Hold a Yard Sale to Clean Out and Earn Extra Cash

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There are numerous good reasons to hold a yard sale. Besides a way to make extra money at home, a garage yard sale is the perfect solution for how to get rid of "stuff" causing your garage and closets to bulge at the seams.

Yard sale, rummage sale, and flea market shopping has become a favorite pastime for many a bargain hunter. Whether looking for merchandise offered at yard sale pricing for the deal of a lifetime, or to re-sell later at a profit.

Spring cleaning is a great time to collect and sell used items no longer needed; to raise extra cash, and clean out the house, all in one clean sweep. However, holding a yard sale or rummage sale takes careful planning, advertising, and organization in order to be a success.

Yard Sale Advice; What Items To Sell

The first step is assessing what items you would like to sell. While some items like cars or large appliances might not be ideal yard sale merchandise, a rummage sale might prove a good opportunity to get rid of them.

Ideal items for a yard sale might include house wares, clothing, small appliances, knick-knacks, toys, games, books, dishes, tools, sporting goods, and jewelry. Note: if uncertain about the value of a piece of jewelry, have it appraised before pricing it for the sale.

When gathering items for the sale, organize garage sale items; keeping articles together in respective categories. For instance, tools, toys, dishes, etc. This will save extra work and time later. Items that are in good repair and are attractive will be most likely to sell. So clean and fix up items as you gather them.

Where to Hold the Sale

Your next step is finding a suitable place to hold the sale. Remember, if you hold a rummage sale in your yard or garage, it is likely your yard and garage will be overrun by people at various points of the sale. Project where desirable shade will be during different times of the day. Also, allow for ample parking.

Having your sale in a remote or rural area is generally not a good idea; most people will not travel to out of the way places just to attend a yard sale.

Carefully plan out your displays and how traffic will flow around them. It is a good idea to set up displays so that foot traffic will have to come past your cash box or pay station when leaving. This will help monitor both customers and merchandise.

Be sure to check local ordinances regulating yard sales and rummage sales. Some localities have strict guidelines; including if and how many sales you can have during any given year.

As a courtesy, let neighbors know well in advance about your sale, and the impending increased parking along the roadside. Remember, neighbors are potential customers, as well as a means of word-of-mouth advertising.

Planning the Date and Time

Once you have selected the site for the sale, decide on the date and time. Spring and summer are best times of the year for suitable weather. Holidays are generally poor choices, unless your location is right on a major road or street where people frequently travel.

Keep informed of long-range weather forecasts, and make provision in the event of inclement weather.

Weekends are the most popular day choices for yard sales and rummage sales. Fridays are also popular in some communities; a Friday-Saturday sale might make the best choice for a two-day sale.

Devout yard sale and flea market bargain hunters rise early, and often hit the sales right when they open. Some even try to get the bargains before the sale starts, knowing the early bird gets the best in the way of choice selection.

Decide ahead of time how you will handle early bird shoppers. Whether you will make accommodations, or discourage them. If you have large appliances or vehicles to sell, you could advertise an early bird special on those items, starting a day two before the sale.

Yard sale tip: if you advertise for your sale to start at 8 am, it would be prudent to have everything set up and ready 1 to 2 hours in advance; or even the night before if you have a large garage and plan on holding your sale there.

Getting the Word Out; Yard Sale Ads

Perhaps one of the most common mistakes the novice garage sale planner makes is not adequately advertising the sale. If people don't know about the sale, they aren't going to show up.

Timing classified newspaper advertising so that it comes out a day or two before the sale is best. But it is wise to incorporate additional ways to advertise:

• Use word-of-mouth to tell friends and neighbors.
• Consider large banner advertising, hung on the house or property days in advance.
• Being careful to conform to local ordinance – place a temporary yard sale sign at an intersection or two; or along streets or roadways, pointing the way to the sale.
• Use large, bright colored, eye-catching signs; easy to read and weather resistant.
• Make your own free yard sale sign. Printed on neon colored paper using your computer and printer. Attach it to your mailbox with several balloons, to grab the attention of passers-by.

The Day of the Sale

When setting up display tables, keep to the organization you began when assembling items; display each item neatly; have each clearly priced.

Clothing is best displayed on racks; if put out on tables they quickly end up in a jumbled mess.

Place bright toys, tools, and sporting goods out front to attract attention. A husband resisting his wife's suggestion they stop to look around will be more apt to, and children will be excited about the toys.

If you have young children or toddlers, arrange for a babysitter; you will have your hands full with the sale. Older children can either help, or participate with a lemonade stand. Speaking of help, be sure you have some lined up from family, neighbors, or friends. A yard sale can be too much to undertake for one person.

Final Yard Sale Tip

Your final yard sale tip is to have a cash box with plenty of coin change and ample smaller bills. If the sale is doing well, remove excess cash to a secure place inside the house, away from the sale. And, never leave the cash box unattended.

As the sale winds down, start slashing yard sale prices; you don't want to have to pack away left over items. The last hour of the sale you might consider putting groups of items together in boxes for one irresistible price. If you do have leftovers, consider donating them to a local charity.

Lastly - once your successful yardsale is over and the mess cleaned up, put your feet up... relax, and count your extra cash!