Yard Sales And How To Have Them

How To Have A Great Garage Sale

You need to get rid of stuff you don’t need, so do all your neighbors. Would it be nice to organize a neighborhood garage sale or yard sale? Here is how to do it!

Steps

1. Choose a date to hold your sale.
2. Make up some flyer's about 6 weeks ahead of your sale date to let your neighbors know about your sale and ask them to join in. Be sure to put your phone number and email address on your flyer's.
3. Deliver the flyer's.
4. Buy a roll of tape and a black magic marker.
5. Gather some big bags and boxes.
6. Find and prepare the stuff you wish to sell. Go through a closet or a drawer anytime you get the chance, and as you pull out things for your sale, go right ahead and mark them with prices, using the marker and the tape. Put the items in the bag or the box, and tuck them away in the basement or the garage.
7. Send out another flyer reminding your neighbors that the time has come. Do this about a week to 10 days before the sale.
8. Advertise your sale on Craigslist or other on-line classified service for your local area, and in the local paper.
9. Ask a participating neighbor to make some signs and put them out on busy street corners the night before the sale.
10. Arrange everything in your garage the night before. If you need to set up on a driveway or yard, have everything near the door so you can run it all out and set it up quickly in the morning.
11. Be ready well before your stated opening time. If you have advertised well, people will show up early.
12. For whatever you don't unload on sale day, you can try the following:
13. Create a MyBidList account. You will have your own community based auction web site (url) looks like:
14. Tell your neighbors to visit this web site (url) and click ‘participate’ to upload their on-sale items. You will receive an email to approve any just uploaded item for it to be listed on this auction. But, everyone get to manage their own selling process. You can upload your own items by signing in your account.
15. Announce the auction web site by emails or classified site like craigslist.org , eBay, google base, yahoo classified, oodle. Just get the words out about your neighborhood garage sale web site.
16. Sit back and let the bidding begin!

Tips

• Be sure to wipe things off, cut loose threads, sew on a button, or whatever might be necessary. You will have more luck selling an item if it looks presentable!
• Be willing to deal on prices. The object is to get rid of the stuff and let it go to someone who will use it (so it won't take up space in your landfill of a storage room).
  • Use free classified sites to post your auction website
• http://www.craigslist.com
• http://classified.yahoo.com

Warnings

• If you have anything you think might be really valuable, look it up on an on-line auction service before putting it out. You don't want anything valuable to go for pennies on the dollar.

How To Make Yard Sale Flyers or Signs That Get Attention.

If you want to have a successful yard sale, you need catchy flyers or signs.

Steps

1. Buy some bright, eyecatching poster board.
2. You will need a WIDE black marker, or craft paint.
3. Make sure the sign is large enough to be visible and readable from a distance and/or moving vehicle.
4. Write yard sale in big letters, and then write your address. Make sure the address stands out. Larger print or bold or contrasting marker color will accomplish this.
5. Give a couple of examples of the items that you are selling. But remember, people are driving by, don't make it hard or frustrating for them to read the information.
6. Put posters up on telephone poles,(check with your town before putting any signs on telephone poles. In some states it is illegal),corners of busy streets (intersections), laundry mats, and places where there's a lot of traffic (your church, for example).
7. Be sure to list the time and dates that your garage sale will be starting and ending. If you don't want early birds, you can put on your sign, that early birds pay full price, with no negotiations.

Tips

• Make sure that people are able to read your address as they drive by - best to check this by actually driving by your sign.
• Make sure that the signs are attached well enough that they don't blow over or droop.
• Be sure to take down the signs after the sale!
• If you're making signs to post in several locations, make them all in the same style. Your potential customers will know exactly where to go based on your signage.

Warnings

• Do not put flyers in mailboxes. This is illegal.
• Always have plenty of small bills to use when making change.
• Think about giving away free coffee and selling canned soft drinks.
• Provide a easy to reach trash can.
• Block off any areas where you don't want people walking.
• Be sure all areas are free of anything an older shopper could trip on or fall over.

Can People Find Your Yard Sale

Just because you have lived at 232 Peach Lane for forty years doesn't mean that everyone in your city or town knows where Peach Lane is. If that's your address you need to put something like the below ad in your local newspaper advertising your yard sale.

Yard Sale Saturday 7 A.M. - 1 P.M.

First Yard Sale Ever. Many Great Bargains

Including Many Collectibles, Old Life Magazines

And Antiques. Located At 232 Peach Lane Which

Turns Off Ivy Lane Which Turns Off Highway 91

Behind The Green-point Mall. You Can Text 676 867 5309

For Details On How You Can Find Us. All Sales Final. No Price

Written In Stone. No Early Sales Please. Cash Sales Only

Always tell them on the flyers and in any print ad exactly how to find you. That ad above will cost a little more but it gives people all the information they need to find you. You can offer to let them text you for driving details. I keep a per minute disposable cell phone for this purpose. After the yard sale is over I just turn the phone off and put it away until the next yard sale.

How To Have A Great Yard-sale For Teens

Everyone needs extra cash. Whether it's for that new outfit you've wanted for like ever, or you just need some for your trip next weekend. The easiest way to make fast money is to have a yard or garage sale. You'll be cleaning your room, earning cash, and having fun all at the same time! So get all your girlfriends together, and make it an event!

Steps

1. All for sale cheap Start by asking your parents for permission to have a yard sale in your front yard, or on the driveway so you don't mess up the grass. If you don't have a large enough yard, or your parents say no, ask your friends if you can have it at one of their houses.
2. Clean out your room about a week prior to the sale. Start going through your clothes, drawers, closet, and under your bed. Gather everything you don't want anymore. Have your friends do the same thing.
3. Make about 10 posters saying when and where your sale is going to be. Each of you take a few, and hang them around your neighborhood.
4. Customer looking to buy! Mark everything you have to sell with the selling price. Put this someplace on the items. You can write it small inside the covers of old books.
5. Make sure you do not price it too high or you won't be able to sell them.
6. Have a sleep over, the night before the sale, so everyone will be there to set up the tables and assort the clothes, and books and whatever else they have to sell.
7. Wake up on the day of the sale around 5:15 AM. That will give you plenty of time to make some coffee, set up your tables, put the garments and items on top of them,and wait for people to arrive.
8. Wait for your patrons to start arriving, and have fun!

Tips

• When searching through your clothes, if you haven't worn something in 10 to 12 months, you can get rid of it, because you probably won't wear it again.
• In addition to making posters, see if you can go to your local newspaper, and put an ad for your yard-sale inside.
• Make your posters large and bright so people will see them.
• Each friend should have their own things on their own table, so that they know how much money they are making. When obtaining money for your yard/garage sale, try to get it a few days before your sale so that you have it on hand for the day of your sale. Most people arrive early with $10's and $20's, just make sure you have coins as well as $1's and $5's for the customer's change.
• Make sure you have somewhere safe to put your money. Get a box with a lock. Each of you should have your own box.
• Instead of just selling your old stuff, sell cups of coffee, lemonade, bottled water or make friendship bracelets.
• Have the yard-sale from 7:30 AM.-2:00 PM.
• Obtain a marking pen that can tell you if the paper money is real and not counterfeit. Some people do pass off fake bills even at yard sales. They are only a couple of dollars at Wal-mart or office supply stores. It will save you by putting a little dot on the money before you accept the person's money.
• Combine your yard sale with a friend's.

Warnings

• Do not sell everything you own!
• Don't be jealous if your friends sell more of their stuff than you.
• Some towns require you to have a permit in order to have a yard sale. Before you have yours, find out the laws in your town and talk to your parents about getting one if it is needed.
• Also, please try not to talk on your cell phones with your friends. It can be considered extremely impolite and you may lose your sale.