Yard sales are a lot of work, but I think they are a lot of fun. It looks like you already have a lot of good tips...here are my thoughts...

* price things low. the point is to get rid of stuff, right? is arguing over $1-2 worth it if you just have to haul it to a donation site later..?

* have things clean. this can make or break a sale - especially with kids stuff

* advertise - craig's list, newspaper, street signs

* if you set up for two days, put everything 1/2 off the second day or afternoon - or let customers know you will accept offers (that is, if you really want to get rid of everything)

* have a mirror set up for looking at clothing, jewlery, hats, etc.

* have things organized and on display (nothing is more discouraging than boxes full of junk to sort through)

* put up toy sets (ex: trains, matchbox car playsets, etc) so people can see them, know all pieces are there, etc

We did these things and had an extremely successful (and profitable) yard sale even though we priced things low. We got rid of almost everything and donated the rest. We didnt' want to deal with hauling stuff away though...so bargained with most who made offers.

Good luck! PS - have the kids sell lemonade or kool-aid or bottles of water (buy in bulk)...people are bound to buy this stuff, especially on a nice summer day!

Best advice: makes sure everything is as clean and new-looking as you can make it. It will really pay off.

Sheet sets & towel sets are big sellers. I got great results by cleaning, folding, and tying the set with twine (so people can't easily mess up the pile).

If you are selling anything electronic, be prepared with extension cords / batteries in the garage so you can prove they work.

Advertise on Craigslist.

Get quite a bit of small change (coins as well as $1 and $5 bills) before anyone shows up and write down how much you are starting with.

Don't be afraid to say no to low ball offers. Most of the time when I said I couldn't go as low as some wanted, they bought the item anyway or came back the next day to get the item.

Put your nicest / high dollar items up front on tables and closest to the sidewalk. If people see junky things when they first walk up or drive by, they might not stop.

Don't spend a lot of time with clothes. People will destroy your nice piles in an instant and they are not big money makers. I liked to put everything that was the same size and gender together in a cardboard box with a label that stated gender, size and price per item("women's size medium -- $2" etc.). Make everything in the box the same price. Makes clothing easier. If you have a few special items of clothing, hang them up and price separately. I did have lots of luck with my husband's old jeans and sturdy pants though.

I did a yard sale last weekend. My successes came from baby gear like swings and exersaucers for $5. and clothes at 50cent/ piece or outfits for a buck.

two tips:
1) do it with a friend. You can chat and keep each other company, while having 2 pairs of eyes to make sure things stay safe.
2) Have a box of "free" stuff clearly marked to get people to stop. Things like small toys that you just want to be rid of. This is especially good if you don't have any "big ticket" items to draw a crowd.

Good luck.

My advice is set up early, like get up and going at 4am and don't close until you don't have customers. It is hard work but we do one annually and we always bring in a good amount of cash just on 25 cent clothes. Also have a big ticket item that will really bring in customers. One year it was a bed frame, one year baby gear and another playground equipment. Sometimes I use a clothes line and hang quilts with not for sale signs on them, I own a quilting business, and that will draw the customers in to look at our stuff but I've also gotten custom work out of it too. One year we had a big sign about Young Marines and my kids sold water bottles, soda and cookies to raise money for their campout. We ended up with a sponsor so make sure you have a big sign that says something like "SeaWorld or Bust" and have the kids chat it up. Customers can't resist cute, polite children in need. We are having a sale this coming weekend too. Good luck!

Hi F.! One idea is to post some stuff on Z..com! We are a (FREE) online community for parents and guardians. Our users post their gently used kids' items on our website and assign a point value (rather than a dollar amount). Then, once someone "buys" your items, you can then use your points (called zoints) to "buy" something you need, like new toys, clothes, sport equipment, etc. If you don't find anything you want to use your zoints for, you have the option to donate your zoints to charity through our site! The only money that is exchanged is for any applicable shipping costs.

Feel free to visit Z..com for more information.

If nothing else, it might be a good option for some of the things that you don't sell at the yard sale.

Good luck whatever you do! When I was a kid, we loved yard sales. My brother and I would sell lemonade during the sale. It's hard work, but can be very profitable!

We have a garage sale every year. I go GS'g almost every weekend. Here's some of my favorite tips:

*Make big, easy to read signs for the nearest intersections with clear arrows pointing the way. Make these signs for any turns that someone has to make. (I hate starting to follow signs only to lose the way, and waste my own time just moving on to another sale.) Florescent is good. Black print is GREAT.

*Price EVERYTHING. If you have a group of things, like clothes or shoes that are the same price, put a clear sign by them that states the price for all of them, and a size if they're the same size too. People don't always want to haggle on prices.

*Unless the item is in new condition, usually the going rate is around 10-15% of what you would pay for it new. This has been really helpful for me to know, both how much to pay for something, and how much to price things at. You want to move your stuff, not pack it all up after "wasting" all day not selling anything.

*Whatever you can place on a table (off the ground) is better. Some people can't even bend over all the way to the ground to look. You'll just get more attention for things on tables. You can even "make" tables by stacking boxes/totes and placing flat things on them like plywood.

*Consider a Friday sale too. We always get more traffic on Friday's! I think it's because there are less sales to choose from, so you get nearly everyone in the area that's looking. Of course, you can always do Friday and Saturday.

Ok, that's all I can think of right now. Hope that helps!
Have a great garage sale!

Hi F.,

I'm a big fan of having garage sales, even with all the hassle they can be! We usually do really good with ours and the money we make is well worth our while. To really make it successful, make sure you advertise to some extent. Some newspapers have freebie ad sections for garage sales in the summer. At the very least, make sure you put up a sign or two that morning on a cross street or two so people know. Or list it on craigslist for free, they have a garage sale section. Make sure to have your items priced (even if you are willing to take less - lots of times people will ask and for those that don't you will get what you want for it). It can be helpful to have more than one person manning the sale at a time, just to keep things from "walking off" when you get busy. It can usually help to have things grouped - kids clothing by size/gender, toys, books, etc. Try not to stack stuff on top of any furniture you might have for sale, it can be a hassle to try and find places to put the stuff if someone buys the furniture, and also if there is a lot of stuff stacked on top people might not realize you intend to sell the furniture too! If we have a lot of clothing or toys we will put quilts out on the lawn and put the toys/clothes on those - but that all depends on how much you have to sell and how much space you have to do it. Now, all that being said, some of the decision comes down to the stuff you have to sell. A lot of the time you really have to look at it and think " would I buy it?" if your items are in good used condition with a lot of life left in them, I would say go for it! Even a little money is more than you had yesterday, right? Good luck if you decide to hold the sale!

Yes I think yard sales are a great way to make money. I have had 1 yard sale each year for the past 5 years and I do very well. I make anywhere from $450- $610. I am very organized. All my children clothing are label with size and price and if it is a 2 or 3 piece set. My prices are a little higher then some (I have been told) but my children clothing is clean and in great condition. And obviously they sale even with higher prices. But being very oraganized and making it easy for people to find what they are looking for is huge. And of course bigger items do help bring the people but not always. Good luck D.

Just keep in mind that people go to yard sales expecting to NOT spend a lot of money. You will make more if you price stuff low and sell a bunch of it, rather than only sell a couple of things for more money. Also, list your ad on Craig's list with a list of some of the bigger stuff you are selling.

Good luck!

One of my best suggestions is to have many visible and clear signs leading to the sale. My in-laws are garage sale royalty. They get particle board and stand them al around the garage sale area. People aren't looking it leads them right to the place Also they have the grandkids sell water bottles especially on hot days.

I would post your sale on craigslist.com, with details of what you have. For example: If you have craft items say, Lots of craft items Stampin up stamps, scrapbooking Creative Memories, yarn, etc. People do searches looking for specific items.
Also SIGNS! Neon poster board is good. Put them up at main intersections that will direct people toward your sale. You can cut out arrows that point which way to turn in the same color as your main signs. This saves you time on writing on signs.
Ballons can help mark those turning corners as well. Just remember to take them down when you are done.
Also post your ad on Craigslist all week long, like every other day. Die hard garage salers start looking on Monday and decide where to go depending on what you have for sale.

Hope that helps.
C.

I made quite a bit on our last garage sale. I listed it on Craigslist with a few of the better items, which I think helped with traffic. I think it is worth it if you'd like to make a little extra cash.

Good Luck.

My suggestion is to talk with your neighbors. The more stuff you have at your yardsale and the more people you have involved, the more you will sell. If your yardsale is small, people don't like to get out of their cars and that's what you need most, people looking at each item rather than a drive by. If you have neighbors involved, you can all help watch out for each other and even if you've sold most of your stuff people will still get out because there is enough to look at. And, plan to be outside all day. Usually after 1pm is when you really want to discount things to just get rid of what is left. Barely anyone comes after 2pm.

Definitely advertise. In Denver, the serious garage salers start showing up an hour (or more) before you advertise it starts, and they particularly come on Thursday and Friday. They are the people who will talk you down the most. Watch during the day. There's usually a sweet spot that anything sells in. Put the things you want to see go the most in that spot once you find where it is. In our last garage sale, it was on the table at the end of the driveway. Everything put there sold! Do get help. Even with my mom, my husband, and me, we had things "walk" away. Part of that was due to the fact that we were selling furniture inside, too, though. If you do have furniture you want to sell, but don't want to move, you can just put a huge sign out. Make sure it's big enough to read from the road. We did that and it worked well. We didn't move a single piece of furniture, but it all sold. :) We did HUGE lettering that said "table", and another HUGE sign that said "bedroom set". If you're selling baby clothes, it's often easier to say something like $5 for a bag. People can fill the bag with what fits and pay a set price. It's a lot less time consuming for pricing, and in all the sales we did with the church, we found we sell more that way, as people thing they're getting a great deal, so they don't look as carefully at the stuff as they feel they can afford to not like it later. Hope this helps. Have fun!

For me, it is worth it to do one yard sale a year. That's what I have the energy for. After that, I give things away on www.freecycle.org or take it to the thrift store. Even if I don't make much money, I clear out the house from things we're not using. I've seen many people "advertise" their yard sale on Freecycle by saying that there will be a section of free stuff or that after a certain time the sale will become a freesale. Just another way to unload some of the stuff so you don't have to haul quite so much to the thrift store afterward. And use brightly colored signs with your address on them. I hope your sale is successful!

I enjoy yard saling but a few years ago I was taken to the cleaners. I don't want to put down one group so I will not name them but a car load of people arrived. They looked at things and then several of them came to me under the pretense of dickering over price. What they did was detract my attention and load up the car. I lost big items too like car seats and things. Be wary and have help. Especially if they get everyone who works for you talking. Then they load up. Usually even use small children as part of the distraction. Be wary!