Yard Sale - Tips / Tricks / Timing?

Yes, early birds can be annoying. But why lose a sale? And my personal opinion is that 10am is wayyyyy too late. I live in a resort town and locals usually start their yard sales no later than 8am. And that's when we try to get there! I want to be home by 10am - I have things to do! And if you get an early bird before 8am, again, why lose the sale? Be polite, don't bargain-tell them you are too busy to negotiate. But if they'd like to come back at the start time, you'll have time to discuss another price.

Good advice already! You'll have early birds no matter what, so decide how to deal with them: i,e., smile, ignore them and say "you can look, but we don't start selling until X:00" ... or charge them double! :-D

I just had one and thought I'd add my two cents.
* Thursday is the best day (I made well over 1/2 my money this day)
* Put the most expensive items further in the garage along with the smallest so they don't walk off.
* Place large plastic kids toys out front where most visible to attract buyers.
* Go with the community if there is a community sale
* Post your sale on Craig's list - its free
* Don't stress too much on pricing. Know people want to haggle - you don't always have to price items so you can size up when you say the price - you learn pretty fast the true hagglers
* Post the more valuable items for sale on craigs list now - cash only, nothing bigger than a $20 - you can meet up at a coffee shop if you want - include pics on your posting
* Get change (singles, fives, quarters) and carry money divided in a fanny pack on you
* Keep your doors locked
* Cover items not for sale and make it clear where your personal space is (keep those pricier items near here).
* Run larger bills into your house whenever you have a break, so you don't have too much cash on your person (I try to only keep $5s & $1s and maybe 1 $10)
* Don't accept a bill larger than a $20.
* When you make change always keep the bill they gave you separated & visible (like different hand) - so they can't say they gave you a $20 when it was a $10
* Don't make change for a non buyer
* Don't allow use of bathroom for ANYONE - just say there's a Dunkin' Donuts/McD/7 Eleven/grocery store down the street - also where they can break their large bills.
* Throw the little happy meal, good bag toys, etc in a box and sell for around $.25 - it gives kids something to do and if you have a big buyer let the kids take for free (same with friend's kids). One customer bought $1.25 worth for her dogs!
* Have someone come by to give you a 5 minute potty/make lunch break and keep water handy - I literally couldn't sit down until after lunch time on Thursday.
* Throw any drinks and individual snacks you have that may not be your favorite/you got on a bargain in a bucket and write on a sign drink or snack $.50 - $1 depending on what you want - people will grab and come pay you.
* Schedule a charity pickup for Monday/Tuesday so you don't have to put it all away.
* Some will come as a crowd, buy a few items, then a few more so you might get confused/give it all away - stay calm, bag purchase 1 and don't be afraid to hold your ground. It is FINE if they walk away. They try to bug you so you'll basically give it to them as you want them to get the heck out... don't give in too much. You'll learn pretty quickly who they are when you see them coming. At my sale, I found it was typically a group of women - all ages with kids in tow so they scatter around and the oldest looking woman seems to be the haggler/flusterer while a younger one constantly interrupts. Keep your eyes on the merchandise!

Relax & remember you want it gone!
M.

Hi S. -

I know that you have already gotten a ton of responses... but I thought that I would add my two cents...

My husband and I have done 2 yard sales in the past 2 years, and have made $1000 on the first and $800 on the second. So, I thought we did pretty good.

Some Suggestions:

Have the yard sale start at either 8 or 9am and go til 3pm. You WILL have early birds even if you say, no early birds please... but dont turn down a sale either. My husband and I were up at 530am getting everything ready, and should have gotten up at 5.. so however early you think you should get up, get up a 1/2 hour earlier or more.

Make sure that you have TABLES!! if everything is strewn out on the ground, people wont stop, they dont want to bend down and look, they want to see it waist high. We begged borrowed and used picnic benches and sheets of plywood to make more tables. And this may sound silly, but put table cloths on. The better it looks driving by, the more people you will have stop. PRESENTATION IS KEY!!

Price EVERYTHING! I tried doing it the first time by doing the colored dot way, where if it were a red dot it was a doller, etc. I got asked how much stuff was ALL the time. It was so much easier when there was an actual price on it. Dont price anything that is not divisible by $0.25, that way you will only need quarters for change.

Have a waitresses apron (one that holds money) that way the money is always with you, then have a box that is inside in a safe place when you collect too much money. Do not have the money just sitting out in a box. Do not take checks.

Advise on what to sell: Clothes dont sell well unless it is a really nice thing like a leather jacket. I got more on my tax return by donating it and itemizing it than I would have if I had sold it at the yard sale. Believe me, I tried clothes 2 times... and that always got neglected. Baby items, Antiques are real eye catchers.

If you have kids toys that have a lot of little pieces, put them in a bag so that they dont get lost. The same for puzzles. Cribs, strollers, car seats are always good sellers. People are always looking for their grandchild etc.

If you have any large items (furniture, etc) if you have a trailer, offer delivery for up to 5 or 10 miles for an additional $5 or $10. We sold a living room set, and the couple were like, oh, we would love it but dont have a way to get it there... for an extra $10...we brought it there to them. Just make sure the delivery is for AFTER the yard sale is over... dont do it during unless you have a few extra people to help you at the sale.

Get a big jug/cooler of Water or Lemonade and give that to people. Both of my yard sales were in the summer, and of COURSE were the hottest days (95 and humid)... the water/lemonade was just a nice gesture... (just get the cheapy little dixie cups) make sure you put a trash can next to it or you will be picking up tons of cups!

Make signs for the yard sales... and VERY LARGE signs. I used large boxes to make the signs with Black Permanent Marker. Put on it the Date, Time, Address and somethings that you are selling!! People who make signs on a 10x8 piece of paper are not going to draw a crowd because people cant SEE it!! Make sure that you have enough signs so that people can find their way to your house too. Biggest suggestion... TAKE THEM DOWN WHEN THE YARD SALE IS OVER!!! People hate getting excited when they see a yard sale sign only to realize that it is passed! :)

Post it on Craigslist, put it in your local paper. Post it on Craigslist the day before... that way people wont have to scroll down so much. Make sure that you put the time, address and some things that you are selling (ie... antiques & Baby Items get a TON of people to come!!)

Have an option if it rains... Before you post it in the paper, make sure that you check the forecast... if there is a 20% chance of rain... dont do it.... you dont want to have everything out there, and then get it drenched and ruined. I was ALWAYS on weather.com, accuweather.com, and the local news stations.

DO NOT HAVE YOUR CHILDREN AT THE YARD SALE!!! have some one take them! Or have a baby sitter come. Best bet is to get them as far away from you as possible. It is SO hard to try to work a yard sale with little ones always at your feet saying, I'm hungry.. she hit me.. etc. If you have a close friend who they can stay over night.. that is ideal, because then you will not have to deal with them in the morning. Believe me when I say.. you dont want them there!! IT WAS HELL!! the first time, the kids were 3 & 4, and a neighbor came at like 830am... too late, the kids were killing me as I was trying to set up, deal with at least 10-15 car loads of people... The second time... they were 4-5, and a neighbor watched them. But because I was selling toys.. they got a little bent out of shape and took things OUT of the yardsale lineup!! So, the best bet is to have them stay at a friends/family.

You need to have AT LEAST 2 people working the yard sale.

I agree with someone who said that things will get stolen. Expect it. If there are anythings that are really worth something that are small, then sell them on craigslist or ebay. dont chance having them get stolen. I found that if the things were larger items that were pricey, you didnt have to worry about it.

Categorize your items at the yard sale... put all Baby Stuff on one table, all antiques on another, electronics on another. It really makes the customer feel like they are in a store, and makes them want to buy more.

Make sure that you have shopping bags available. Start saving up those grocery store bags so that people will have something to put there loot in after they buy it. Rather than them juggling everything in there arms and dragging a toddler too!

At the end of the yard sale, because lord knew I didnt want to take anything back in. We had stuffed animals, that we said, stuff this bag and it is yours for a $1. beleive me, unless you want to do this the following year.... try to get rid of it all.

You will have people bargin with you. At the begining of the yard sale... dont go down much. near the end is when the people get the deals, because you want to get rid of the stuff. unless you REALLY have a feeling that you could sell it for more on ebay or craigslist... then take what they offer.

I cant tell you how many compliments (yes, on a yard sale) that I got for it being organized and everything was CLEAN! I polished any silver, everything was washed, nothing was dirty... if it is dirty.. it wont attract the people and you will not get as much for the item!

So.. as you are going through things.... make sure they are clean, price them, then put them in that categories box. and the day of the yard sale, you can set up the tables, and just take everythign out of the box onto one table.

It is a lot of work, but worth it in the long run.

Good luck!!

L.

S., this is the first time I have seen your posting. I would like to add more. I have my own yard sale business. Called: "Yard Sales Buy D.", I help people with all levels of their yard sale. My number is ###-###-####. Tho you may not use my services I would love to add some more tips.
1. If possible have someone watch your children at their home.
2. You can also advertise with AZ yard sales.com. This is also a free site.
3.Set up the day before, cover items. This way all you have to do is uncover and go.
The earlier the better! Shoot for 5 to 6 am. Yes people are out that early for yard sales.
4. I can not stress this enough Sighing, sighing, sighing! Chose a bright color poster board. Do sign the evening before. Be eventful, Like comments saying YOU ARE ALMOST THERE, YOUR SPECIAL FIND THIS WAY etc.Don't just sign at end of street. If you are close to a major inter section this will draw more customers.
Even if you do not use my services please give me a call and I will give you more guide lines to help you be successful.

Blessings,
D.

S. all of these were great, except for .....starting at 10!!?? What? as another mom said I am done by 10 most start at 8 and go til 2 or 3. If you are only doing a 1 day sale at about 12 put up a sign everything 1/2 price...don't mention it beforehand or you will have people not buy early and come back...I live in a far nw burb and our sales usually run Thurs-Sat, with Thurs actually having the most traffic and sales. Get lots of "change" have lots of family & friends to help, include them in the sale...then make your signs read MULTI-FAMILY SALE...always a big draw, just make sure to initial price tags or decide ahead of time the money split. Afterward pack it up a donate it...you recieve 1/3 the "retail"value as a tax deduction...or just do that to begin with, you will definitely get a better tax deduction than money you will make for the hours you put in. My last one 7 yrs ago I averaged $2.45 an hour, the following year, same amount of "stuff" $700 TAX DEDUCTION. On second thought...write it all down w/retail value and donate, sit on the deck and have a cook-out and enjoy your young family...Wings Resale in palatine (www.wingsprogram.org)is a great place for donations, they take everything including furniture. They have a great resale shop too!!!

S.,
If you have never gone to one, please take a Saturday soon and go to a bunch in your area. Get a sitter or have hubby watch the kids, so you can learn without being distracted. Pay attention to what makes you like or dislike a yard sale; copy what you see that you like. Notice whether you had to search for the signs or if they were obvious to see, whether you felt compelled to get out of the car as you approached a sale. (some signs have too much information on them; others are too small or lead you nowhere; likewise a sale that is too small is likely to get passed by, and one that is too big can feel just plain overwhelming.) Pay attention to what people price things at, and whether your neighborhood tends to hold firm pricing or haggling-welcome pricing. (Our area is mostly "firm" pricing; we are a small community and everyone knows everyone and a lot of folks don't make a huge income in their regular jobs.) After you visit a few sales, you'll have an idea of how you want to set yours up.

For getting organized ahead of time, sort your items by catogory and store them in totes or boxes. If you have anything that can be stored outside on a porch, do that, as it opens up more room in your house. For the rest, designate a room as the "sale" room, where everything will be stored until your sale. Keep things organized as you go.

A few of my biggest tips:

-Price EVERYTHING. Every item. People like to be able to easily count up what they're spending and it's easier for you to add it up too. (The exception being those little kids' toys you're selling for 25 cents each- just keep that bin near you so you know what's in it).

-Use a calculator for people buying a lot of items. Also have a lined pad of paper and a pen handy. As you add the items up, place them in a bag, so you don't count anything twice.

-If you have dogs; secure them in an INDOOR location, or as far away as possible from the sale area. I love dogs but I am nervous when i see one running loose or chained nearby a sale. Even if Pooch is very friendly, you will scare off prospective customers with a loose dog.

-Get a babysitter!!!!!! I cannot stress this enough. Especially if you are doing only one day.

-Your 3 year old might be interested in doing a lemonade stand or small bake sale table. But have another family member or separate babysitter on hand to watch her specifically, since she'll be interested in this for spurts at a time. (Leave a metal coin bank with a slot in the top out for folks to drop quarters in if she's not manning the table. Bolt it to the table if you're that worried about people stealing the change. Empty it every hour or so.)

-If your 3 year old is upset about you selling any toys or her old clothes etc, have her stay with the babysitter rather than being involved. Best-case is to have her not even stay at your house during the sale, if that's the case. (My son is the opposite, he keeps putting more things INTO the sale.)

I have never had anyone steal anything from one of my yard sales. But as some have mentioned, keep pricey small items for ebay or craigslist. A good rule of thumb is not to put anything in a yard sale that would bother you horribly if it WAS stolen.

If it is a HOT day, do lemonade even if your kids isn't helping with it. Charge money or don't. Have the lemonade set up in a highly visible area- people will stop because of that and look around while they're sipping.

If you are able, depending on how your house is set up, you might be able to continue to hold your sale for several weekends until almost everything is gone. At our house, I can put a baby gate up, and sit on the porch while my son plays inside. Sometimes my sales last a whole summer.

Yard sales (particularly if you don't have a garage) are a lot of work, and don't always pay a lot in return. I do it because it's fun. And it gets all that "stuff" out of my house :)

P.S. Don't bother with adult size clothing, unless you need to fill out your sale and wouldn't have enough stuff without them. Adult clothes don't sell because you have nowhere to try them on. If you really want to get rid of adult clothes at a yard sale, price them at 25 cents a piece. And sort them by size and catagory. And make sure they're hanging up, not on tables.

Kids clothes and baby clothes sell pretty well. It's best to price them mostly the same, all $1 a piece or 50 cents or whatever. If you can, sort them by gender and size, and hang those up as well, or you will have a massive pile of tangled baby clothes within a few minutes of opening.

Have fun!

Cross the month of August off the list and do a Yard Sale in September. Make the date for a Saturday and the hours 10 AM to 4 PM. and advertise in the local paper at least 2 days in advance of your date.Have a rain date of the following Saturday
The week before, get the things you want to sell together. You want to make everything attractive, so wash and clean all. Get some tables for display and group like things together. China and glassware; toys, bikes; clothing by size if possible. A clothesline to hang dresses, coats, jackets. If you have electronics, make sure everything still works and have an electrical outlet and an extension cord so people can plug things in for testing.
Put a price label or tag on everything. Price reasonably and expect people to haggle. Have plenty of change on hand, including ones, fives, tens. Keep your money in a pants pocket or an apron with pockets. Don't leave money out on a table; it's too much temptation.
Put your display tables out the night before.
The morning of your sale, get up early and get stuff out on the tables,or clean sheets placed on the ground. Expect dealers and early birds. Be polite but tell them your sale starts at 10 AM, period! Don't be distracted but have fun. Be sure not to run the yard sale by yourself. Have a family member of friend help out; you WILL need a break every few hours. Good luck!

I would like to add to the previous poster's advice- advertise the sale on craigslist.org (it is free and gets you a lot more traffic!) Make specific mention of what types of stuff you are selling in your craigslist posting (don't be vague) and say "No early birds" if you don't want people to come to your door at 6am. Another good way to display things, if you don't have extra tables, is to lay sheets out on the yard and put clothing, toys, etc... on top of the sheets. Put up LARGE signs the day before the sale. Make sure they are large enough to be read by passing cars. Put arrows on the signs to direct people to your house, don't just put the address. And take the signs down after you are done with the sale, it is so annoying when people leave them up, it's basically littering. Hope this is helpful!

You have had so many great suggestions, and I know this is coming in late but for the benifit of anyone else thinking about having the great yard sale,, here is my suggestion. Plan your sale for the weekend right after the 1st of the month. Anyone who was paid on the 1st, or the Friday, will have money to burn. If you wait till the 2nd weekend, they have spent it all and its never as busy a sale. So maximize your earnings by selling when the money is there. right after payday. have fun. (o:

For your own benefit, and in this day and age, don't price anything less than 25 cents, and price everything in increments of 25 cents.
It is just easier.
If you do have small items that you do not think are worth a quarter, put them 2 for a quarter.
Believe me, there isn't much that isn't worth a quarter today, and it is just easier to calculate.
I have suggested this to many people who have stuff marked 10 cents and 15 cents....it is so much easier to keep it at a quarter.
I also like to put things together that are priced the same.
Like a Dollar Table, 25 cent Table, Fifty cent Table and so on....

Hi S.,
A word of caution.
One person mentioned not taking bills over $20. That's good Advice.
My mom had a yard sale a few years ago and in all the commotion someone accepted a $100 bill for a $20 purchase. It turned out to be a good fake and she was out $100 - most of her take for the day. The thief got away with $80 in cash and $20 in merchandise.
I guess you can buy one of those special markers, but it is easier just not to accept large bills and not make change without purchase.

Hi,Quick tip for dealing with Early Birds, they interrupt your work is the main bother. Just say "Early Birds pay double"...LOL
R.
I run an Estate Sale business & could go on & on but you've gotten a lot of good tips already.Cover things NOT for Sale.
Good Luck

One thing I did not see in the other great suggestions is this. Beware of thieves! You really need several people scattered out to help oversee your stuff. I love to go to garage sales & have had many of the people holding them, tell me that someone stole something. My friend bought a gold necklace & the lady having the garage sale opened a black case to show us a jewerly set. To her surprise the necklace & bracelet were gone, but the thief left the earrings. at another one the lady told us she had a pr of shoes walk off. & at another one some DVD's were missing from the cases. I myself am preparing to have one. I am having several friends come over & help stand around to try to prevent people from stealing.
About your clothes, the more you can hang the better they will sell. I am running a chain with pipe supporting it the length of my patio to hang clothes on. Then the clothes I only want 50 cents for I will leave in boxes for people to go through. Im pricing all the hanging clothes as I feel the garage sale value should be (leaving room for the people who like to talk down the prcing to a lower level of course) & I am stappling the round colored dots with the price written on it on the tags inside the clothes (because people will switch price tags or romove them completely. If there is no tag Im stappling right where the collar is sewn on. If its a set I write 2 pc set etc. I hate to dig through piles of clothes on the ground Or BIG boxes, small ones are ok, but if you are fortunate enough to be able to borrow tables from friends or your church, that would be better.I am putting out a large sign that states after a certain time that day everything will be half price, to try & get rid of it all. Im going to try to hold firm to my prices & if they want it they can come back & pay half price that afternoon if its hasn't sold.
Keep your small items like jewelry on a table close to you & any other expensive or easy to steal items. hang your smaller items closer to the end you will be sitting & taking up money. My garage sale will be on my back patio, I will have one entrance & exit & the "pay station" will be right inside that gate entrance. Keep your money gaurded at all times!I hate to sound so harsh but better safe than sorry. Because people will flock You & steal it right under your nose so to speak. sad that anyone steals but especially from garage sales! good organization is the key to a good garage sale. & like the one mom said put out plenty of big signs with arrows, address & directions.
good luck!!

No way you can do this by yourself with three little ones to tend to. It may be worth your while to call a consignment shop or "estate sale" dealer and have them pick it up, give you the cash and you don't have to spend hours preparing and then having your house and yard exposed, haggling over prices with sometimes nasty people, cost of advertising, buying posters and setting them up....this is not a business for the busy young woman with three babies and going back to work. Forget the summer months, the heat just adds to the stress. And then it may rain. Nov-Feb is ideal weather for a yard sale; but my vote for you is to take the money and run!

I read many , but not all of the posts, so forgive me if i repeat what someone else already said. Do price everything, and keep it divisible by 25. Do hang all of the clothes, and I have to disagree with the person who said that clothes do not sell. i always sell lots of clothes, and make a lot of money on them! My clothes are cute, and I mark them cheap! I always start at 7:30am! and quit about 2pm. Truth is after 1 you don't get many people. Now here is the key...I set it up the day before "Inside the garage" like a store, I can open and close the garage door if need be! Plus I don't have to sit out in the hot sun! sometimes I run a fan.It is so much easier to set it up the day before, and then if you are having it 2 days in a row, you just close the door at the end of the day, and open it the next day. Do cover items you don't want people touching. also i make little signs and post them all around the perimeter of the garage like on the shelves etc. "NOT FOR SALE" Because I promise they will always try to buy your tools and lawn eqipment! hope this is helpful!

I am in the process of getting ready for a garage sale. I have been paying attention to what time others seem to be having theirs. The majority of them start between 8-9am and they go until about 3pm. I have not seen any that have a start time before 8am. I have stopped at some a little before 8am and they were ready though.

As for preparing for the sale, I have been working on going through stuff in our house for weeks. I am a full-time working mother of a 2 year old and a 6 month old so time is very limited. I have set goals for myself to try and get through everything (i.e. one weekend it was the basement shelves, another was the garage, then the kitchen...). I have cleared an area in the basement to gather all of the items for the sale. I make sure that all of the clothes have been washed when I put them down there and I try to keep them somewhat organized (a box for boy clothes, a box for girl clothes, etc.). I am constantly adding to the kids clothes box as my kids out grow things!

Please be aware that the pricing and setting up takes a lot of time. I took the day off prior to the sale to get ready. My mom and I will be doing all the pricing, etc. and I have made arrangements for help with the kids.

Good luck and I hope this helps. It is a great feeling to clean out the house and hopefully make some money as well.

If you are going to price your items go to Walmart or other store in your community they have stickers with prices on them in the stationary dept this will help you in saving some times so you don't have to mark it by hand

It's worth a try! WE NEVER KNOW WHERE OUR BLESSING WILL COME FROM! THOSE MONTHS JUST MIGHT BE THE RIGHT TIME NO MATTER WHAT.

A.