Living the Simple Life {Part 2}: Yard Sale Tips

This series is about finding ways to de-clutter, re-organize and re-prioritize our lives. No one should live in a constant state of exhaustion or burn-out. It’s time to step back and enjoy the little things that make life worthwhile! 🙂 If you missed the first post in this series, you can find it here:
* Living the Simple Life {Part 1}: Closets!

Living the Simple Life {Part 2}: Yard Sale Tips

Now that you’ve got your closets all tidy and organized, it’s time to make some money off your unwanted items. One of the best (and easiest) ways to do this is to have a good old fashioned yard sale!

Now anyone can throw their junk–err, treasures–out on their front lawn, tack up a few signs and call it good. But if you want to make a serious wad of cash, your yard sale should be carefully planned to maximize your success. Here are some tips to do just that!

1. Schedule Your Sale: Here in the Pacific Northwest, there are two factors you should always consider–the weekend weather forecast (enough said) and holiday weekends. Holiday weekends can be “hit or miss” when it comes to yard sale success. And finally, plan your sale hours and stick to them.

2. Think Like a Retailer: Make sure your clothing items are clean, wrinkle-free and attractively presented. Don’t forget to check those pockets!

• Match socks up and pin them together at the top. Don’t do the sock roll thing, especially for kids’ socks. Inevitably, someone will come along and unroll them, just to see what the cute design on the cuff looks like.
• Fold all clothing and place neatly on a table–or better still–use makeshift racks for hanging dresses, skirts & slacks.
• Use a coat tree to hang coats and jackets.
• Bottom line: Never place clothing on a giant sheet on the lawn or driveway! They’re going to get trampled, soiled, possibly ripped…then you’ve got “rags” for sale, not clothes!

2. If You Advertise, They Will Come: Place poster board signs strategically around town and make sure they’re legible and spelled correctly! Consider placing an ad in your local paper, on Craig’s List, eBay, church or community bulletin boards, your blog, Facebook and Twitter, etc.

3. Price Items Carefully: Would you pay $5 for that chipped vase? Price your wares with frugal buyers in mind. Use colorful yard sale stickers (available at office supply stores) and permanent black marker to label each item.

• If you have a lot of similarly priced smaller items, place them on a table with a sign that reads: Everything on this Table: $0.25/each. If you have tons of Lego pieces for example, you could package them up in baggies, staple them closed, then place a sign that says: Legos–$2/bag or whatever price works for you.
• If you have larger items such as furniture, power tools or electronics, write the price on an index card and tape it to the front. Don’t make your customers hunt for a little “dot” sticker. 😉

4. Get Change: If most of your items are priced around $10 or less, you could probably get away with $100 in change. If you have higher priced items such as furniture or electronics, you should double that amount. Also, be sure to keep the money on you at all times, not in a change box! Change boxes can be stolen very easily!

5. Play Background Music: I find it awkward to walk up someone’s driveway and hear nothing but silence. A bit of soft music wafting along the breeze always adds a nice touch! 🙂

6. Be Prepared to Barter: Bartering is all part of the fun! Don’t be afraid to go lower if it means making the sale. However, if the customer is clearly trying to rip you off, you can always say “This is a firm price for now, but I may go lower at the end of the day.”

7. Place Big Ticket Items Out in Front: These are the things that will attract the most people right off the street! Got an awesome sofa for sale? Put it out in front. Fabulous antique table? Park it next to that sofa!

8. Let Customers Test Electronics: Sure, that CD player works great but will a customer take your word for it? Probably not. Have an extension cord handy so folks can test electronic items before they buy. (Just be sure to keep it wrapped up and out of the way when not in use. You certainly don’t want to trip anyone!) Consider placing fresh batteries in childrens’ electronic toys, too!

9. “All Sales Final”: It’s true, some folks DO try to get their money back on yard sale purchases. Save yourself a potential hassle and have an “All Sales Final” sign clearly visible at the cashier station.

10. Chat, Enjoy Yourself & Have Fun!: It’s all in the attitude, baby! 😉 If you’re having fun, your customers will have fun and be more apt to buy–both now and at future sales. Laugh, share the stories behind some of your items, get to know your neighbors…you get the idea. 🙂

So, what techniques do you use to set YOUR yard sales apart from the competition?