I need some advice about having a yardsale please

[savant365]

I am 39 and my daughters are 12 and 13. We have got waaaaaaay too much stuff (junque) in our house. In about a month there is going to be a city wide yard sale thing and we are going to clean house. I have been to a few yard sales but never had one. If you all would give me some tips of things that you like and don't like when you go to yard sales I would really appreciate it. I am too much of a pack rat to throw anything useful away but somethings gotta give around here.

Just a few things you really like to see when you go to someones yard sale like how its set up or the way things are priced. Also what irks you when you go to one. I would really rather sell this stuff then throw it away but thats exactly whats gonna happen. Whatever is leftover goes straight to the ministry center and anything they won't take goes in the garbage. Thanks, Charlie.

 

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[sniffer]

my wife is excellent at marketing for a garage sale, here's some stuff my wife does.

1 price everything
2 hang all clothes according to size
3 if it's name brand clothing, nike, bratz, mudd, ambercrombie sell it on ebay
4 if it's already broken, put it in a free box
5 cash only, no exceptions
6 no holds on anything
7 tools will bring men
8 advertise in local paper
9 make direction signs to sale, brighter is better, check on signs to make sure they haven't been removed
10 make sure your ad is clear and to the point, clean items, no smoke, if you have a big item, refrig, freezer, air compressor, etc. say it in the ad
11 when you price things, use the printed price stickers, not written, you can find them at Wally World
12 start your sale on Friday, end on saturday. you'll sunday for clean up and recovery

it sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but at our sale last year, we made a little under 2500.00 in the first day
good luck

Sniffer
P.S. start doing everything now, don't wait or it'll be even more work.
also if you have somebody willing to do it, make and sell burgers and dogs, with chips and soda
I made almost 400.00 just from the food

 

[bbqbull]

Keep a trusted family at the cash box at all times.
Keep the box behind a table out of buyers reach.
Last year they were stealing cash boxes and running from the sale in our neighbor hood.

 

[Lowbatts]

If you're gonna list, add all toddler toys, books, clothing and accessories. Daycare providers will swarm you. "Collectibles" is too broad, won't bring anyone. Specify, such as bottles. toys, etc..

Biggest sign on the block draws the most lookers, buyers come from lookers.

 

[Blacksheep]

Allowing early sales can be tempting but keep in mind you may have people knocking
on your door or rummaging around in your garage as you set up the night before.

If you do not want the early sales be specific in your ad, and to reiterate Sniffer`s
post, "cash only no exceptions". Try to cover or move to a closed area, anything in
the garage that is not for sale.


(yard/garage sales are one and the same here, that's why I reference "garage")

 

[curbdiggercarl57]

Detect the yard before you sell!

 

[Blacksheep]

Detect the yard before you sell!

LOL, sell beer then detect AFTER.

 

[savant365]

Detect the yard before you sell!

I already did that

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,172914.msg1260522.html#msg1260522

And as for the beer...well Saturday night after everything is gone I an sure I will be looking very closely at the bottom of a few bottles

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

howdy,
when i do a yard sale,
i don't price a thing...
tables if i feel like unfolding them...
heavy stuff usually is along the drive, as close to the garage door as possible...i hate moving heavy things...
all the tiny things...jewelry, tools, i keep close to where i sit in the shade...NEVER turn your back on the small stuff or the money...it is suprising who will take things home cause you didn't want them anyway.
the only real order, to a yard sale i put together, is like items together...

forget prices...all that work and the person is gonna cheap you down..so why price it?
i make stuff up as i go...i am spoiled... i don't like the way someone is acting...boy, are there some people who need finishing school...
i triple the price.

good luck...have fun. oh, do have a back up person around...never know when you have had too much coffee.

 

[Roger Mn.]

My Daughter put her sale on craigslist and sold over $800.00 worth the first day.



Also put an add in the paper. You want to get a lot of people there.

 

[G.I.B.]

Have an extension cord to plug in electrical items for sale. People want to see the toaster get hot...

 

[nhbenz]

Do price everything. You will lose sales by not doing so. You're going to be busy with transactions, answering random questions and dealing with folks who just want to jibber-jabber, and many folks will leave rather than stand in line just to ask "how much do you want for this?"
Making up prices throughout the sales day is a bad idea. You want the stuff gone and even if someone talks you down at least neither of you are wasting time without an idea of a base price.
Make sure to start the day with plenty of change and lower denomination bills. It's way too common for your first customer to ask you break a $50 for a 75¢ item.

 

[jeff of pa]

I am 39 and my daughters are 12 and 13. We have got waaaaaaay too much stuff (junque) in our house. In about a month there is going to be a city wide yard sale thing and we are going to clean house. I have been to a few yard sales but never had one. If you all would give me some tips of things that you like and don't like when you go to yard sales I would really appreciate it. I am too much of a pack rat to throw anything useful away but somethings gotta give around here.

Just a few things you really like to see when you go to someones yard sale like how its set up or the way things are priced. Also what irks you when you go to one. I would really rather sell this stuff then throw it away but thats exactly whats gonna happen. Whatever is leftover goes straight to the ministry center and anything they won't take goes in the garbage. Thanks, Charlie.

What I Do is about an hour before the end
I Start putting Free signs up.

Remove what I Wont let go for free
to one table

afterwords let everything sit till somone comes and takes it.
some people are nervous about taking free stuff in front of you
and will wait till you disappear.

I Hear In some areas FREE Signs are a Deterrant & it's
better to put prices on the stuff so they can think
they are stealing.

 

[savant365]

Jeff, I know exactly what you mean...A friend of mine set a refrigerator out with a "free" sign on it and no one picked it up for 2 days. He put a sign on it for $25 and it disappeared in the middle of the night, LOL.

 

[jeff of pa]

Clothes & Tools
are the Easiest things to give away for Free at yard sales.

We've Had young Girls come back with help
to Load up.

And not having to Help put it away till
Next year Helps Me

 

[savant365]

Oh there ain't gonna be no "putting it up 'til next year" my girls are leaving thier clothes in laundry baskets 'cause their dressers are full of clothes they can't (or won't) wear. Whatever doesn't sell or get stolen isn't coming back in the house.

 

[Lowbatts]

Good job, the "gotta go" mindset will get the stuff sold, just for a few bucks less in the total jar than firm bagain powers.

I pick up computers and monitors in the trash, always find kids to give them to by the end of sale day if no one buys them. Always have them on and running too. Found a complete trampoline in neighbor's trash they could not sell. Put it up in the yard, first group with kids that came by bought it for 75 bucks.

 

[Monty]

NEVER let anyone come into your house for any reason!! They often case a house for a later burglary or help themselves to your personal things when you are not watching them. Poor old lady and daughter came into my Mom's house once for a drink of water for the old lady. Mom lost her garage sale money and some jewelry. Don't let it happen to you. Monty

 

[Cachefinder]

Collect as many plastic bags that you can - grocery store kinds

With 1 hour left put the bags out and for $2 or $3
whatever you can get into the bag you get.(let the customers fill the bags)

This way this is a lot less to clean up after--beats taking it to
Goodwill and you get 2 or 3 bucks a bag


Cachefinder-

 

[retiree]

Do price everything. You will lose sales by not doing so. You're going to be busy with transactions, answering random questions and dealing with folks who just want to jibber-jabber, and many folks will leave rather than stand in line just to ask "how much do you want for this?"
Making up prices throughout the sales day is a bad idea. You want the stuff gone and even if someone talks you down at least neither of you are wasting time without an idea of a base price.
Make sure to start the day with plenty of change and lower denomination bills. It's way too common for your first customer to ask you break a $50 for a 75¢ item.

I agree. And be ready to haggle. If you have something marked $1.00 they'll ask if you will take .50. If it's marked .50 they'll ask for .25.