Whether you’re moving, trying to downsize, or just want less stuff – a yard sale is a great way to get rid of items without so much hassle. Yard sales are a perfect solution if you need some cash in a pinch or can only make so many donations. It’s important though to be organized, throwing together a yard sale can create a lot of stress and keep you from selling what you need to.
Let’s look at some strategies and ideas that will help your yard sale be both organized and efficient.
Before you start gathering items, set a date and time. Be sure to see if you need a permit to have a sale and take care of that if needed. That way you know what you’re shooting for and you can begin advertising.
Secondly, start advertising. Use social media, local papers, fliers in your neighborhood/church/work, and use word of mouth by telling all your friends. A lot of these items are quite cheap or free. Don’t spend too much money on advertising, just use smart outlets. Unless you live in a perfect, busy spot – advertising is the most important thing to helping you to achieve a great sale.
Next, filter through your items and organize by category if you haven’t already. You decide the category: room of the house, cost, use, whatever works best for your mind. Think about how you will display these categories and what tables and other items you’ll need to set up.
Then you can price items. Pricing to sell is your best bet, but don’t feel like you must give things away per say. Especially, on items you spent a lot on and that are in pristine condition. Usually, buyers will pay more for furniture, but everything else you should expect buyers to haggle with quite a bit. Label things well! Color coding pricing is super-efficient, and you don’t have to write prices a million times. Think all $5-dollar items have pink tags, etc.
Lastly, prepare the area. Placement and organization of your items allows shoppers to see them and imagine using them. Tables, bookshelves, and ladders are great ways to display your items. If you can hang clothes up somehow that also is a lot better than a pile that everyone will undo by looking through.
Another nice touch is to have water or cookies/snacks for shoppers. Especially if it’s a hot day! A comfortable shopper lingers, and lingering shoppers buy more! You could sell can sodas for 50 cents and make a little more, too! Just make sure you have water or something for free.
We hope these items help you have a great sale!
