Hear that? Birds are singing and lawnmowers are running. It’s spring! You know what that means? Yard Sales!!!! Get ready to score some cash and get rid of Aunt Dorothy’s porch goose and its twelve outfits!

Every June our neighborhood has a street sale that draws a ton of people. I’ve participated many times before and plan to participate this year. If you’re not lucky enough to have someone plan a street sale, team up with a neighbor, seek out group sales at churches (rent a table), city-wide sales or even the longest yard sale.

Here are suggestions to have a successful sale:

Two months before the sale

• Start de-cluttering one area/room at a time. Keep Swiffer Sweeper dry sheets and Clorox wipes handy to quickly clean items. Also, remember that the dishwasher is your friend.
• Price as you go and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find your “treasures” automatically organize themselves. ie., kitchen stuff will all be together, clothing will all be in one place, etc.

Pricing:

Do you want to make money or get rid of things? Price accordingly.  I generally mark items down 25%-30% of what I paid new. I say “generally”, because you tend to price higher if you’re unsure you want to sell. Believe me. Some items are fraught with meaning and make their way back into the house. Don’t feel guilty if you’re not ready to part with something!

What you need:

• Stickers–My favorite are the pre-priced, round, neon stickers you can find at Dollar Tree.
• Tags with strings—I bought a box of 1,000 for about $10 at an office supply store and they’ll last a lifetime.
• A china marker–These are wonderful to mark directly onto hard, glossy, non-porous surfaces such as porcelain, glass, polished stone, plastic and ceramics.
• Blue painters tape and a Sharpie for odd items.
• Safety pins for clothing, linens, etc.

I write little “notes” on the price tags of some items to make them more intriguing, (a glass bowl with a lid may be a “great cotton ball holder” or a hankie becomes a “mother-in-law”  or “bride’s” hankie).

This is also a good time to start saving bags and packing material.

Two weeks before the sale

Make signs.

• Check with local government and Homeowners’ Associations for restrictions as to the length of time and placement of signs
• Place signs in each direction (North, South, East and West) on the first street with a posted speed limit (the busier streets with the most traffic). Don’t forget to put a sign in front of the house and add balloons, crepe paper or other attention-getting material.
• Signs should read: “Yard/Garage Sale”.  State the day, start time, end time and address with an arrow pointing in the right direction.

If you have a number of comparable items such as magazines, t-shirts or items that sell for one price, then make a sign that applies to that grouping. (eg., $1 for t-shirts, .25 for anything on this table, etc.) There’s no harm in being clever as it attracts attention and makes sales. I once had several leftover gallons of latex paint that were ignored. Slapping on a sign that read:

did the trick.

Use plastic page protectors to keep your signs dry. In addition, wind won’t blow them away and you can use them again next year.

Advertise

• Place your event on your city calendar. Google your city and state (eg., Phoenix AZ yard sale calendar). In most instances, it’s free.
• Use Craig’s List.
• Use Garage Sales Tracker
• Bulletin Boards (Wal-Mart, grocery stores)
• Catholic church bulletins
• List your yard sale in the newspaper classifieds (both the paper version and the online version). You can create your ad online with a credit card.

Two days before

• Make sure you have a working electrical outlet and batteries to test sale items.
• Have a lot of change. I usually start with a roll each of quarters, dimes and nickels, twenty-five $1 bills and a few $5 and $10 bills.

• Set up. Our street sale has a special viewing for our neighbors on Friday night. If that’s not a factor, it’s still nice to be ready two days before the sale.
• Lower the prices halfway through the sale. Everything (except those things I changed my mind about) goes for 50% off. This becomes a great response to give those annoying low-ballers. I just point to the “50% off at 11:00 a.m.” sign and smile.

I once put out a box of free items and a bald, middle aged, butterball of a man picked up the whole box and walked away. So, now I intersperse the free items with other items for sale and watch the glee when someone finds a treasure with a price tag that totes: “FREE”.

The morning of the sale:

• Put the most desirable things like furniture and “man toys” (lawn mowers, tools and fishing equipment) close to the street so customers will be drawn to your sale as they drive by.
• Turn on the music. It will alleviate any awkward silence and make your customers feel welcome.
• Offer bags (that you’ve been saving) to those with full hands…so they’re unburdened and likely to purchase more.
• Sell, Sell, Sell–Sandy and her dear husband, Eddie, were with us to help on the last street sale.  They taught me a thing or two about selling:  Don’t be shy!  Tell that lady who is trying on that hat that she looks lovely.  Engage the customer. Be friendly. Be fun.

Don’ts

• Don’t sell things that belong to others. I once sold my youngest son’s Super Nintendo System. Something I still regret even though it has since been replaced.
• Don’t leave your cash box unattended. Better yet, wear an apron with pockets.
• Don’t let anyone into your home. Even if they have to use the restroom.
• Don’t “bad mouth” your merchandise.

At the end of the sale 

Anything that hasn’t sold can be donated. Listing items as they get packed into boxes will make non-cash charitable deductions easier to calculate at tax time.  We’ve been approached by local churches to pickup items that haven’t sold, but you can schedule a pickup. Some charities that pick-up are:

• Purple Heart
• Salvation Army
• Disabled Veterans
• Amvets

So, have a blast, make room for the things you love, meet your neighbors and make new friends all while making some pocket money!