How to Have Yard SalesYard sales, also known as tag sales or garage sales, can be a great way to get rid of lots of stuff in a hurry. Of all your options this will have the lowest out of pocket expense. Overall sale prices are also the lowest. This is not necessarily a bad thing and a garage sale may be the solution you are looking for. This guide will help you decide if a yard sale is the best option and give you all the information you need to have a sale.
Some Things to ConsiderYour location. Do you have lots of drive-by traffic or will you need to advertise? Does your community allow signs to be posted? Some don’t. Do you need to buy a permit? Do you have a covered area in case of rain? Individually these are not sale busters, but could be if they are all against you.Gather Up Your Unwanted ItemsTake a look around to see what you have to sell. Is it all clothes? Do you have only a few things? Make notes as to the items you have so you can mention them in your ad. Do you have some larger items that would make great hooks for getting people to your sale?I have a friend in Florida that routinely sells a car at her sale. Her husband is a car dealer and she brings something home that was headed to auction, puts a nice discount price on it and sells it at her sale. This is a great example of a “hook” to attract customers. How much stuff is the right amount? Well, that all depends. How much room do you have to display your items? If you have more stuff than room, you may want to hold some items back and fill in the holes as you make sales. Just let customers know, they may want to look at what you have, or ask if you have a particular item. If it is a two day sale, they may even come back the following day to see what else you have. If you only have a few items (a couple of tables full) you might want to save it until you get more, or find another outlet. Ok, so you have enough stuff, now what? If you have never been to a sale or it has been a long time you might want to attend a few. This should give you ideas on what is selling and for how much. Try listening to the other customers, they will sometimes make comments as to the pricing, set-up, etc. Are people coming in and just turning around and leaving? Why are some sales so busy you have to wait in line to check out? See what works and what doesn’t.
Cleaning and PricingWith a little background on the local market you are now ready to start pricing. Make sure your items are clean and ready to go. There can be exceptions to this rule, but you don’t want people afraid to pick-up the item.There are a couple of things you need to know about pricing, one being my pet peeve-- how you apply the price to the item. I can’t tell you how many times I have found the perfect item at the perfect price only to see it applied with a permanent marker, in effect ruining the item. When possible use removable tags. These can be a pain, because sometimes they don’t want to stick, but they also won‘t ruin the item. I like to use masking tape for clothing, because it does stay on pretty well and won’t damage the fabric. Use removable stickers on glass, rather than tape. If you have a lot of identical items (fast food toys, decks of cards, whatever) it is fine to put a per item price on the box and not mark each individually. You can also price your clothing this way, shirts $1.00, pants $2.00 if you are short on time or don’t care if they all sell for the same price. Sometimes clothing is priced by the bag, fill a bag for a buck or two, just make sure your bags are all the same size so people know how much they can get. If you have hundreds of like items try tiered pricing, 50 cents for one, 3 for $1.00, etc. Books will usually be priced this way. One price for hardcover and a lower price for paperbacks, with a discount for buying more. If you are having your sale with a friend, you each need to mark your tags with an identifying mark. I like to use my initials. This is also a good system if you have children that want to sell items and you want to keep the money separate. I keep a note pad at the check out. As items sell we write the amount under the appropriate name. People expect low, we just want it out of our house, pricing at yard sales. If you need more from your stuff than this, try using another venue. Yard Sale = Good Deal Does this mean you need to give it away? No! But you need to remember, you have virtually no overhead in having the sale, while your customers have higher overhead than going shopping at other venues. Put yourself in your customers shoes. They buy a newspaper, map out a route, fill the car with gas, make a trip to the bank to make sure they have plenty of cash, maybe spring for a fast food breakfast and the first 10 sales have prices higher than the local Wal-Mart. Hmmm, could have saved $20 in gas, went to Wal-Mart and had new stuff. Repeat to yourself, “I just want it out of my house, I just want it out of my house.” If this is not the case, you need to find another venue. Please, please, please, do not just put your stuff out without pricing it. You will get busy, and you will lose sales because people tire of tracking you down to ask the price of every item. It is poor customer service. Also, don’t just tell them to make a pile and then you will give them a price. Sorry, 9 times out of 10, the person will leave without purchasing anything. It is great to make deals and bargain at sales, you may even want to put your prices a tad bit on the high side so you can come down some, but you need to take the time and write out prices. If you like to haggle, make sure to put signs up that say “Make an Offer”. Even people that don’t normally dicker will be brave enough to try. If you can’t stand the thought of negotiating prices, you might want to consider another outlet for your stuff. You can put “firm” on the stickers, or put up signs that state, no discounts. But be forewarned this is going to be mighty unpopular. It is perfectly “OK” to mark a few items “firm” if you really can’t part with them for less, but you should keep this to a minimum. Make sure the price indicates whether it is 50 cents or 50 dollars. I know this sounds crazy but it happens more than you might think.
Prepare the Sale SiteYour site should be free from obstructions and extraneous items that are not for sale. If the sale is in your yard, try to place it so it is visible from the street. Also make sure the grass has been mown and there are not large tree roots to trip over, kids toys, etc. Weather can be a factor--do you have a back up plan if it rains? At the bare minimum you will want tarps or plastic sheeting to cover your merchandise, at best a canopy to set up under.If it is in a barn or garage, weather shouldn’t be a factor, but items not for sale might be. If possible put all the “not for sale” items in one section and cordon it off with “not for sale” signs. You can also drape or hang old sheets over the items and pin the signs on. If they can see it, they will try to buy it. Even with signs, some people will drive you nuts wanting to buy the stuff you don’t want to sell. Just smile and say no. When you finish tidying up you can start working on tables. I recommend a smaller card table for the check out. Look to see what the natural traffic flow is and place it by the exit. If people seem to have trouble finding it, move it or make a sign. Make sure you have folding chairs handy for your cashiers. If you have clothing items, a rack to hang them on is a plus. You can make one using two utility ladders with a pole placed between them at the appropriate height. Make sure you have not created a health hazard, i.e. no one can poke an eye out with the pole and they are not tripping over the ladders. You will also need several big or lots of small tables to put stuff on. You can make tables by using two saw horses and an old door. Banquet tables work well. Sometimes you can borrow these from your church or other organization you belong to. If you are selling used furniture you can use it to display other items for sale, until it sells. In my experience, furniture sells quicker if you put other stuff on it. I don’t know if it really does or it just seems that way, but try it and let me know what you think. Don’t forget about parking, especially if you live on a very busy road. You don’t want your customers involved in a traffic accident or run down by a car while trying to cross the street. If the road has a speed limit higher than say, 25 mph, you may want to put caution signs several hundred yards down the road to warn other drivers that the area is congested. Consider putting up signs to direct parking to a lot or open area close by. Sometimes there just isn’t a good way and it’s every man for himself in the parking department.
AdvertisingIf you live in an area that has a high occurrence of yard sales, you might not need to advertise at all. Just put out signs and instant traffic. For the other 99.9% of us we need to run an ad. If there are several newspapers in your area you need to find out which one has the most yard sale ads, because that is where you want your ad.Is the paper published weekly or daily. I like my ad to appear at least one day before the sale starts. If your paper is a weekly that comes out on Saturday, and your sale starts on Saturday, you will want to start the ad the week before your sale, and run it for two weeks. If it is a daily and your sale starts on Friday, start your ad on Thursday. Some papers have cheaper rates for 7 days than for 3 or 4 days, if so just start your ad earlier. Ad CopyThere are certain things that should be included in your ad.LocationThis should be your street number and street name. If you live in a new subdivision, or on a private road that hasn’t made it to a local map or map quest, you need to give people a hint. Either name a major cross street that is close, i.e. east of Marshall off Narrow Gauge, or your proximity to a landmark, i.e. behind Wal-Mart. Your signs will direct them form that point.Day and TimeAlways put the day and date i.e. Fri(4/27) and Sat(4/28). Put what time you will be opening and when you will close i.e. Fri (4/27) 9-5, Sat (4/28) 9-Noon.We need to discuss opening times. When you say 9 a.m. some people will take that to mean 7 a.m., just because they want to be the first there. If you are an early riser and you don’t mind people coming whenever than it is not a problem. However, if you don’t want people at your yard sale while you are trying to set up you need to let them know in your ad. This is accomplished by adding “no early birds, no early sales”, and then stick to your guns. If you advertise no early sales, and people show up at 9 and there are people checking out, they are going to be upset, mad and three kinds of ticked off. When you let people break the rules, rules that you made, you are encouraging them to continue. Don’t reward the rule breakers.
Rain or ShineIf your sale is inside and weather is not a factor, put “Rain or Shine” in your ad. If your sale is outside and inclement weather is a problem, just put an alternate date i.e. rain date (5/4-5/5). If the weather is fine, no biggie, but if it rains, you will be so glad you did this.Payment MethodYou do not need to put anything if you will take local checks, however if you will only take cash, put it in your ad. A simple “cash only” can save you and your customers a lot of hassle.Additional InformationSometimes less is better. If you have any big ticket items, you may want to include them. Personally I think general is better. For instance; furniture, boys sz 2-5, books, free stuff, toys, house wares, area rug. I also like to let people know how many families are participating. If it is just your family, don’t say anything, but if you have friends joining you, advertise as a “3 family yard sale”If you will be allowing early sales, or are hard to find, you may want to include your phone number.
What Not to IncludeWords like “huge”, “giant” and “antiques”. This is just a personal observation, but whenever I go to a sale advertised as huge or giant, they have lots of stuff that no one wants. Bags and bags of moldy clothing and broken toys. Huge and giant, don’t equate to good and cheap. If it is not helpful information, don’t put it in your ad.Antiques, this also indicates a disappointing sale. If you have antiques, and you know they are antiques, why would you sell them at a yard sale. Are you giving me a discount because you don’t have any overhead. Probably not. This isn’t to say I would not try to sell an occasional antique at a yard sale, but I wouldn’t make a big deal about it in my ad. Here is a bare bones sample ad, you can flesh them out as desired, but remember less is better. 3 Family Garage Sale Fri(4/27) 9-5, Sat(4/28) 9-noon. 1054 Pinto Pony LN South on Garfield, West on Richmond to Pinto Pony. Toys, books, Jr. sz 0-3 Jeans, 6 pc Bedroom set, Lots More, Rain or Shine, no early birds, please. One final thought on advertising. When I see a yard sale ad in the newspaper that takes up an entire column, I wonder how much they have to sell to pay for the ad. It is usually a red flag that this place isn’t going to have yard sale prices.
SignsIf your community doesn’t allow signs you will need to have very specific directions in your ad. You can buy signs, build signs, and sometimes get them from the newspaper you advertise in. If signs are legal, here are some helpful hints.What to Include What it is for (yard sale, garage sale) Where (address) When (day, date or both) Large Arrow (pointing the direction they should turn) Make sure your sign is large enough to be easily read by motorist and your arrows are pointing the right direction. Do not place signs where they obstruct the view of motorist to oncoming traffic. Take down all of your signs when you close. Yard sales have a bad reputation for not removing their signs promptly enough. That is why you need to put the day and or date on them. You may need one sign in front of your house or you may need 6 signs to help people find your sale. If you have lots of signs have some one check them periodically. It can get confusing to follow signs and then they just stop. Don’t put signs up 10 miles from your house. If your signs are more than a mile or so away, put the mileage on the sign so people can decide how far they want to go.
Setting Up Yard SalesTry to arrange like items together, kids clothes, toys, house wares, etc. If you have odds and ends that you really want to get rid of yesterday, put a box out front and label it “Free Box”. Just keep adding to it through the sale.Handy items to have at your check out table include, newspaper for wrapping breakables, plastic grocery bags for bagging items, a calculator (you probably won’t need it, but it gives the kids something to play with), notebook for keeping track of sales, pens, cash box for holding your loot. This can be a cigar box, an actual cash box, a Tupperware storage container with lid or my favorite a fanny pack. With a fanny pack I can strap it on and not worry abut leaving it unattended if someone needs help away from the check out. If you have lots of help this will not be a problem, so do what works best for you. If you use portable or cell phones, leave one on the table in case you need to call for pizza or some other emergency. Marking supplies in case you find items that are not priced or you decide to mark something down. Don’t forget change for your cash box. You will need some quarters, lots of ones, some fives and tens. I like to get more change than I think I’ll use and keep some of it in the house for back up. Make sure to write down how much change you put in so you can determine how much cash was collected during your sale. Some yard sales will keep you scrambling for change and others you would have been alright without any. You just never know. If you are really busy and your cash box is overflowing with large bills, put them some place secure. Why tempt someone into stealing it, periodically remove the larger bills, you can always retrieve them if necessary.
Having the SaleWhen you are ready to open put your signs in place. Never put up signs before you are ready for business. Likewise, when you are ready to start packing up, have someone collect signs, starting with those furthest out and working back to your sale.You may have 20 cars lined up out front waiting or you might not have a customer in the first hour. Different locales have different schedules. Where we used to live, yard sales started at 7 am and went until noon, 1pm. Where we live now they start at 9 sometimes 10am , even as late as noon, 1 pm and close late in the evening. 99.9% of your customers are going to be really nice and cooperative. The other .1% is going to drive you nuts. They show up 2 hours early, or 2 hours after you close and bang on your door wanting a deal. They offer you $2 for a $20 item. Tell you the most intimate details of their medical conditions. Let their children touch everything with some unidentified sticky substance on their hands. Steal items that you have priced at 25 cents. (I can never figure this one out, why bother, just ask and I’ll give it to you) Try not to lose your cool, they are few and far between. Don’t be afraid to tell someone no when they make an offer. If it is a reasonable offer take it, other wise just say no. Other than that just be your usual charming self and have fun. I’ve seen people buy stuff at yard sales they would not consider buying anywhere else, just because they were having fun and liked the sales people. (Hey, that’s you) If you are having a two day sale and sales are slow the first day, consider offering a 25% or 50% discount the second day. Let customers start a “pile” near the checkout table so they don’t need to carry it around with them. Offer to start it for them if you notice someone with an arm load. You do need to keep an eye on it so other customers don’t try to purchase it. Wait until they are ready to checkout before you start wrapping and bagging, this way you are sure to get an accurate total. It may take longer but you will both be happier in the long run. You don’t want to overcharge them, nor do you want to undercharge them. Make sure everyone is on the same page. Take your money to the bankCount your money, subtract the change you put in, subtract the cost of your ad and any other expenses. Was it worth the time you invested? Do you have a lot of leftover merchandise? Did you really hate doing it? Sometimes the only way to find out if something works for you is to do it. You may never have another yard sale, and that is OK, but now you know. If you enjoyed it, and made a nice chunk of change in the process, make it an annual event.
Nifty Ideas for Your Yard SaleIf you have tons of coffee mugs that you want to get rid off. Wash them and put them on a tray. Make a pot of coffee and give them away with a nice hot cup of coffee. This works well for early morning sales or those in the colder seasons. It doesn’t cost much and creates goodwill.Have a free box. Most people love free stuff and you will get rid of stuff that probably won’t sell anyways. Keep a box of small stuffed animals or toys (age appropriate) at the checkout table. When you have preschool guests ask Mom or Dad if it is ok with them if they can have one. Then let them pick one out. It will keep them occupied and Mom and Dad will have time to look around. If the weather is hot have a cooler with iced soft drinks and bottled water available for sale. It probably won’t be a big money maker but think of it as a customer convenience.
Take Your Money to the BankCount your money, subtract the change you put in, subtract the cost of your ad and any other expenses. Was it worth the time you invested? Do you have a lot of leftover merchandise? Did you really hate doing it? Sometimes the only way to find out if something works for you is to do it. You may never have another yard sale, and that is OK, but now you know. If you enjoyed it, and made a nice chunk of change in the process, make it an annual event.Some Additional Thoughts on Yard SalesYard Sales should be used to dispose of items that you just want out of your house and that can be sold for low prices. Think of it on a percentage basis. A shirt from Wal-Mart will sell for less than a designer shirt, because it sold for less when it was new. On the other hand you will not get top dollar for a designer shirt at a yard sale because most people looking for used designer clothing, are not looking at yard sales. Know your market and price accordingly.Don’t call it a yard sale if that’s not what it is. If you are having more than one or possibly two sales a year, you are probably not really having a yard sale. We call them “perma-sales” short for permanent yard sale. Think of it as false or misleading advertising. If you have a sale every weekend, you are really running a resale shop. Some communities have laws on how many sales you can hold a year. Don’t get me wrong, I love resale shops, just don’t tell me it’s a yard sale when it isn’t. If you feel the need to have a perma-sale, you will probably make more money by setting up at a local flea market. If you have lots of high priced merchandise and or antiques, you might want to explore other venues. You will sell some, but there are better opportunities for you else where, such as an antique mall, flea market or maybe even eBay. It’s not that we don’t like buying antiques at a yard sale, it’s just that we don’t want to pay retail at a yard sale. I have been to sales that price their items higher than I can sell them at the antique mall. Even if they gave me a 50% discount I couldn’t buy it for resale. Well, la-di-da you say, but it is about knowing your market, and a large part of the yard sale market is antique dealers. While we are on this subject, do you know who goes to yard sales, who your market is. As I said before a large percentage (in my area anyways) are antique dealers. You also have young families looking for children and infant items, house wares, decorative items, and seniors looking for entertainment. Seniors do make purchases, do not ignore them. That is about it. There are always exceptions to every rule, but those are the three main groups that make up the yard sale market. Your pricing and merchandise should reflect the needs of your customers. If you are selling used household items and clothing with the occasional collectible or antique thrown in you will have a very popular yard sale. If you have good merchandise and fair prices people will come back year after year. I’m going to leave you with my two favorite crazy yard sale stories (crazy good, I try to mentally block out the crazy bad ones). The first one was in 1992 or 3 and I will never forget it. Every price was something crazy like 19 cents, 27 cents, $1.07, etc. The man running the checkout had rolls of pennies to make change. Every now and again I run across an item that I bought there for 19 cents, it was a poster of Ronbo. Ronbo is a picture of Rambo with President Regan’s head superimposed. Very funny and a great deal at only 19 cents. The second one just happened in 2006. It was on a Sunday and we were out cruising for a sale. We came across one that we had missed in the paper. When we walked up the guy running the sale said, this is your lucky day, everything is free. Well needless to say we made two trips with the truck that day. I had boxes of china, filing cabinets, tons of stuff. My dad picked out a cordless vacuum and several other items. A couple of days later I was talking to him and he brought up the free yard sale. I had to laugh when he said that at first he was disappointed because his vacuum didn’t work, and we had always gotten such nice stuff from him before. But he was vindicated because the battery just needed charging.
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