With warmer weather finally here, now is the perfect time to start preparing for a yard sale. If you’re anything like me, the thought of getting ready for a yard sale sounds as enjoyable as having a root canal, until I consider the benefits.
Getting rid of my household clutter and making some extra cash on things I no longer want or need suddenly doesn’t sound like such a bad idea after all. Here are 5 steps to organizing a successful yard sale. Hosting a yard sale doesn’t have to be a painful experience!
5 steps to organizing a successful yard sale
1. Make it a Party and Set a Date
Talk with your neighbors and friends to see if they have anything they would like to sell. A larger Block Sale will draw more traffic since buyers will have a variety of merchandise from which to choose. Don’t be discouraged if no one else is interested in participating; you can still have a successful event without them.
Be sure to set the date well in advance so you have plenty of time to organize and get the word out. To help ensure you get a lot of traffic, don’t plan your yard sale over a busy holiday weekend like Independence Day. Also, you may want to consider consulting the Farmer’s Almanac or weather trend websites to help pick a day that’s likely to have good weather.
2. Advertise
The success of your yard sale depends on how much traffic you get, which is directly related to your advertising efforts. Create big, colorful signs and place them on nearby major roads.
Keep all of your signs the same color and use large, easy-to-read writing. Supplemental signs with huge arrows pointing to the direction of your sale will help steer traffic. Placing an ad in your local newspaper or online is another way to draw more traffic.
3. Sift, Sticker, and Sort
Sift through all of your closets, drawers, and boxes for items you no longer want or need. When you find something that you want to include in the yard sale, slap a price-tag sticker on it. This will save you a considerable amount of time on the day of the sale.
If you don’t want to invest in price-tag stickers, you can use masking tape and a black Sharpie pen. Once you’ve placed a sticker on an item, sort it with similar items. This is another time saving step for later when you’re setting up.
4. Set Up
On the day of the sale, ensure everything is clearly priced. Use tables to display items. Don’t make people rummage through boxes to find merchandise.
Make it easy for buyers to see your inventory. If possible, have an extension cord on hand so people can test electrical items. Also, make sure you’ve stocked a small cash box with plenty of coins and one-dollar bills so you can easily make change.
5. Everything Goes
Remind yourself that everything must go and don’t be afraid to bargain with your customers. Add additional items to a sale for an extra dollar, or offer customers three dolls for the price of one.
One hour before the end of the sale, mark everything down by 50% or more. Finally, at the end of the day, arrange for a charity like the Salvation Army to come pick up items you didn’t sell. The point of a yard sale is to get rid of everything; don’t bring anything from the sale back into your house!
Tagg writes for CableTV.com, check them out for XFINITY Internet. In his free time he writes about his three main passions: business, technology, and finance. You can follow him on Twitter @CableTV.
