Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Yard Sale Success Tips
By Agatha Curtis Most of us like to go to yard sales. We find bargains, oddities, and necessities. On the other hand, we really don’t enjoy having yard sales. They can be hard work, time consuming, and frustrating. We’re going to give you several tips to help you have the best yard sale ever. MERCHANDISE First, make sure you have enough items to justify your time and trouble. If you have only 3 boxes of clothes and 1 box of toys, maybe you could join with a friend who is planning a yard sale at their house. When it comes to merchandise, more is better. Weed out the items that don’t work, are stained or are broken, and put them in a big box labeled FREE. Customers are put off by clothing that is missing buttons, torn, or stained with paint, etc. Not too many folks can repair small household appliances anymore, more’s the pity. However, these items make great eye catchers and create instant goodwill when they are free. Plus, it saves hauling them off or loading up your trash can. This is especially good for those leftover partial cans of paint. Variety is also good. In our area, furniture is always a big draw. Canvas your neighbors and family. Maybe you don’t have any furniture you want to part with, but your mom may have an old recliner she would like to sell. The family next door may be trying to find a home for their old kitchen table. Think about what sells well in your area and try to incorporate those items into your sale to draw more customers. Once they’re there, who knows what they might decide to buy? PRICING If you have a lot of items for your sale (and I hope you do), pricing can be a big chore. Most people use masking tape or stickers for each item and write on the price and possibly the name or initials of person selling when there are several contributors. Try taking a hint from Goodwill. They tag their items with little plastic colored strips and then put a sign by the front door, telling you what color is on sale for the week. We suggest using a variation of their method. Pick 4 or 5 colors and assign a price to each color. Make a poster showing which color = which price. Obviously, some items will have to be priced individually, but maybe you can price most items by color coding. You can staple, tape, or rubberband the colored paper to your item. Construction paper is pretty cheap and allows you to choose the size of the price tag. Or, you can buy the colored stickers (in the office supply section at the store.) Don’t overprice your items. Nothing turns off buyers faster. If your clothing items are in really good shape, you paid a lot for them and you don’t want to sell them for $1 - $2, take them to a consignment shop or sell them on EBay. On the other hand, don’t underprice either. If you’re not sure what your price should be, do a little searching online or ask friends and family for advice. DISPLAYING MERCHANDISE If you don’t have enough tables or shelves, try to borrow some. Or make shelves from boards lying across chairs or sturdy boxes. Get as many items up within arm reach as possible. Some of your customers are going to get tired of bending or stooping down to look in all those boxes. Some may be physically unable to do so. You’ll lose business. Sheets or blankets on the ground work well for kid’s toys and books. Keep fragile and expensive items close to your checkout area, away from the children and the hustle bustle of the crowd. If you have to use boxes, sort by type--baby clothes, men’s clothing, books, etc. SIGNS After 30 years (off and on) of having yard sales, we had a new idea about signs. Make yours in the shape of an arrow, a fat one. Use bright, eye catching colors and use the same colors for all signs. Make your lettering large and easy to read. Don’t put too much information--your address and day/date/time of sale should be enough. Using 2 colors will make your signs stand out from the crowd; red and yellow, pink and green, whatever you like. Use big, bold, dark lettering that can be easily read from passing cars. Finally, be sure to go back out and take down your signs as soon as your yard sale is over. You may be able to reuse them and you’ll keep the “sign police” happy. SHARE THE FUN If you can, work with your neighbors to plan a community yard sale. Who wouldn’t want to save time and gas by finding 4 or 5 yards sales within walking distance? Not only will you draw more buyers, you can share the cost of advertising (if you use ads), share the cost of permits (if your town requires one), and you’ll be able to shop your neighbor’s sales for goodies! REFRESHMENTS Unfortunately, we have never had much success over the years with selling refreshments at our yard sales. The kids always wanted to do this in some form or fashion, lemonade, cookies, fudge, and so on. I have only a couple of tips in this area. Try selling cold bottled water or cans of pop. If you buy the kind your family drinks anyway, you’re not out any extra money for what doesn’t sell. If your kids want to earn some money by selling rice krispy treats or something they can help make, I think it helps them to learn the value of working to make money. You may have to prepare a Plan 2 in case their goodies don’t sell. I’m pretty sure my family and friends were the buyers of most of these goodies over the years. Who could resist kids or candy? ORGANIZE Before you decide to have your sale, sit down and plan out the details. Make a list of chores that would need to be done to get you set up and running on the day. Don’t forget the following: 1) Lots of change, especially one dollar bills. Cash only—No checks is a good rule 2) Chairs for you and your helpers 3) Secure cash box or maybe an apron with pockets? 4) Make rain-day plans, just in case 5) Line up lots of helpers for set up and for take down and haul off—you really, really don’t need to do all of this by yourself 6) Breakfast, snacks, lunch for you and your helpers 7) Figure out the parking for customers and make sure your car isn’t blocked in 8) If haggling isn’t your thing, find a friend or relative to help you with the sale 9) Decide beforehand what you want to do with the sale leftovers. Have another sale, donate, or check out flea markets in your area. Maybe you could find a buyer for “one price takes all”. Be prepared with a price, just in case someone does make you an offer for all that is left. 10) Wear comfortable, warm, layered clothing and comfortable shoes. Keep a big cup of your favorite coffee, tea, or cocoa on hand for energy. 11) Don’t hover over your customers. Be available for questions or haggling, but most folks like to take their time and browse without feeling watched or pressured. On the other hand, if you see them pick up that tomato red bathrobe that you really want to see gone, don’t be afraid to let them know you’re willing to let them have a bargain if they’re interested in it. 12) After the sale is over and all leftovers have been disposed of one way or another, make sure you have kept the rest of the day free to collapse with a good book or movie and your favorite snack. You deserve it! |
posted by Krista at 7:53 PM
