Part II
Enjoy part II of our series successfully hosting a yard sale. If you haven’t already read part I, use the link at this article’s end.
It takes time!
Preparing for a yard sale can be time consuming, from advertising to unloading goods! Still, people find yard sales to be beneficial experiences, and regularly participate in holding them.
Here are six top-tips designed to help you sell:
- Pick your date and time. Early fall, spring, and early summer are the best seasons of the year to hold yard sales in most places, when the weather is generally optimal. Ideally the weekends are the best days to host yard sales, particularly Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays when people are more likely to be free of work. Most buyers prefer early morning yard sales, with seasoned buyers frequently showing up early to gain the best deals. Understand and expect early arrivals, and do not lose your patience as these early birds are likely your best customers. Should you advertise your yard sale to begin at 7 am, have everything out and ready for sale by 6 am to accommodate these early shoppers. Generally, most yard sales achieve highest sales from 7 am to 11 am. Per Pods.com, a two-day sale (Sat. – Sun.) is a great way to maximize your profits. To read about average profits from yard sales, visit pods.com.
- Prepare ahead of time. It takes time to get ready for the event. Start as early as possible, weeks and days ahead, by clearing a space to gather items. Grab the supplies that you need to include posters for signage, markers, clothing racks for clothes, shoe racks to display shoes, price tags and stickers, boxes for small items, tables for displays, grocery bags for customers, tarps for rain protection, a money box with a lock, extra cash to break bills, extra change, chairs to sit on, bottle waters to stay hydrated. You’ll want to wash the clothes you’re selling and make sure that items you are presenting for sale are clean and presentable to garner the asking price. As a tip, do not sell previously worn undergarments, old or used makeup, broken appliances, unsafe baby furniture and the like. Also, plan out the best ways to attract customers and display goods.
- Advertise, advertise, advertise. The more exposure you get, the better. With permission, put up signs in your neighborhood, grocery stores, local coffee shops, church bulletins and more! Promote your yard sale in printed newspapers and free circulars – and share the news by word of mouth! Above all, make use of online resources such as popular websites and apps to post info about your yard sale, such as Craigslist, Yard Sale Search, Garage Sale Tracker, Yard Sale Treasure Map, and more. Understand the terms before signing up or listing your yard sale. When posting information, clearly note the date, time, location, and general products you are selling (e.g. furniture, camera collections, exercise equipment, books, housewares, clothes, etc.) State whether or not your yard sale is rain or shine! To boost the buyer pool, consider a multi-family or community yard sale where advertising expenses are shared, and buyers come knowing there are lots of great deals to be had from multiple vendors.
- Price stuff low. Unless it’s a valuable antique or specialty item, nobody wants to pay an arm and a leg for secondhand items like dishes, baskets, lamps, clothes, or furniture. Understand that when reselling things, you will most likely have to price it cheap. Yard sales are not high-end events. People who attend them are looking for deals. Additionally, nobody cares about the sentimental value of items –say a gift from your favorite uncle – as mawkish goods are essentially meaningless to them. Shoppers are looking to get a great deal and move on! Another important aspect of pricing is keeping things in round numbers. For example, don’t price something at $4.82 – rather round it up or down to $5 or $4 – that way it’s easy to make change if necessary.
- Only tag the big stuff. Experiencing a time crunch? To save time and energy, tag the big stuff with prices and put small items in easy to sort through boxes or baskets with the prices clearly labeled outside. For instance, neatly put all hardcovered books in one big box and softcover in another. Note that books generally sell fast when priced at least 75% off their original price or more! If you have a lot of books in like-new condition that you seek to get rid of quickly, offer reasonable bundle deals such as 5 hardcovered books for $20, which is $4 per book, or single hardcovered books for $5 each. For buyers, the bundle deal equals getting a fifth book for free! Used and soft covered books can be priced even cheaper.
- Expect haggling. As previously stated, many people attend yard sales to seek deals. Buyers frequently haggle over pricing. There are several actions sellers can take. For instance, sellers can price things slightly higher at the get-go in anticipation of price drops, they can make price concessions and accept offers to move items, or they can negotiate prices to find a middle-ground. While sellers can reject offers outright by simply saying no, that’s usually not the best idea. Remember that the goal is to sell items. Consequently, it is worthwhile to price items reasonably and entertain fair offers on all items that are not marked FIRM in price. Regardless, treat all customers with respect and do thank them for their business.
Be sure to read Part I of our series featuring need-to-know yard sale info! Get there by click this link: Hosting a successful yard sale Part I.
