Quick, what are some of the favorite past times for Americans?
If you named baseball, cook outs, and Disney vacations then you’d have picked three that definitely fit. Allow me to add a fourth choice — yard sales — the ubiquitous warm weather diversion favored by millions every weekend.
The Season For Sales
Yard sales, garage sales, estate sales, flea markets, et al, are held year ’round, but pick up noticeably when the weather turns warmer. Right now, many of your neighbors are sorting through their stuff to see which items they can get rid of in advance of their sales.
By no means am I someone who holds these types of sales, but I do attend them from time to time. After all, if someone has something that is in very good condition, such as yard tools, I’d rather buy it from him instead of paying full price at Home Depot.
Tips To Help Make Your Sale A Success
From a consumer’s perspective the following are some tips I’ve put together to help you move your stuff. You may not be able to make a living with a yard sale, but you could pull in some nice cash over the weekend.
Before you have a sale, make sure that you understand your community’s restrictions to these types of sales. Over the years some towns have put a limit on yard sales as they’ve become a traffic nightmare and an annoyance to neighbors. If you live in a planned community, your neighborhood association might even forbid yard sales.
Pick your dates wisely. This past Saturday, two of my neighbors had yard sales and they seemed to be busy. Despite being on the eve of Easter, they had a steady flow of traffic. On the other hand, having a sale on Easter Sunday wouldn’t have been considerate to their neighbors. Choose dates that don’t interfere with other attractions, but if you are on a road with a lot of traffic, event-goers could be your best customers.
Hold it early, end it early. Let’s face it: you’d prefer to sleep in on a Saturday, but if you can get out there early, even at 7 a.m., you’ll attract plenty of early-risers. The earlier you start, the earlier you can end your sale — who wants to work ’till 5 p.m. when you can end your sale at 1? Caution: your neighbors may not appreciate the early noise!
Be wise with advertising. Besides having excellent directional signs to your home and plenty of them, you’ll want to make use of your Craiglist, Backpage, or Kijiji listing. Each site is free and you’ll get plenty of traffic from all three. Local newspaper ads are virtually a thing of the past. Don’t forget to remove all signage once your sale concludes.
Coordinate with your neighbors. I’ve always appreciated when a neighbor mentioned ahead of time that they were holding a garage sale. This was helpful if I was planning to have family and friends over at the same time and parking was a premium. Besides, why not ask your neighbors if they want to hold their sale on the same day? The traffic numbers from multiple sales can be a bonus.
Price your stuff wisely. If you aren’t sure of the value of your items, research eBay and other sites to find out what they are selling for. You could have a diamond in the rough, an heirloom worth hundreds of dollars. Price everything accordingly and your items should move.
Of course, having plenty of change on hand, enough workers to help out, everything displayed easily, and a bargain bin available are some other good ideas which will ensure the success of your sale.
Yard sales are an American institution and if you are planning to move, they can be a great way to clean out the clutter.
Further Reading
How to Plan a Yard or Garage Sale
Resources
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