My husband will tell you that our home is tastefully decorated in "Early Yardsale". Ha, ha! That's fine with me- I love the hunt for a perfect 'treasure', and I love that nobody else has the same decor...ours is definitely unique!
We recently held two yard-sales on consecutive weekends in March. We did the first sale at our "old" house, then put everything that didn't sell into a truck and held a sale in our new neighborhood. Between the two sales, we grossed over $500.00! And we didn't even sell all that needed to go: we took a truckload to Goodwill, brought a piece of furniture to a consignment store, and broke a substantial piece of furniture, which we put on the curb and someone picked up (free, of course!)
Here are some tips that I have learned over the years that help make your yard-sale the most profitable it can be:
1. Put the yard-sale on the calendar. It gives you a goal to shoot for. A successful yard sale takes planning! As you get closer to D-day, if the weather looks bad, or you have an unplanned kids event you can't get out of, you can change the date- it's not set in stone, but writing it down makes it an event and it will help you to keep yourself accountable.
2. Now that you know when you're going to have the sale, you need to decide what to sell. Designate an area to put everything you want to sell: the garage, a spare bedroom, etc. Let your family know to go through their things and put what they want to sell in your "area". Tip: I have encouraged my kids in the past to part with their things by promising them something special with the money they make. One year, we bought new beach toys with their proceeds. Maybe a new Wii game would entice your kids to part with their beloved belongings? Make sure everything you are going to sell is in good condition, has all the pieces, is working, and is clean. If you are overrun with Happy Meal toys, put them in a shoebox and offer the children shopping with their mothers a free toy. This will keep the kids from whining and/or distracting their parents from purchasing your things!
3. Figure out where you are going to hold your garage sale. In the actual garage? The yard? The driveway? Are you going solo, or will you have a neighborhood yard-sale? Don't wait until the last minute to figure out the details- yard sales start very early in the morning and you need a plan to execute everything smoothly.
4. Do you have tables to display your items? If not, see if you can borrow tables from family, friends, and neighbors. If you are selling clothes, use (or borrow) a clothes rack. This will make all the difference. if you cannot find a clothes rack to use, be creative! Tie a bungee rope between two sturdy trees and hang your clothes there, or if you have a garment rack for your car, back your car up to the sale area and pop the tailgate and hang the clothing there. Bookcases work well for displaying books..empty small ones in your house and bring them out side. You can use masking tape to mark "Display only- table/bookcase/rack not for sale". Unless, of course, you plan to sell it, too!
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| I used the armoire shelves to display items |
6. Make sure you have change. Small bills and lots of quarters. most people who shop yard sales know it pays to have small bills- easier to negotiate if you're not paying with a $100 bill! Also, decide if you will accept checks for big-ticket items. you have a better chance of selling if you do. It's a risk, I know, but amazingly, I've never had a bounced check for a yard sale item. It's your call- sometimes you just have to assess the person and hope for the best.
7. When you set up your yard sale, it's all about the display. I often do a "drive by"- if I don't see anything enticing, I wont bother to stop and look. If I see a bunch of boxes and clothes on the ground, forget it! Put your big ticket items out front where people can see, and use tables to display everything else. Try to keep like items together. You may even bundle things to get a bigger price. I recently filled a plastic toolbox I was selling anyway with a bunch of hair bows and hair accessories. I got $10 for the whole thing, but would have had to sell each item for $.50. Also, I filled an old jewelry box with costume jewelry I was selling...$8 for the whole thing! I like to pretend my yard is my 'store' and make things attractive as if I were in a mall. At my recent yard sale, several people asked where my shop was!
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| Books organized by genre on table |
9. Here's an idea that's always worth mentioning: especially if you have older children that can help out, consider having a refreshment area. People shopping yard sales are hungry & thirsty! Sell lemonade and banana bread, or cookies and bottled water, have out a carafe of hot coffee - you get the idea. Put the kids in charge of the refreshments, and you will make a nice profit on that, too!
10. When the yard sale is over, have a plan for what to do with the stuff that doesn't sell. I usually have a box that goes up to the attic for the next yard sale, a box that goes to Goodwill, and a plan such as consignment stores for any big-ticket items left. You can also consider freecycle.org for anything you just want gone.
Good Luck and Happy Selling! If you decide to have a yard sale, let me know- I do love a treasure hunt!
