Having a good yard sale can be so satisfying!
First of all, you get to clean out, declutter and simplify areas of your home. Second, you get to provide some quality items to others for a great deal. And finally, if you follow a few steps, you just might end up with a nice pocketful of cash when it's over with.
Making a Plan
First things first:
Gather up all the items you intend to sell.
Get the family involved.
Find an area you can keep all items you intend to sell.
Pick a date.
Tag and package every item.
Throw out damaged items.
The week before the sale, get change, gather bags and boxes, and get advertising items ready.
Start setting up the night before.
The day of your sale BE UP EARLY
Be friendly, helpful, and negotiable.
Ok, it's time to declutter! Allow yourself time to go through all the areas in your home you know could use some cleaning out. If you plan your yard sale a month or two in advance, this will give you several weekends to devote a couple of hours to this process. You may consider using boxes, totes, or even laundry baskets to contain all the items you have gathered up until you can go through and sort things.
Get the Family Involved
This is a great opportunity for kids to earn a little money. Invite your family members to go through their own spaces to see if they can come up with some items to sell. You may give each child an individual tote or box to fill. You may also consider asking the extended family if they would like to participate. An ad stating multi-family yard sale tends to gain a lot of attention!
Find an Area to Keep Yard Sale Items
You may want to designate an area in a basement or garage to keep all the items the family has gathered in hopes of a great sale! If you do not have these areas, any available space would work, such as a closet or even under a bed, or a corner in the bedroom to use temporarily. Having everything in one spot will make cleaning-out easier, as everything will have a designation, and will make the process of going through to tag and package items together much more efficient!
Pick a Date
When picking a date for your sale, be sure to give yourself at least a month to get prepared. A yard sale can be more work than you may realize. Allowing yourself time to prepare can not only make the process much easier, but it can also result in a much more successful sale. You may be able to look into if there will be a neighborhood or subdivision-wide sale, or even a city-wide sale that you could participate in.
Tag and package every item
I know that I for one feel uncomfortable when I get to a yard sale and nothing is priced, and I have to ask the question, "What do you want for this?" This will drive people away from your sale. Also, people are less likely to dig through a basket of curtains and bedding. It may be difficult to tag every clothing item, so, one suggestion I have is to create a price poster to hang up and price all like items the same amount. If you have some nice name-brand items you want to sell for more, add this disclaimer on your price poster: "Unless Priced Individually" You can put curtains or bedding in a large zipper bag or tie them together with jute string or something similar. If you have a complete bedding set, you may put the set in one box and set it apart.
Throw Out Damaged Items
Now that you have gathered all your items for your yard sale, it's time to sort, clean, package, and tag all items. Be sure to examine items for broken parts, missing parts, and stains. You will inevitably be asked if something works, or something has all the pieces, so if you don't skip this step, you will be well prepared come the day of sale! You may need to run any clothes, bedding, etc, through the washer, and wipe down all other items to make them shine. A clean and organized yard sale will make you a lot more money than one thrown out in a hurry that is disorganized and dusty.
One Week Out... GET READY!
Starting the weekend before you might want to make a checklist of things to remember to have done BEFORE the date of the sale. I have a free printable linked below for a checklist to a successful yard sale you can print off and use if you would like. Remember, it's FREE! (free is my fave) You will need to do things like gathering up grocery bags, some boxes, tables, or items to display your wares. You also need to get change, and by change, I mean actual change as well bills including $1, $5, and $10 bills. You may also want to put an advertisement on sites such as Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor, and Craigslist. If you have signs to put out be sure to put them up a day or two before.
Set up the night before, prepare to be up EARLY, and smile :)
The night before, you will want to prepare as many things as possible to avoid trying to pull everything out the morning of. Some examples of what can be done ahead of time, assuming all things are already cleaned, bundled, and tagged, is to get clothes hung or folded, set up tables, have any furniture sitting by the door to go out first thing in the morning, and have like items in baskets or totes to carry out and set up quickly. If you advertise your sale will start at 8 am, be sure you will have early birds show up around 7 am, so just be prepared for that. It is better to be friendly and welcoming to them and let them pick through while they are there than asking them to come back, as you might miss out on a big sale if they are people who flip items or do flea markets. You will do most of your sales early, so have coffee prepped and a grab and go breakfast handy in case you don't get a break in the action for a while. And lastly, be friendly, but not pushy. Say hello to new arrivals, chat if they offer to chat, and be prepared to be asked to take less! That's the thrill of the yard sale for a lot of people, they want to feel like they got a great deal!
Some Final Tips
You can get all the yard sale supplies you need at Dollar Tree. They sell the price stickers, markers, yard signs, posters, and more to help you organize and prep for your sale.
Have a plan for what you will do with what's leftover. For example, you could list items online for an extra attempt at a profit, or you could donate the items to a charity. Another option is to go back to the online marketplace sites you posted and offer it free to whoever picks it up and takes it ALL. This is my usual preference. It can make someone's day, and I feel relieved to finally be rid of all the clutter!
Let go of any sentimental attachment you have to your items when pricing them. It is important to price to sell. You would not price a yard sale item the same as you would an item on eBay or Marketplace. Keep this in mind when you are pricing your stuff.
There ya have it, all my best tips for a successful yard sale sure to put cash in your pocket!! Best of luck to you all!
~Stacy
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