- Tip # 1 - PREP: Start accumulating the items you want to sell NOW. Over the course of the next few weeks, pull items to be sold whenever you have a couple of free hours and create a landing spot for all those items in your garage.
- A week before the sale, after you receive your seller packet, start organizing, sorting, and pricing.
- The day before the sale, create a plan for what is going to go where and then group everything so that you can move it out into the driveway in an organized manner.
- Tip # 2 - PRICING: The price should be on top of an item, not on the bottom. The general rule of thumb for pricing is 50-30-10: NEW, unused items = 50% of their retail cost; SLIGHTLY USED items = 30% of retail; and USED items = 10% of retail.
- Have a calculator handy for totaling up purchases. Make it easy for yourself to total items by pricing things evenly e.g. 25c, 50c, $1, $2 etc.
- If you’re selling books, CDs, or other small items, try a “Buy 1, Get 1!” or similar package deal. For customers, this feels like a great deal (so they buy more) AND all of that stuff you don’t want anymore goes away.
- Expect that some buyers will expect you to bargain with them. If it's early in the morning and you don't want to bargain, just say "I think it's worth that price. I may lower the price later in the day if it doesn't sell."
- CHANGE: have lots of coins and small bills available to make change. Do not leave your money laying around in a box. We will be providing aprons for you to keep your money in, and as the sale continues you may want to move some of the larger bills to a safe location in your home. We suggest you get 2 rolls of quarters, 50 $1 bills, 10 $5 bills, and 5 $10 bills.
- You might be tempted to not price things (so much easier!), and just let people come up and ask about the price — but trust us, this is not a great idea. Some people if there are no prices on things, will turn around and leave, because the thought of asking a price or haggling for every single item they want is just too stressful. You may miss out on sales by not pricing.
- At the end of the sale, if you want to get rid of things, mark everything down to insane prices (e.g. $1 for a box of books, $5 for a box of DVDs).
- Tip # 3 - LOGISTICS & STAGING: Being organized at your sale will help you to sell more. Try these suggestions to help your sale run smoothly:
- When selling books and CDs - arrange in a box so the titles can be easily read by the customers.
- Display some of your more interesting items at the end of your driveway to act as a magnet to lure people in. Some people will just drive by slowly and take a quick look to determine if it looks worthwhile to stop.
- Have plastic grocery bags available to put sold items in. If selling breakables, have newspaper available to wrap fragile items.
- If you are selling electrical appliances, have an electrical outlet handy or a long extension cord. Remember - put the cord away when not in use so you don't create a tripping hazard. [Important: we suggest you don’t allow shoppers in your house, either to try out appliances or try on clothes, etc. If they need to use a restroom, give them directions to a local store like CVS or Panera Bread.]
- Tip # 4 - ENLIST HELP: Putting on a yard sale is a labor intensive undertaking. If you have friends or family who can help you set up, work the crowd, man the cash “register”, or run other errands, we would highly recommend it. The extra sets of hands will be well worth splurging on pizza, donuts, coffee etc, to say thank you. If you have young children, you may also want to consider asking a friend or relative to watch your kids so you can focus your full attention on making sales!
- Tip # 5 - TREATS: It might be fun to have your children help out with your sale. Why not let them get in on the money making lesson by selling homemade cookies, brownies, donuts, muffins, coffee, or lemonade? You’ll be shocked at how much money they make!
