Yard Sale
Six Steps To Yard Sale Success
It's now officially summer and for many people, that means yard sale (or garage sale) time. Have a yard sale and get rid of all those things that you have tossed during your Spring cleaning "spree."
Now that you have all of this "stuff," what do you do with it?
Step One: Get it organized. Put books with books and dishes with dishes. You get the picture. All like items together.
Step Two: Write the ad for your yard sale and get it to your local newspaper and Recycler publication. When writing your ads and your yard Sale Signs, remember that the words that sell the best are "Collectibles" and "Everything Must Go!" Your yard sale sign should be written with a bold black marker on a bright yellow card stock. It really catches the eye and makes it easier to read. Don't make the mistake of writing too small. Make your printing large enough that people can see it when they drive by. Add a large arrow - and don't forget to put your address on it.
Step Three: Price your items. Some things like books and sweaters or other clothing, will sell better if you sell them as two-for-one or three-for-one. Create small cards to place on your set of books say, "3 for $5.00." Now, aren't you glad you already have all your books together?
Step Four: Set up your tables and other areas for your sale. Set up a table especially for smaller items such as jewelry. Antique dealers have a secret for selling small items: display them on a dark colored tablecloth. This shows them off better than light colors or bare tables. Also, sorting jewelry into individual baggies gives the idea that each item is special - even if it's not!
Step Five: Ready, Set Go! You have everything ready so now you can sit back and rake in the cash. Well, not really. If You Want to really sell, you need to join the crowd and talk to your customers. Make them happy. Give a toy to a child. Dicker over the price of an item. Throw something in for free and tell them, "The more you buy, the cheaper you can get it." Your goal here (besides making money) is to get rid of your clutter!
Step Six: When the yard sale is over, don't put everything that's left back into your house. It's tempting to save it for the next yard sale but you'll usually just end up selling the same items over and over again. Take everything to a charity such as Good Will or the Salvation Army. That will make your yard sale a true success - cleaning out all of your unwanted stuff!
About the Author
Jude Wright is the webmistress of 30 websites, most of which relate to Home Management. This Network of sites is based at HouseCareInfo.com where you'll find everything from cleaning to gardening to money management.
How are yard sale prices most effectively set?
If one is selling new with tags clothing, is the pricing different from used clothing in excellent condition?
How does one price expensive items - track lighting that was $2K new or a lighting fixture that was $400 new?
Hardcover books always $2? No matter how expensive originally?
Children's toys and games? Used but in excellent condition sheet sets for twin beds?
We need to raise as much money as possible, but don't want to lose a single sale through overpricing.
I'd appreciate any tips for maximizing our return on our yard sale, which will be in our driveway as part of a neighborhood wide yard sale. Our goal is to raise money for our dog's $500/mo drug habit. (Congestive heart failure and endocarditis)
Thanks for your time and ideas.
Just FYI, no insurance available for this; dogs have the preexisting clause in their insurance, too.
Thanks.
The best way to Make Money at a yard sale is to forget about how much you paid for something. It doesn't matter to the bargain hunter. If you have something you paid $400.00 for and you think you would to get $150 then a yard sale is not the best place to sell it. Put an ad in the paper for items which are over $100.00
Here $2.00 is a lot for a hard cover book. They usually sell for $1 and paperbacks 10 cents. Nothing worse then having to carry boxes of books back after a sale. Yes there are exceptions but I don't think I have ever seen a hard cover book sell for more than $5.00 at a yard sale.
Consider combinging items. If you have tons of books make sure you give them a deal like 10 for $1.00 (paperbacks) It's better than trying to get 10 cents each book. You'll get rid of them faster.
If you start your sale at 8:00 and by noon you haven't sold much then you know your prices are too high. It's also a good idea to wait until noon or half way through the sale to lower your prices. I have a rule that there is no negotiating before 12:00 o'clock. There is the exception for the person who may have bought a number of things from you.
Go to some yard sales in your area to get an idea of what you should do.
Sammy Kershaw - Yard Sale
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 Cotton cowboy boots hats VIP fabric CUTE SALE 1 yard  US $2.99
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 POLAR FLEECE DOG PRINT 2 YARDS SUPER QUALITY SALE!!!! US $7.99
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 Vintage fabric / 2 yards / original sales tag US $.25
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 Big Beautiful daisy cotton fabric 1 yard SALE US $2.74
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 Two yards travel signs rayon blend fabric SALE US $1.99
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 1000 Yard Sale Price Stickers #OP313 New US $4.99
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 1000 For Sale Yard Sale Price Tag Stickers New OP311 US $4.95
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 GARAGE SALE JUNKIE Laser Italian Charm Charms Yard Buy US $.99
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 Vintage Swirls and Flames marbles from yard sales US $9.50
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 540 Pink Preprinted Garage Yard Sale Label Stickers US $4.99
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 SALE ~5 YARDS DIFFERENT COLOR DISNEY TIGGER FABRIC US $29.95
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 SALE ~5 YARDS DIFFERENT COLORS COW PARACHUTES FABRIC~ US $29.95
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 SALE ~5 YARDS DIFFERENT COLORS COW COWS SUMMER FABRIC~ US $29.95
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 SALE ~10 YARDS DIFFERENT COLORS THE TRANSFORMERS FABRIC US $49.95
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 SALE ~10 YARDS COLORS PRINCE SNOW WHITE 7 DWARFS FABRIC US $49.95
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 SALE ~10 YARDS DIFFERENT COLORS HERO BEN 10 FABRIC US $49.95
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 SALE ~5 YARDS DIFFERENT COLORS MICKEY MAGICIAN FABRIC~ US $29.95
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 SALE ~5 YARDS DIFFERENT COLORS BEE MOVIE FABRIC~ US $29.95
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 Embroidery Sequin Beaded Organza Trim 1 3/4 yards-SALE! US $.99
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 1000 For Sale Yard Sale Price Tag Stickers New OP311 US $4.95
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 1000 Yard Sale Price Stickers #OP313 New US $4.99
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 Damask fabric Fuschia 10 yards ON SALE US $55.99
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 DAMASK FABRIC WHITE AND BLACK 10 yards CLEARANCE SALE US $45.00
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 Summer SALE-54" blue/white searsucker fabric 2 yards US $.99
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 Summer SALE-54" blue stripe sheer fabric 2 yards US $.99
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 Z100 Morning Zoo Yard Sale CD DVD Collction Portland OR US $19.95
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 SALE! 2 Yards Lava Spray Batik #23 US $7.00
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 SALE! 2 Yards Dew Drops Batik #67 US $6.50
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 SALE! 2 1/8 Yards Tonga Dawn Batik #I US $8.25
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 SALE! 2 Yards PPK-10 Batik #25 US $7.50
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 SALE! 5 Yards Black & White Batik #2 US $15.00
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 1000 Yard Sale Price Stickers #OP313 New US $4.99
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 1000 For Sale Yard Sale Price Tag Stickers New OP311 US $4.95
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 F & F CHARMING TAILS YARD SALE FRIENDSHIP FIGURINE NIB US $12.99
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 N SCALE SCRAP YARD FOR SALE. N SCALE US $3.26
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 36 ROLLS 2" x 330' CLEAR PACKAGING TAPE 110 YARDS SALE! US $37.95
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 FABRIC SALE! TWO PINK FABRICS ~ SOLIDS ~ 8 YARDS ~ US $5.99
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 FABRIC SALE! NAVY BLUE POLY/RAYON ~ OVER 2 YARDS ~ US $2.99
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North States Industries Two-panel Extension Kit for Superyard XT, White $21.00 Keep your pet safely contained and happy with extra play space with this Pet Yard Extension Kit. It provides up to 34.5" of extra room to be used in conjunction with a Pet Yard, sold separately.... |
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Maxsa Solar Dual Head LED Security Floodlight $89.95 Motion - activated Dual Solar Light burns bright at any movement! No wiring! Super-bright, dual-headed Solar Security Light mounts anywhere you need a little extra light. 180 detection "pops" on the light whenever movement happens in-range. Each adjustable head contains 4 white LEDs to provide maximum darkness-defeating shine to backyards, driveways, walkways and more. The included high-efficiency... |
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