Having a yard sale is a great way to turn clutter into cash. Whether that clutter comes from your garage, basement, attic or closet you can generate some quick money by offering it up for sale. What you first have to embrace is that the stuff you’re getting rid of is no longer of any value to you. That means any money you get would be “bonus money.” Also, you’re never going to get what you originally paid for the item. It just doesn’t happen. Armed with those concepts, you’re ready to move forward and make your yard sale a success. Here’s how:
Pick a Good Date
Obviously, Saturday is the prime day for a yard sale but don’t discount Sunday. One thing you might want avoid is landing on a holiday weekend. There will already be enough going on with most folks and they won’t have time to devote to yard sales. It will also help to look forward with regard to the weather. Any slight chance of rain should be cause to reschedule.
Pull Everything Together
If you’re going to put a few things up for sale, then put up a lot. The more you can put on your lawn or driveway, the more it will draw a crowd. By that logic, you might also want to ask your neighbor if they want to hold a yard sale on the same day. The more the merrier!
Advertise
No, you won’t be taking out a television commercial for your yard sale. Instead, let the internet do the marketing work for you. Sites like Craigslist or Yard Sale Search are perfect places to post your sale. It takes a few minutes but you’ll find that a lot of yard sale shoppers uses these sites to plan out their weekends.
Advertising also means creating your own signs to post around the neighborhood end at the end of the block. Foam-board works better than poster board. And be sure the signs are easy to read from a distance. Also, any sign you put up, needs to come down at the end of the sale.
Get Change
Yard sales are a cash business. Don’t be surprise if someone wants to pay a dollar for a pair of shoes with a fifty-dollar bill. Be sure to have plenty of cash in a secure cash box. Unless you have someone who is working as your cashier, then you should carry that cash box with you wherever you go.
Finally, be prepared to have “leftovers.” You won’t be able to sell off everything. At the end of the day, you could put up “free” signs on things but that is still no guarantee it will be gone. At this point you either have to trash everything you couldn’t sell or donate it to a thrift store. The last thing you want to do is bring it back into the house. That defeats the purpose!
