Seven Steps to a Great Yard Sale

There are as many ways to hold a yard sale as there are reasons to hold one. I want to help you have the most successful yard sale possible. You can review advice on many websites and books, but I am going to share what has worked for me over the years. I have had many very successful sales, including one that broke $1,000 (with low-dollar items). I have even organized and hosted yard sales for other people.

Why would you want to have a yard sale in the first place? A very common reason is because of an upcoming move. Getting rid of excess stuff means less packing, less loading, and less hassle. It also makes it easier to fit into a smaller home or make a new home feel more spacious. You don’t have to be moving, though, to decide to clean out your belongings. Getting rid of those items that no longer have a place in your home can be a freeing experience as many of you have seen over the past month.

The primary reason, though, for holding a yard sale is to make a little money. Before you get too excited, remember that the price someone else is willing to pay for your stuff is not going to be anywhere near the original purchase price and may not even be that close to what you deem it to be worth. The general rule of thumb is that you can get 10 cents on the dollar, although there are a few exceptions.

First Step: SORT

The process of sorting through your possessions takes time. If possible, plan a few months in advance of your yard sale. As the participants in the Cut the Crap challenge have found, going through your home is a time-consuming and often emotionally exhausting task, best done in small chunks.

Over the past month, thought, we’ve steadily worked our way through the entire house, sorting through every drawer, closet, cabinet, and shelf. Did you remember to consider furniture? Perhaps you need to get rid of a couple pieces of furniture that don’t work and replace them with one that does. Once you finished with the house, you did the same thing with your garage, workshop, sheds, and storage units.

Once you've accumulated everything you don't want to keep, make sure there is enough to make it worth the time and effort of holding a yard sale. My experience is that people will drive on by if there is a skimpy selection of goods.


Second Step: PRICE IT RIGHT

Now that you know the types of things you will be selling, check out other yard sales. Don’t be rude or obvious, and do be willing to buy a little something if you really want it. You want to see what the going prices are in your area. You can also check thrift stores, although I’ve found that thrift stores usually charge about twice what you can expect to get at a yard sale. (They have the advantage of drawing in far more customers.)

Pay attention to what people are selling, as well. Different cities and neighborhoods can vary drastically. For instance, we lived in one small town with older houses where many people did their own remodeling. When we offered items from the garage such as tools, leftover paint, tiles and grout, and hardware, these sold very quickly. At another yard sale, in a nice neighborhood with newer homes in a big city, none of these things sold. The residents there hired contractors for this kind of work, and those contractors didn’t go to yard sales in the nicer neighborhoods because they didn’t expect to find handyman supplies there.

Before you start pricing your wares, take a good look at what you have. You may be able to take some of your items to stores to sell or trade for a better price than you’d get in your yard sale. The disadvantage to this tact is that it is time-consuming. If you frequent these stores anyway, though, it may be worth the time and effort. Used bookstores and clothing stores usually give better trade credit than cash, although you may still get more cash from them than from a yard sale. Books and clothes are generally sold very cheap at yard sales. If you have any antiques, check with the antique dealers in your area. At the very least, you’ll then recognize them when they show up at your yard sale.

You’re ready to start pricing. Clear a large table to work on and unload one box or bag at a time. Make sure everything is clean. If you can’t be bothered to clean something to sell it, the customers may assume you didn’t bother to maintain it well either. Spend a couple dollars on removable price stickers from the drug store or office supply store rather than using masking tape or writing directly on the item. It looks better and the buyers won’t have the inconvenience of trying to remove tape residue or ink. Hang tags work best for awkward items such as baskets and large items.

Based on your research, price your items reasonably. If you want to haggle, price things a bit high and be willing to come down. If you don’t, then price them lower and let people know the prices are firm. Yard sale prices are generally 10 cents on the dollar. If you purchased something for $5, expect to sell it for about 50 cents. Power tools go for about 25 cents on the dollar, though. Depending on the condition, furniture sells for up to 25 cents on the dollar. I don’t price anything under a quarter. You can bag several small things together for a quarter rather than charging a dime each.

As you finish pricing, pack everything back in the boxes. It helps to group like items together so that you can set up rapidly and efficiently on the morning of the yard sale. If you have breakables, be sure to protect them. For some items, it is more convenient to make a sign rather than to price each individual item. Make a clear sign and tape it to the table in front of the display. For instance, you might want a sign indicating that all paperback books are 50 cents each and all hardbacks are $1 each. Clothing can be priced by type with jeans one price, shirts another, and jackets a bit more. Put these signs, and a roll of tape, in the box with these items.


Third Step: PICK THE RIGHT DAY

Selecting the right day for your yard sale can make or break it. Weekends are best. You can do any combination of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. My experience has taught me that holding the yard sale on Saturday only gives me the best pay-off for the effort. As a yard sale customer, I often avoid yard sales that run Friday and Saturday. If I couldn’t get there on Friday, I figure a lot of the best stuff is already gone. On the other hand, dealers may be more likely to come on a Friday than on a Saturday. With every Saturday-Sunday yard sale I have done, no matter what the size of the community, Sunday has been a bust. Sales have generally been only 10% of the first day. To me, that’s simply not worth the effort. Other people have had successful multi-day sales, but I no longer hold them or recommend them.

If, however, you just want to hang out with the friends that are helping you , and none of you mind not selling much the second day, go for it. Make sure you don’t go into the red with the cost of the pizza delivery, though. This actually brings up an important point. You need to make advance arrangements for meals on the day of your sale. Your morning will be rushed setting up to open in time and you may not have time to get lunch. If you plan to send someone out for food, remember to avoid blocking your vehicle in by the yard sale.

Select a weekend when people will be likely to attend your yard sale. Holiday weekends are a poor choice because many people leave town. Special events in town, or even big games on TV, can decrease the number of people checking out your sale. Weather is another consideration. Snowy winter weather that keeps people off the streets won’t be the best time for a yard sale. The late summer months in my area can be risky due to high temperatures and unpredictable thunderstorms. Windy conditions are very challenging, but won’t be an issue if you are able to set up in a carport or garage.

For a couple of weeks before your sale, check ads to see what time most yard sales are starting. Start your yard sale as early as possible. You want to get customers while they are fresh and before they’ve spent all their money at other yard sales. Decide how late you will run your yard sale. Check ads to see the average ending time and cruise around some yard sales in the afternoon to see if they are still doing much business. This will be a long day and, trust me, you will not want to be sitting there with no customers by the end of the sale.


Fourth Step: ADVERTISE

No one is going to show up for your yard sale if they don’t know about it. Newspaper ads used to be fairly cheap, but the past few years have seen a large increase in their prices, putting it out of range for the average yard sale. Luckily, there are free options for advertising your sale.

Signs are one of the best ways to draw in customers. Make your signs ahead of time. You’ll need at least one sign in front of your house. Place it where it will be visible to people driving by, and if possible, still visible if a car or two is parked in front of your home. Put signs on the nearest street corners at either end of your street, as well as at the nearest major streets. Be consistent in making your signs. If you use colored poster board, use the same color for all the signs. You can use different size boxes as long as the information is clear. Use a thick black magic marker to make your signs. A pen, pencil, or fine point marker will not make a sign that is clear enough for a driver to see.

A sign that just says “Yard Sale” with an arrow in the appropriate direction is often enough. You can add the street address in smaller but legible print, and the times/day of the sale, too. If you are using boxes, remember to write on all sides that face traffic. If you are posting a sign, make sure it is clear from both sides of the street. Do not put the signs up until the morning of your sale, and be sure to remove them promptly after your sale ends. Be aware that some cities do not allow posting any kind of private sign on public property.

Post a notice for your yard sale on craigslist a few days before your sale, listing the general location and teasers about what you’ll be selling. List unique items, popular items for your area, and plentiful things. Furniture is almost always a draw. Depending on your area, bikes, tools, children’s stuff, and movies may be as well. Repost the ad on the morning of the sale with the exact address. This will help prevent anyone from pestering you ahead of time.


Fifth Step: DISPLAY

Where you set up requires a balance between convenience for you and convenience for the customer. Closer to the street makes your sale more visible. This can leave you exposed, though, to weather elements - an important consideration on a hot summer’s day, windy fall day, or misty winter day. A covered carport or garage is often far more convenient for you. To draw in customers, be sure to have good signs and put large items out front for high visibility. A garage has the added advantage of allowing you to set everything up the night before and lock the door.

Displays are as important in a yard sale as they are in a store. Customers need to see what you have to sell. Make it as easy for them as possible. Put items at eye level and waist level. If possible, avoid displaying anything small on the ground. Furniture and large heavy pieces are fine, but many people don’t want to squat to rummage through a pile of clothes or a box of miscellaneous crap. Card tables and 6’ tables work great for yard sale set-ups. Borrow them if you don’t own any (check with your church). It might be worth it to rent large tables if you have a large amount of high value items. Bookcases or metal shop shelves work well for displays. If possible, hang all clothing on hangers. A clothes rack works well, but even a clothesline strung tautly between two trees will work.

Well-organized displays make it easier for people to spot items they might want to buy. When you have a lot of miscellaneous small things, try to group them as much as possible. Arrange like items together by use: kitchen, office, crafts, tools & hardware, linens, art & décor, books, movies & music, etc. Be sure to run an extension cord out to your display so that people can test electric appliances and tools. If you have the original manuals, put it with the item for sale.

I prefer not to sell jewelry at yard sales because of the high theft potential. However, you can minimize this by putting the display near you. Some people pin them to an upright corkboard display. I generally poke holes in a 3x5 card (or a piece of paperboard from an empty cereal box) to display earrings or string a necklace through. The price can be written on the card and it’s bulky enough to be hard to pocket easily.


Sixth Step: SELL, SELL, SELL

On the last business day before your sale, go to the bank and get adequate change. You’ll need plenty of quarters, singles, fives, and some tens. I have never run out of change with a roll of quarters, 40 ones, 10 fives, and 3 tens ($130 total). Make a note of your starting cash so you know how much you made at the end of the day.

Don’t keep too much money on your person during the day. I find it best to have two people working a yard sale. They don’t have to be out at the same time, but it helps to have someone available to spell you for bathroom breaks, and a lunch break. At these times, you can get more change if you need it or stash excess cash in the house. I’ve found wearing a fanny pack is more secure than trying to keep track of a cash box. Quarters are in one pouch and the bills in another. The bills are in order so I can reach in very quickly and discreetly for change. It is also a good idea to use a counterfeit detector pen on the larger bills. Yard sales are a handy place for people to dump counterfeit bills.

I never accept checks at a yard sale. Most people realize that checks are not acceptable payment at yard sales, but you may be asked. If you are willing to take the risk of losing the money, you can take a check. What I offer, instead, is to hold their items up to 30 minutes to give them time to get to a bank to withdraw cash. Make sure they know you will only hold the items for 30 minutes. You don’t want to be stuck with their stuff if they change their minds and don’t come back. You might also want to give them a slip of paper with your address on it so they remember where they were.

Allow plenty of time in the morning to get completely set up before your yard sale opening time. Factor in time to wake up, have a bite to eat, and get dressed. Have everything for the yard sale ready to go by the nearest door to where you will be setting up. Don’t bury your display tables behind all your boxes. The tables are the first things that need to go outside. Then bring out the boxes and unload as rapidly as possible. If everything is already grouped together, this will be a fast process. Your largest problem, most likely, will be running out of space to display everything you have. Emergency display surfaces include a sheet of plywood on two sawhorses or stacks of bricks, or large boxes turned upside down. Make sure boxes are secure and only put lightweight items on them.

You may get early birds. If you are still setting up, you really can’t devote much energy to helping them or keeping an eye on your stuff. Early birds can be discouraged by putting a note in your yard sale ad “No early birds”, blocking off your driveway with your vehicle or rope until you open, or just asking people to come back at the opening time. Just as you want customers to respect your starting time, you need to respect them by being ready to open at that time. Nothing is more annoying to a customer than arriving at a yard sale during a carefully planned day and finding the person just beginning to set things up. Annoyed customers don’t spend money.

You may want to have a chair to sit in during the slow times or when you need a rest. You may even have time for a sip of water or hot chocolate if you’ve planned ahead and have a water bottle or thermos beside your chair.

As the day progresses, rearrange what you have left for best display. Fill in gaps and spread things out to be more visible. Knock down prices if necessary. In the last hour or so, I will often tell people to “Make any offer” so that I can unload what’s left. It’s up to you whether to accept them. I have given things away dirt cheap at the end of the day.

Keep your animals in the house. While you may have the nicest dog in the world, some people just don't like dogs. And, as I experienced at one yard sale I visited, it was really annoying when the seller's parrot climbed up my pants leg.

One last caution for yard sale day: lock your house. This is not just to protect your things from the people coming to your yard sale. This is to protect your things from YOU. In the excitement of seeing things selling, you may be tempted to run in the house to find more stuff to sell, stuff that you will later regret selling on the spur of the moment. Don’t do it.


Seventh Step: DISPOSE OF THE LEFTOVERS

When you’ve closed up your sale, you have to decide what you are going to do with the things you did not sell. You may think you’d be tempted to take them back in your house again, but surprisingly, this is rarely the case. You already went through the difficult sorting process, the pricing, and then seeing it sit on a table all day. At this point, you’re likely to realize that you have completely let go of this item. It no longer appeals to you.

So, what do you do with it? You can box it all up and donate it to a local charity. I’ve found afternoons aren’t great for sales, so I typically close up by 1 or 2 pm. This gives me time to drop off donations before they close. You may want to sort through your things, though, and donate to several charities. For instance, we take blankets to dog shelters, books to the Friends of the Library bookstore, and women’s clothing to shelters.

If you have some really nice or big-ticket items that didn’t sell, you can try other venues such as craigslist, a consignment or resale store, or an ad in the paper. Be sure to do this promptly though! Set a time limit for getting rid of these things.

On Monday morning, deposit your money in the bank. You can find out how well you did with very simple math. Total cash at the end of sale minus the starting cash minus any expenses (paid ads, price tags, marker, counterfeit detector pen) = profit. Less crap in your house: priceless.