Simply Organized: How to Hold a Yard Sale

Now that we have talked about how to organize everything, it’s time to talk about what to do with all of the clutter that was cleared. If you have items that are in good condition, consider holding a yard sale. Here are a few tips on holding a successful yard sale.

Time and Location

• Since it is the dead of winter, wait until spring to have a yard sale. Keep collecting items over the next few months- you can even start pricing.
• Location of a yard sale is key. If you don’t live in a heavily populated area, hold a yard sale at a friends house.
• Block or group yard sales are a big draw.
• Saturday is the most popular day to hold a yard sale. Be warned that people will be out bright and early!

Pricing and Organizing

• Price all of the items. It takes time in advance, but you and the customers will be less stressed the day of the sale. Use masking tape and a sharpie pen or the Dollar Store sells preprinted labels.
• Price items at about 1/3 the retail price.
• Price to sell. Remember that most of your items are used. Mark your used items down to one third to one quarter of the original price. In my experience, if you price low, you will be more successful overall.
• Clothing can be difficult to sell. Baby clothes usually do well. I have always priced general clothing from $0.25 to $0.50 each. For nicer clothes, consider consigning them.
• Some customers will haggle. Be prepared with  the lowest price you will accept. I found that the majority of people will pay your asking price if your price is right!

Advertise

• Effective advertisement will make your yard sale successful. It is not necessary to pay for advertising though. List your sale on Craigslist and Garage Sale Tracker for free. If you belong to a community site or mom’s group, send out an email blast.
• Make signs out of cardboard to place around your neighborhood. Keep it simple but informative. List the date, time and location of the sale. Drawing arrows is very helpful. Remember that people see these signs will driving. That means the letters need to be large and readable. Place signs at intersections and on major roads. Make sure your house is clearly marked. I often would make a sign for the windshield of my car and park the car at then end of my road. Before placing signs in your community, check with your home owners association.
• Remember to clean up your signs when the sale is over!

Preparation

• Be ready before the sale date. I always started setting up the night before to be ready for the early birds.
• Make sure you have adequate change.
• Place items on tables and take items out of boxes. There are not many people that want to dig through a pile.
• Place bigger items or high ticket items in view. Many people do the “drive by”- you want to entice them to stop.
• If items are not moving, discount them. I don’t want to pack all of the leftovers up! If you are going to be donating the items anyways, you might as well get something for them.

I can’t wait until spring and yard sale season! What are your yard sale tips?

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Renae Chiovaro

Renae is a married working mom of two handsome boys. She works as a registered dental hygienist by day and blogs here at How to Have it All by night. She enjoys cooking from scratch, working in her vegetable garden and functional training.

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