Important Yard Sale Tips
Be Safe:
Be Ready:
During the Sale:
After the Sale:
Helpful websites and tidbits:
- Don’t use a cashbox. Carry all monies in your pocket or a fannypack.
- Don’t work your sale alone. Have a buddy with you to help keep an eye on people and things.
- Keep your house locked and the key in your pocket.
- Do not take anyone inside your house to show items that couldn’t be moved outside. Have photos available or at least have the large items in your closed off garage to show to perspective buyers one at a time.
Be Ready:
- Go to the bank in advance to get change. A suggestion is: $100 total - 1 roll quarters, 40 -$1’s, 4 -$5’s, 3 -$10’s.
- Have chairs, water and snacks available for you and your buddy.
- Have an extension cord already set up outside if you have any electrical items for sale so you can demonstrate it is in working order without going inside your house.
- Have everything priced and labeled beforehand. Know how low you are willing to go and have items priced with that thought built in. Expect customers to negotiate the price with you – some people consider this the fun part of these sales!
- Have available - calculator, pencils, paper, measuring tape, and bags for customers’ use while shopping.
During the Sale:
- Be a good neighbor, look on the map – If you are the first yard sale house on a dead-end street, be kind to your neighbors - direct customers to the other locations down your street.
- Don’t “hold” items without full payment or at least a deposit (and write a receipt for both of you, signed by both of you). Take their phone # as well as phone #’s of interested customers afterwards, in case he doesn’t come back.
- As much as we all want to believe friendly people are honest people, well, that just isn’t always so. Have a plan ready with your working buddy as to who watches the crowd while the other deals with a sale. If someone says they have more cash in their car – hold their items until they hand you all you are due, don’t let them walk off with items assuming they'll come back to finish paying you.
After the Sale:
- Finish the job – people have suggested donating what doesn’t sell instead of taking it back inside your house. There are many organizations that may be interested. Call to arrange your own pick-up. If you have a favorite group, please share with everyone.
- Another organization recommended - A Wider Circle provides large and small home goods to families transitioning out of shelters, escaping domestic violence, or otherwise living without their basic need items. Note: they do not pick-up. Contact: 301-608-3504 or org. Location: 9159 Brookeville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910
- Clean up any trash that customers may have left around your street and remove any personal signs you may have posted at corners.
- Count your $$$ and lick you chops!
Helpful websites and tidbits:
- Garage Sale Tips: Clear Clutter With A Yard Sale (Organized Home)
- Your Best Yard Sale Ever! (Better Homes & Gardens)
- Yard Sale Queen
- I put big ticket items in ads on craigslist ahead of time in their category. The week of the garage sale, I repost the item, and indicate the item will be available for sale at the garage sale, and provide the link for the sale. A couple of advantages….you are not having endless appointments for folks to look at a dresser, since anyone interested comes during garage sale hours. AND you don’t have strangers in your home. AND it; brings more traffic to your garage sale. From a comment on: http://www.houseofhepworths.com/2012/09/24/10-tips-for-havin-a-killer-garage-sale/
- You need to have your items set up at least a half hour before your beginning time. You will probably have early birds (those avid yard salers that get up at the crack of dawn just to go to yard sales). If customers begin to come and you are still setting up your items, you may miss out on a sale. It may be annoying that someone is early and that they begin rummaging through your stuff before you feel completely prepared, but don’t forget, the point of having this sale is to get rid of your stuff. Don’t forget to welcome them with a friendly, “Good morning” greeting! If you aren’t quite ready when customers begin coming, just simply tell them that you will have all the items displayed as soon as you can. From: http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/2013/05/top-15-yard-sale-advertising-tips.html
- Put a price tag on EVERYTHING. Let’s face it folks, a yard sale can be chaotic. In fact, most the time, it is hard to tell whose yard sale you are attending. Some people are shy, and some people are a tiny bit lazy. So, if you have your prices clear, then you’ll have more people buying. If you don’t, you will have people walk away even if they are interested in one of your items. We need to make their decision-making process as easy as possible. If the price isn’t on the item, you simply made their decision for them. They may think, “I don’t even know how much it costs.” Voila, you lost a sale. If you have an item that you are unsure of how much to ask, put a sign on it that says “make me an offer” but I rarely do this. From: http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/2013/05/top-15-yard-sale-advertising-tips