Best time of year to have a yard sale in WV?

Question

Early spring? I want to wait until next spring, but maybe I should just shoot for this summer, so I don't have too much stuff?

Answer 1

Im in NC.  Here, the BIG weekends are the the first couple of really nice warm weekends in the Spring.  The weekend of July 4th is big, unless of course as this year it falls on a friday (everyone gets drunk fri night, so sat morning they are all too drunk, passed out or hung over to even think about doing a sale the next day, or going to one.  And finally, the last weekends before school starts.  

However, here, any warm weekend is game.  You can even succesfully do one in the middle of winter if you've got the right stuff and prices!

Area economy has a lot do with when you should do a yard sale.  I mean here, times are hard, but not near as bad as in WV (I am from wv and my parents still live there).  So, In the dead of the heat, right after a big event, or the same weekend as another big event probably wont get many clients or sold items.

You are going to get the most people when there is literally nothing else to do in town.  That is when people will be out looking for something to do.

And ofcourse, the last couple weeks before school will be a good time as well, because people just cant afford to go to the mall right now to buy all that stuff.

If you have a lot of baby or kid items, put that on your signs.  Baby and kid items cost the absolute most brand new for the amount of time it is used.  Most people have a lot old baby/kid stuff that they dont need, but is still in great shape.

Also remember that the point of a yard sale is to get things out.  While hopefully the sale will give you profit, it wont make you rich.  You will sale more items and make more money over all with cheeper prices rather than demanding near full price because it is still unopened or with tags.  If you just cant part withit without getting enough money, then its better left to ebay or listing an ad somewhere.

Also, a large mistake people make along that line is pricing the item for what it means to them.  It has memories for you. You remember when you bought it, you have stories about your first date or whatever.  To you it means a lot and you price it for say 20 bucks.  Well, it doesnt mean all those things to someone else.  To them, its just a cool item that might have the possibility to make memories of their own.  If they get it cool, but they arent loosing anything by leaving it.  You wont sell it at 20 bucks, but would at 10 or maybe even 15.

Dont plan on selling big ticket items at a yard sale.  For example, where I am most people dont even carry more than 50$ when they go out to yard sale.  If you have a big ticket item, you are going to get lots of promises to come back with the full amount if you will hold it.  My advice is...  dont hold anything.  Dont accept deposits.  Dont promise it.  It goes to the person with cash.  I dont care if you will bve back in 2 minutes, it goes to the first person who can provide the cash, and your promise of returning isnt cash.  If you do hold items, you will find that several others will ask about it, you will say you already sold it, and they never return.

If you choose to hold the item with full payment (until they come back with a truck)  give them a receipt, and put a time limit on it.  So if they say they will be there tomarrow by noon, if its not gone by the end of the day, you keep the money and the item.  Some people will call that unfair, but it will ensure that the only person who is going to buy it is going to be someone that wont give you a head ache, they will be there when they say they will be.  Dealing with no shows is the biggest head ache.