The house is on the market or perhaps you are downsizing and you’re wondering about yard sales and how to be successful?
Pricing:
The first thing to do to is to label everything you are selling with a price. Most people aren’t comfortable with haggling and would like to see what the price of an item is. They still might try to make a deal, but at least they know what you are hoping to sell an item for. Many people shopping at yard sales expect you to know what your items are worth.
You can also have tables where everything is one price, for example rather than labeling each book you could say, “all hard cover books are $2.00”. The items you are selling should be displayed nicely so people can see clearly what you have to offer.
If you have collectables the best place to sell them is on eBay not in a yard sale. If you live in a rural area and don’t expect to have a lot of people show up at your yard sale them you might want to try selling the higher priced items in the local paper or on Craig’s List.
There are many useful sites that will help you to price your items. Here are a few I found:
Check these sites to make sure your items are priced correctly. Price your items 50-75 cents higher than you would like, this will give you a little room in case people want to bargain with you. Be reasonable when you mark prices, shoppers are expecting bargains and you don’t want to have anything left at the end of the day.
If you don’t think you have enough “stuff” for a successful yard sale team up with another family or two. You can then advertise as a “multi family” yard sale and expect more traffic.
Advertising:
A week or two before your sale advertise in the local paper, in any online town forums or even on Facebook if your town has a Facebook page. The evening before the sale or early that morning put signs out, you want to make sure people can find you sale!
At the end of the day put up a sign that says everything must go and mark things down ½ price. Have these signs made in advance to you can put them out before the yard sale is over. Hopefully these tips will help you to have a successful yard sale.
We held our first yard sale over Labor Day weekend. Due to the holiday there was increased traffic and we had more people stop by than we might have on any other weekend. It was a fun day and we meet many nice people! We’re planning a second yard sale over Columbus Day weekend, any tips you’d like to pass along for holding successful yard sales?
Nancy on the Home Front 
I live in the country, so I’m more likely to be a buyer at the garage sale. I love going to them, though. It’s so much fun looking for treasures! I second the idea of giving yourself a little negotiating room. That’s part of the fun too.
LikeLike
Michelle,
Great to hear from a yard sale regular!
LikeLike