Guide To Having A Yard or Garage Sale

So your ready to have a yard sale, Great. Are you now scratching your head wondering what's involved? Well you've come to the right place.

You'll need supplies
If you don't already have these items below the Dollar type stores are a great place to buy the supplies you'll need for your sale on the cheap. Look for these items.
Poster Board or cardboard boxes (For The Signs)
Multi-colored stickers for prices
Tags with the string attached
Permanent marker or pen
Balloons

Other supplies:
Paper or plastic bags
Tables
Large plastic tarp(s)
It takes money to make money. You'll need something like $20.00 in one dollar bills. A few $5 and $10 bills. A roll of quarters and a few dollars worth of nickels and dimes. If the lowest priced items your selling is .25¢ then you won't need any 5¢ or 10¢ change.
Rule of thumb, if your selling more items under a dollar you'll need more change, if you have more higher priced items then you'll need more paper bills.

Planning stage:
This really depends on how much you procrastinate (put things off till later).
A week before the sale start pricing your items and group them together. Something like toys in one box, kitchen items in another etc. With antiques it's best to use those tags with the string. Putting a price sticker on an antique could make a buyer challenge the price. Also don't use a magic marker to write the price on your items.

With a garage sale, set up tables inside your garage and arrange your items by type. Place the items you'll put outside by the door. Anything you don't plan to sell cover it with plastic. With a yard sale put your items in boxes.

It's time to advertise. On a piece of paper write down the intersections where you'll post your signs, this also helps after the sale when you go and take the signs down. On your sign in big letters say something like Yard Sale or Garage Sale, put your address below and draw an arrow to show the direction of your sale. On the back of each sign in small print write down the address where you will post the sign. This makes it fast and easy to get the signs up on the day of your sale.

Take an ad out in your local paper. Put some keywords in your ad. The words antiques, name brand clothes, electronics will bring in more people earlier. If you don't want people showing up two hours before the sale make sure you say No Early Birds in your ad. Most people will will respect your wishes but you may still get a few die hard shoppers that push the envelope. Two to three days before the sale put an ad on your local Craigslist. If you place your ad too soon some people will forget or overlook your Craigslist ad. It's also a good idea to place another ad the night before the sale.

Get your money ready. Get your bills and change for the sale and put this aside. All you need is to be rushing the morning of the sale only to notice you only have a few nickels in your pocket.

Make a sign that says your not responsible for accidents and all sales are final. Place this sign in a conspicuous place so everyone can see it.


The day before the sale:
Look over your items. You may notice some items not marked or the price needs to be adjusted. Check your money. Do you have enough to get the sale going. Blow up some balloons. With your signs punch a hole in the bottom and tie a balloon or two to the sign (use a string to connect the balloon to the sign). If you use helium for your balloons you can put the hole on top of the sign. Place an ad on Craigslist. You can also take a few pictures of your items and add it to your Craigslist ad. Pictures pictures pictures, everyone likes pictures.

Get everyone that's going to help with the sale on the same page. Let everyone know what items your willing to take less for and what items are firm on the price. You don't want someone accepting $5.00 on your $50.00 stereo do you?
Set your alarm and get a good night sleep.

The Day Of The Sale:
Wake up early and eat some breakfast, you'll need your energy. If you haven't done so already get your signs posted. For garage sales, open your garage door and start moving items outside.
With yard sales you'll sweat a little. With a yard sale you'll need to start getting things set up earlier because there's more work involved. Get your tables or plastic tarp(s) set up and start bringing out the boxes. By now you should have a few buyers pulling up. Have one person handle the money and interact with the buyers. Have everyone else get the items for sale out and arranged.
Turn on a radio and play some soft music, mark the radio Not For Sale, unless your selling it.
Let the customers know you have paper/plastic bags if they need them. The more items they can put in bags means the more money you'll make.
Safety tip, pull your window shades down and lock your doors.
Don't forget to put out a Free box, people like Free.


After The Sale:
Bring any items not sold back inside. You can donate any leftover items or post them on Freecycle. Get that piece of paper with the locations of where you posted the signs and take the signs down.

Now that you had your sale is there anything else you can do? Sure there is. Stop by our Yard Sale Strategies Forum and let us know how your sale went.

Have a safe Sale.