To have a successful yard/garage sale, what must you do?

Question

I want to have a very good garage sale so I can make some extra money. What should I sell and how should I go in doing so? And if I have extra things I dont need, should I sell them to a shop that would buy them, sell them in a garage sale, or on craigslist/ebay?

Answer 1

A few different- but easy- things can be done to help attract folks to your yard sale. Here are my top ten:

1. Placement and look of advertising the yard sale.

Make some *nice* signs on your home computer that can be easily readable from the street. Bright yellow or orange with black text are more eye-catching than white. Use a simple font in all caps. Make the sign as large as possible and make *at least* 10. No sign will help if you've got 2 signs posted at the top of your street only. Post one at your local supermarket, at busy intersections, places where a lot of people will see it. In my experience, yard sales are frequented more by women and older people, so go to places that appeal to those groups. Find the closest telephone pole to those places and place your big, clear sign. Be sure to include your address AND the closest, most known intersection. Such as "123 River St. just off of 57th Ave." Sometimes giving a main, more well-known street will attract people who may not know how close they are to your address.

2. If possible, allow for parking.

The number one reason many people don't stop for a yard sale is because there's nowhere to park. If necessary, hold the sale at a friend's house and offer them 20 or 30 bucks for their generosity. You'll more than make up for it by getting more visitors. If you know of a nearby parking lot (less than a block would be necessary), have a sign pointing to it right near your sale. something like "PARKING- 1 block up on 58th street!"

3. Organize the sale items.

People will be more opt to buy if they can find what they're looking for in the same place. Plus, if someone is buying a cd, for instance, they may want to buy more. So keep them all together. Make small signs for each table saying what's there. Make sure all the clothing, jackets, raingear, etc is together and not all over the yard. Keep all the music together, keep the toys or books together, etc. Be sure to label everything clearly with price. Or at least have a sign that reads, 'everything on this table is $1!" or something. The more organized the better. You want it to look like a store as much as possible.

4. Clean your items.

Don't offer anything for sale that isn't at least halfway clean. If some guy tried to sell me a toy for my kid that had crud all over it, I probably wouldn't buy it. Cleaner stuff looks newer and you'll get a better price for it and you'll be more likely to sell it.

5. Don't be greedy.

One of the biggest reasons people don't make money is because they overprice their items. It's a yard sale-- people aren't going to buy something for 50 dollars used that they can get at the store brand new for 70. They'd pay the extra 20 bucks for something new. Keep the prices low on most stuff like cds, clothes, toys, etc. Brand-new or like-new items can go for more but be willing to negotiate. A friend of mine has been trying to sell his huffy bike for 2 years and has gotten a lot of offers but he refuses to sell for less than full price. taking less is better than not getting anything at all. For things like cds-- i wouldn't charge more than 1-2 dollars. Used clothing, unless it's designer name, I'd keep within 5-8 dollars. jackets and coats can be more but if it's something you don't even remember paying for, don't feel bad about only getting a 5 dollar offer-- that's 5 bucks more than you had yesterday.

6. Be friendly and dress decently.

Just like at any store, you want to be polite and clean looking. I wouldn't want to buy clothes from someone who looks like they have bugs, looks like a psycho drug-addict or smells like BO. Being friendly and going out of your way will help a lot, too.

7. Have bags for purchases.

Go to your local grocery store and, if possible, go through their self-checkout line. Sneak some extra plastic bags into your groceries. Use them for people buying more than a few things. People like not having to juggle between their wallets and the things they're buying.

8. Have change ready and keep all money with you.

NEVER let it out of your site.There are professional scammers out their who look for yard sales. They work in teams. One person asks you to show them how something works, getting you away from your table or something while the other person steals the money box. Keep the money close to you at all times. Keep your eyes open for people who seem shifty or are wearing baggy clothes with pockets.

9. Offer extra services if possible.

For instance, if you see an elderly person who admires a desk you have, but they can't lift it or move it. Offer to use your own truck to bring it to them for an extra fee. Some people, especially women, will often pay an extra 20 dollars if it means they don't have to worry about trying to get it into their cars or getting it home. Or offer to keep merchandise overnight if they can't pick it up that day. Ask for a 10% downpayment to assure that they'll come back to get it (this protects you from s

Answer 2

get something you dont need but not junk

Answer 3

sell good stuff not just junk. Also have your neighbors do it on the same day.