Temperatures are warmer, trees and flowers are blooming, birds are singing, and yard sales are booming. That’s right…yard sale season is officially here! Now is the perfect time to clear clutter from your home and make some extra cash in the process.
Today I’m sharing with you tips to having the best yard sale ever! We all know that preparation is the key to success, and this collection of tips will help you plan your yard sale from start to finish.
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Ready to get rid of the clutter? Ready to make some money? Ready to have some fun, too? Check out these tips!
- I’ve learned the hard way that it’s never a good idea to wait until the last minute to round up yard sale items, so start collecting items early. Designate a space in your home or garage to store yard sale items and collect them throughout the year if possible. If you don’t have the space to do this, pick a date for your yard sale and begin collecting items at least a few weeks ahead.
- When picking out the date of your yard sale, check the calendar for local events. Avoid scheduling your sale when there are holidays, other large neighborhood yard sales, flea markets or community events like festivals going on. You want to rule out as much competition as possible to have a better turnout of potential customers. Saturdays usually work best, but if you have a lot of stuff you may want to try having your sale on Friday and Saturday. Pick out specific times for your sale and stick to them as much as possible. The most popular start time for yard sales is 7am, but be prepared because you’ll always have early birds!
- Advertise in advance. Keep in mind that many people take visiting yard sales seriously and like to plan our their routes in advance, so proper advertising can draw more people to your sale. It usually only costs a few dollars to post an ad in your local newspaper, so I recommend doing this if possible. Sometimes they offer a package deal and will even supply you with a sign for your yard when purchasing ad space. Another way to advertise your yard sale is on Craigslist. Advertising on Craigslist is free and I’ve had success when advertising with them alone. On the day of the sale, make sure you put up visible signs around your neighborhood directing people to your home. Bright colors will work best!
- There is power in numbers, so recruit your family and friends to take part in your yard sale. Bigger yard sales always get more visitors, so the more the merrier! Don’t forget your neighbors, because people are attracted to neighborhood yard sales and are more likely to stop when there are multiple yard sales close together. Having yard sales with family and friends also keeps things fun and makes the time go by a lot faster!
- Presentation matters when having a yard sale! Place bigger items out front to entice buyers and space out your items apart to make your yard sale look larger. Keep it organized by grouping items together in sections (place kitchen items, sports gear, or home decor items close together). Don’t place small items on the ground…use tables to display them and make them easier to see. Remember that no one wants to buy dirty items, so make sure your items for sale are clean.
- Make sure you have visible price tags on your items. Not everyone will bother to ask for the price of an item, so price tags let them know the cost up front. Place stickers where they can be seen…not on the bottom of items!
- When pricing items for a yard sale, make sure they are priced to sell. The general rule is to price items for one-third of its original price. If you have trouble with pricing, visiting local thrift stores like Goodwill or The Salvation Army prior to your sale to help you determine acceptable prices for items. Remember that people shopping at yard sales are looking for deals, so if you have any high quality big-ticket items it’s better to sell those on Craigslist.
- Give your customers space and don’t stare at them while they shop. You want your visitors to feel comfortable to look at your items, and standing too closely and/or staring at their every move may make them feel embarrassed and cause them to leave without making a purchase.
- Visit your bank the day before your yard sale and get cash so you can provide change to customers. I hate visiting a yard sale only to find out the owner doesn’t have money to give me change for my purchase! You don’t want to lose customers, or have to sell items for less because you can’t offer the correct change, so make sure you have plenty of coins and $1 dollar bills the day of your sale.
- Everybody likes something free, so I like to include a free pile at my yard sales. Place your free items in an area visible from the road with a FREE sign to help entice people to stop and take a look.
- As your yard sale draws to a close, mark all items half price the last hour or half hour to help you get rid of all items. Donate any unsold items to charity, and get a donation receipt for tax purposes.
I hope you’ve found these tips to having the best yard sale ever helpful. Following these practical tips will not only help your yard sale run smoothly, but will also help you bring in some extra cash to pay off debt or to make a purchase you’ve been wanting to make.
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I *always* forget to run to the bank. In a pinch, your friendly, neighborhood grocery store can make last-minute change for you.
Great list!!
Great idea! I’ll have to remember about the grocery store, too! 🙂
Great tips! This makes me want to have a yard sale soon! I only have a few items though, but plan to take your tip to designate a place to continue to collect items for a yard sale. I have done sales with my sister and friend in the past, like you suggested, which helped a lot.
Yes, we are fortunate that our church organizes a huge yard sale twice a year for everyone who’s gone through Financial Peace University. I always have good luck participating in it, so I save up my items for it. The bigger the better and the more the merrier! 🙂
What a great idea! They do FPU at our church too. My husband and I took the class a couple of years ago. I might suggest that they think about doing that!
Yes, it’s pretty awesome because people love huge church yard sales and there’s always a great turnout. The church usually does a survey afterwards, and it’s so cool to hear the tally of how much money was raised to pay off debt. Whoo hoo! 🙂