5 Tips for a Successful Yard Sale
Each summer, yard sales become popular and everyone crowds driveways and yards to get great deals on second-hand items. Have you ever had a yard sale? What can you do to ensure that it runs smoothly?
Advertise
The best advertisement is signs. Great big signs with just “Yard Sale” and a large arrow. Pointing your customers in the right direction is always better than just putting your address on the sign and hoping they know how to get there.
Take Time to Prep
The more organized you are, the less hectic it will be the morning of your garage sale. You want to make sure that you have everything set up before people arrive so you can focus on answering questions and collecting money. Have everything you need near the door or ready to go in the garage. Boxes sorted by categories along with any supplies you’ll need like price stickers or tags.
Have Change
This is something a lot of people don’t think about when preparing for a yard sale. You don’t want to turn away customers because you don’t have enough change. I recommend at least $50 in change, that means mostly $1’s and $5’s.
Have Help
Running a yard sale on your own can be really stressful, especially if you have a lot of stuff. It’s hard to run inside to go to the bathroom or try to talk to and collect money from several customers at once. Ask a friend or two if they have some stuff they’d like to sell too and that way you’ll have some help in case things get busy or you need a break to get a drink or some food.
Have FUN!
Yard sales are fun and you can make a good amount of money all while cleaning out the clutter. Interact with your customers, make them feel comfortable, and enjoy yourself.
Author: Aileen is a wife, entrepreneur, and animal lover. She lives in a small California town with her husband and a handful of pets, where she spends her days designing blogs and running her online boutique. You can find more at Life by Aileen where she talks about chasing dreams and her attempts at a simpler life.
Featured image courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens.
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Another good tip is make sure thing you are selling are clean and dust free. You don’t have to go crazy but a quick wipe down will make the items more attractive and less like junk to potential buyers. Another money making tactic is to have a lemonade and brownie/cookie stand. Who doesn’t want a refreshing drink or snack while shopping!!
Another tip is to have plastic bags on a roll, to put the items the customers buy from you in. This is usually very appreciated.
…and newspapers to wrap breakables!