Could you use a few yard sale tips?  I have some tips that are going to make your next yard sale, your best ever!

Yard sales, garage sale, tag sale – whatever you call it, they are a great way to purge your home of unneeded items and make a little money.  But you know there are ways to make these sales more successful…cha-ching!

Yard Sales Tips

We are getting ready for our BIG Spring Yard Sale!  I’ve never found a better way to clean out my house and make money than a good old-fashioned yard sale.  They are about as American as apple pie!  So what can we do to make our yard sales bigger, better and more profitable?  I have 12 yard sale tips that are going to answer that question!

Yard Sale Tips

1. Start by thinking ahead
   When are your wanting to have your yard sale?  Put it on the calendar, and start planning accordingly.  You don’t want to plan this out too far but don’t start the Monday before your weekend sale either.
   ***Be sure to see if your neighborhood is having a annual or semi-annual yard sale that you can join.  There is power in numbers!
2. Create a collection space
   We use are garage but you could use a spare room or a large closet.  But get your items in one place where you can sort and price and generally get things organized.  The key is organization – don’t let this space get out of control.
3. Know your helpers
   This shouldn’t be a one- man (woman) show.  You’re going to need pre-sale help and you’re going to need yard sale helpers the day/s of.  So who are your helpers going to be?  Who is going to do what?  Get this set in place as soon as you set your date.
4. Encourage everyone in the house to make “donations” to the sale
   Get the spouse and kiddos involved with purging their space.  You might consider throwing the kids a cut to encourage a bigger contribution.
5. Price EVERYTHING and make sure it all has a price ON IT that is easy to see and read!
   Don’t try to price things on the fly.  You’ll miss the mark by going too high or too low 99% of the time.  And you certainly don’t want to try pricing when people are lining up to buy.  If you’re not sure what to price something check out sites like Ebay and Craigslist for similar items.
6. Leave room to negotiate, without overpricing
   I’m not saying you should jack up the price because that will potentially scare your customers away.  But don’t price it with your rock bottom price either.  Part of yard sale shopping fun is “scoring a deal”; don’t rob your customers of this!
7. ADVERTISE!
   Make sure people know about your sale.  Don’t rely on street traffic alone.  List your yard sale online on sites like Craigslist and any local Facebook forums.  Consider letting people know about some of your “big ticket” items that will be there or popular collectibles.
   Put up fliers on community boards in local stores.  And make sure you have good signs directly people to your sale.  Make sure they are clear and easy to read.
   Balloons are eye catching – if you can attach them to your sign it may help get you more attention.
8. Keep the weather in mind
   It is best to plan your yard sale when weather isn’t extreme (very cold or very hot).  But think about what the weather will be and plan accordingly.  Is it going to be cold?  Can you set up an outdoor space heater?  Is it going to be hot?  SHADE YOUR SPACE.
9. Layout your space
   *Make it easy to shop by thinking of your yard sale like a small shop.
   * Group like items together.
   *If you hang it in the closet you should hang it in the sale. If you can hang nicer clothing items they will sell better.
   *Make tables neat.
   *Keep as much as you can off the ground where it might be overlooked or tripped over.
10. Have a cashier
    *Have a clear place for your cashier with space for a line if needed.  It might be good to put out a long table with 2 cashiers if you have the space.
    *Make sure you have plenty of change.
    *Day of sale tip – who has the power to negotiate a sale and/or change a price?  Make sure that isn’t the same person as the cashier who will be busy totaling it all up.
    *Consider having a Cash Box to keep money safe and organized.
11. Have a FREE box or pile
    If it isn’t worth selling, consider having a pile of free stuff.  Put that out in front where it can catch the eye of the most frugal shoppers; it could get you a stop instead of a drive-by!
12. Offer some refreshments at a reasonable price
    This is a perfect job for your kids.  They can sell water and lemonade in warm weather and hot chocolate and coffee in the cool weather.  Done gouge your guests with inflated prices here.  This is just a bonus to make their shopping more pleasurable and add a little profit to you and the kids.
13. BONUS – I find having a goal for the money that will be made at the yard sale to be a HUGE help in motivating myself and my family. Maybe this is for a special trip, or to pay off a credit card or to get a new couch.  Whatever you’re hoping for, decide how much of your profit will go towards meeting that goal.

Yard Sale Sign Kit with Pricing Labels and Wood Sign Stakes

Yard Sale Signs – 4 Arrow Signs & Main Sale Sign & Stakes

Yard sales, garage sales or tag sales – call them what you want but make sure you have one!

I hope these yard sale tips will help you have a successful and profitable yard sale.  The best part is your cleaning out the clutter at the same time!

Have a tip to share?  Leave it in the comments!