10 Tips For Your Next Yard Sale

As many of you know, we did a big yard sale this weekend. It went pretty well, although there were a few snags here and there. We definitely learned some things for next time. And yes, even though getting ready for a yard sale is not so fun, there will be many more in the future.

I actually enjoyed the actual sale. It was kinda fun to watch people come and find things they liked amongst the piles. Things that were not so fun: hot sun and constantly running after toddlers.

If you are thinking of doing a yard sale, there are definitely some things you should consider doing. I've come up with a list of things that worked for us and things we'll make sure to do different next time.

1. Consider starting your sale on Friday.

I was super surprised by how many people came out on Friday, even early in the morning before we had everything out! We had more sales and made more money on Friday than on Saturday{partly because of the story under #5}.You'll probably get a lot of retired folks and stay-at-home moms whose kids are in school.

2. Price as much as you can in advance.

I didn't start until a couple days before. I should have started the week before. Less stress.

3. Remember: the weather is not your friend.

I had this great thought that having a sale in October meant we might get cool fall weather. Nope. I should know better after living in the South my entire life. It. was. hot. Be prepared. Drink lots of water. And that leads into my next tip...

4. Wear sunscreen.

It's October and I have my first sunburn of the year. Just wear sunscreen. Also consider grabbing sunglasses and a big floppy hat. And one of those fans that spray water.

5. Put an ad on Craigslist.

This is big. The super yard sale people use it to plan their route for the crack of dawn Saturday morning. This is where we made a big mistake. I DID put an ad up but you have to renew them every 48 hours. I didn't renew it until I figured out that our sale wasn't showing up on my Craigslist connected yard sale app Saturday morning. Even when I did renew it, it didn't show up. My sister had to make her own account and put up a new ad. Then it took an hour to show up on the app. By this time it was 9:00 and we had missed the early yard sale folks. 

6. Organize items by category.

Instead of throwing everything together randomly on tables, separate items into categories. Put the clothes together, the books, the seasonal decorations, the kitchen items, etc. I know I get overwhelmed looking at a big unorganized mess. Keep a thrift store in mind and how it is organized. If someone if looking for a specific item, they will have a better idea of where to look first.

7. Presentation.

Don't try to make it look like Pottery Barn here, but do think about how you can best display items to attract attention. For example, my sister turned a leftover decoration from her wedding, pink fabric framed in a green frame, to display our jewelry. We didn't have much jewelry and it wasn't super nice, but it got the most attention from people. 

8. Play music.

It makes it more fun to listen to fun music when you're just sitting watching a money box. And music makes people happy. We had some fun moments with customers because there was music playing. Plus, you won't have that really quiet time watching someone walk around your sale. Awkward...

9. Don't make clothes the bulk of your yard sale.

Apparently, people do not like to buy clothes at yard sales. Even if you have Hollister jeans and Banana Republic sweaters, no one wants them. Why? Maybe it's hard to buy someone else's clothes when they're sitting in front of you. I don't understand it. To me it's just like a thrift store and you can find some good stuff sometimes. I don't get it, but that's how it works.

10. Be willing to haggle.

I'm not a fan, but lots of people are. In my opinion, it's better to make a little money instead of none. Within reason, of course. I had a big heavy TV that I marked for $8 and I sold it for $5. To me it was worth it. If I'd stuck by my $8, I doubt it would have sold and then I would have had no money instead of an extra $5 I didn't have before!

Decide on the lowest acceptable price for your most important items beforehand. Even if no one is willing to take them for that particular price at a yard sale, there's always Craigslist. 

I've been speaking of doing a Great Purge for some time and I finally have a ton of stuff cleared out! It feels so good to finally get rid of so much stuff. There were some things I couldn't quite work up the courage to get rid of yet. I'm hoping in another year, I'll finally be able to part with them.

So there ya go! What do you think of my list? Are there any other tips you would like to add?

I may be linking up here...