The process of moving is obviously made easier if you can reduce the number of items you need to move. One way to go about doing this is throwing a garage or yard sale. The following are some helpful tips to follow to make your yard sale as successful and profitable as possible.
Pay Attention to the Time
In general, yard sales are most successful when thrown in either late spring or early fall, but summer is also a great time for them. As far as the time of week, aim for a day when most people will be off work and thus free to come browse your sale. This means planning a weekend sale. Saturdays are ideal, but some people have found success holding yard sales over two days, either Saturday and Sunday or Friday and Saturday. Plan to start your garage sale early in the day. In the summer, this is vital as early morning temperatures are much more manageable when it comes to being outside in the sun.
Don’t Eliminate Any Item As a Potential Sale
Although it might seem like junk or trash to you, don’t underestimate what someone will buy. Attempt to sale anything! Of course, be honest if an item is broken, but go ahead and place it in the sale, you never know who might be interested. It is often items you never expect to get interest that sale the fastest.
Advertise Your Sale
You can advertise your yard sale on social media, as well as posting signs around your neighborhood and posting on community message boards. Consider including some details about your sale on signs/ads when possible. For example, list the hours, dates and location of your sale, but also include an overview of the items you will have. This will give people an idea of what type of items you will have on hand. You don’t have to make a complete list, just highlights. Also, make sure the day of the sale that you have plenty of directional signs hanging in your neighborhood, guiding potential buyers to your house. People will often give up on finding you if they aren’t sure where you are once turning into your neighborhood, so make sure there are balloons, signs, arrows, whatever is necessary to guide the way.
Prepare For Your Sale
Once you have all your items gathered, begin prepping them for your garage sale. If you are selling lots of clothing items, ask around and see if you can borrow a garment rack and hang items up. If you don’t have access to this, rig something to hang clothing items up so they can easily be perused, don’t simply lay them in piles. Also, make sure as many items as possible have stickers or labels, showing their price. Buyers will get tired of asking you the price for each item if you don’t label them ahead of time. To avoid having to price each item individually, you can group items in boxes, baskets, hampers, etc. and select a price for everything in the box. Also, make sure you have adequate change on hand for customers who need it.
Get Rid of It All
Have a plan in mind on where to donate unsold items and remember that anything you don’t sell will be donated at the end of the day. Therefore, is someone wants to haggle with you on a price, go ahead and take the offer (within reason) because otherwise you will have to haul the item away at the end of the day and make no profit on it.
These tips will ensure you are ready for a profitable yard sale to reduce the amount of items you will need to move.