I don't think you need to pay for newspaper advertising if you have a local craigslist to post on.

Roadside signs are important. Use a consistent color, such as all with yellow cardboard or white cardboard with green writing. Keep them simple. They are more useful as directional signs, with arrows pointing the way, rather than detailed signs with lots of writing.

There have been lots of threads about holding yard sales on the Organizing the Home forum. Here is a link to a list of them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Previous threads on yard sales

Super! Thank you!

You may be able to advertise on CL and in free local papers. Some grocery stores have a community bulletin board where you can post a notice, too.

Be sure to have another adult there for security's sake (personal as well as property) and so you can take a break without leaving the sale unattended. Wear clothing with deep pockets (cargo pants are great if you have a pair) instead of using a cash box set up on a table. Buy a currency test pen to authenticate money (I'd check $20+ bills); they're available for $5 or less. Don't hold items for anyone on the promise they'll return later with the money; first buyer with the cash gets the item.

I stopped doing yard sales after discovering that I'd been ripped off. Yes, some folks even shoplift at yard sales. We find it easier to simply donate everything, take the tax deduction, and save the hassle.

Good luck!

Absolutely advertise. Our local paper allows readers to print out a map with the garage sales marked and, though it's been years since I've had a garage sale, some of the customers would bring the paper with them to remind themselves of which items they were interested in. Make sure you list the BEST items in your ad. Toys and children's clothes sell well, as do household items in good repair and condition. People also collect clocks (though I know you decided not to sell yours), dolls, watches, so mention anything of that sort in your ad. I always had a table with ten-cent items, with McDonald's toys, etc and they always sell. Also check to make sure you don't need a license. Our town requires it and can stop the sale until you get one. I think a sign out a day or two is sufficient, but again, make sure your town allows it. Hope you make tons of decorating cash!!!
Dee

Road signs are crucial with lots of arrows!

Also -- alert your neighbours in case of problems with parking etc. Or they may want to hold a sale too! The more -- the merrier! :)

Have someone guard your home from the inside. Make sure that the doors and windows are locked -- and that any obvious "targets" -- like a purse or wallet etc. -- are out of sight! Also -- establish CLEAR boundaries about anyone who wants to "just use the bathroom" etc.!

If it is a nice day -- kids can sell lemonade or pop in cans. Also -- if it is warm -- have a jug with water and a lemon slice with disposable cups. Keeps folks from asking if they can "just have a glass of water?"

Meanwhile -- outside -- have several folks keep an eye on items AND keep the cash in aprons or in a small box where someone is sitting all of the time.

Have your outside "helpers" wear bright caps! Easy to spot for shoppers!

Mark or tag items WELL in advance. My sister (the Queen of Garage Sales from years ago! LOL!) always included OTHER uses for items -- a vase could be a "great pen/pencil holder too!" on the tags.

Measure items like tablecloths, sheets or furniture -- SO handy for everyone! Saves time and trouble!

IF possible clearly mark clothing sizes on YOUR tag -- otherwise people scramble through the clothing looking for tags.

Have stacks of grocery bags. Also newspapers for wrapping items. A few larger plastic garbage or yard waste bags can be handy for folks who need to cover their car trunks or seats.

If you do hold the sale in your garage -- be sure to cover areas where you do NOT want folks to go .... use old sheets etc. to create barriers.

Just some thoughts -- hope these help!

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

All the hardcore garage/yard sale fans check the newspapers for ads. Definitely advertise in your local paper.

I just wanted to wish you good luck!! I did a yard sale once and swore I'd never do it again. It really wasn't worth my effort. Then again, I didn't advertise very well so it's my own fault.

Lots of good suggestions! I wish everyone at yard sales would think to do them! My favorite is when there's no prices....

Thanks! I hate yard sales too but we could use extra cash for some home things that we want to do and want to dip into savings as little as possible.

In the past I've always done a poor (late) job advertising and like others have mentioned maybe that had a hand in it. But this will be my LAST one! It's big. My mom and I have been gathering and pricing for a year going through our homes. I'm hoping if I just have 1 giant one now and unload 10yrs worth of crap then from here on out I can just donate what little I come across on a yearly basis.

We are having it at DH's place of business so there will be plenty of parking both there and in the lot next door. The business is open Saturdays so there will be men there w/ us.

Great idea about a lemonade stand or something to give our oldest something to do and to raise Lego money.

Nice heads up about the pen - I'm headed out today to get some last minute things. Where can I find one? Think Wal-mart sells them? How about Staples?

Also make sure you have AT LEAST $50 in ones and fives. I can't tell you how many people gave me a $20 bill for a purchase less than $10. Might even make it $100 in small bills, just to be safe.

Definitely check your local ordinances. In my town there is basically no enforcement, but you're only allowed something like 3 per year. Where my DD lives you have to have a permit and cannot put out signs except on your street, and they are militant about it!

AND, don't bother putting your full address on the sign, just the street name in BIG letters with arrows. And good tip about using all the same color signs. I've seen signs that were written in ink pen on cardboard listing all this stuff for sale, plus an address. Yeah, like you could see that driving by at 30MPH! Use the fattest sharpie you can find and write SALE JONES STREET TODAY with an arrow and that's it. Balloons at the end of the driveway help too.

As far as the newspaper ad, in my town, it's not worth it. They charge almost $40 (but give you a yard sale kit...a couple signs, some stickers and a sales sheet) but very few read the ads anymore, they mostly just drive around and look for the millions of signs out.

Get a lot of rest the night before! Be sure you put the time on the sign. The crowds will creep in at the crack of dawn if you let them.

...Jane

There's a aggregation site for estate sales, too. It's not free, but it's certainly useful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Estate Sales

Any tips on pricing?

You guys are really being super helpful and I really appreciate it!

Advertise on Craigslist - they have a garage sale section. Start now, and repost weekly. As the date of the sale approaches, start reposting every day or every other day. In your ad, list the general types of things you are selling -- you might even include some pictures of the better things.

Be sure it's clear where to park. I drove by a nice-looking yard sale on 113 today -- they had nice stuff, but it was a tiny driveway and I didn't see anywhere else to park, so even though I doubled back cause I really wanted to hit the sale, I still couldn't figure out a safe place to park so I just drove on.

Price things cheap if you just want rid of them. If you want to get good money for your stuff, I'd suggest a different route than a garage sale -- perhaps an antiques fair or kids consigment shop. Many times, I stop at yard sales, look at the first couple prices, and if they're above what I consider the going "garage sale rate", I just leave -- if I wanted to pay antique/consignment store prices, I'd be at an antique or consignment store, not schlepping around from garage sale to garage sale at 7am. For me, going "garage sale rate" is anything from $.50 - $1 a piece for kids clothes, $1-$2 for adult clothes and shoes (unless they're really nice designer stuff) and no more than 25% of what you'd pay for something in an antique store for antiques/collectibles/furniture type stuff -- usually less. CD's/movies - $1-$2 each.

Oh, and definitely email me and let me know when and where! Maybe this is our chance to finally meet up! (Heck, if you've got space and want company, maybe I can drag some of my stuff over and sell along with you!)

lkplatow! I was just thinking about you and that I'd hadn't seem your name posted recently. I was getting ready to sift through my e-mails to drop you a line and see how you were doing.

I will def. e-mail you about time and stuff. Love to finally meet you!

Make sure your signs are large enough to read while driving and all early birds should pay double.

As the date of the sale approaches, start reposting every day or every other day.

Craigslist won't allow you to repost every day.

Ttodd- we had a rather successful yard sale 2 years ago.

My tips on pricing- I grouped items together that were similar in price. I had a $1.00 table- everything on that table SOLD quickly. I had another $5 section. I don't think I priced anything over $25, and I sold wicker furniture, a rocker, and an under cabinet tv for the kitchen. I also had each item priced clearly with a sticker. We sold many old coats and hung them on a clothing rack. I priced them at $5 each- they ALL sold with NO haggling. I live off a very busy main thoroughfare, and had signs with arrows at the end of my street. It was a town wide yard sale day - so people were on the hunt. I had balloons on my front gate. I sold a LOT of baby stuff- I priced it fair- and stood pretty firm on my pricing, leaving a little wiggle room for haggling. (of course I found out we were pregnant 3 weeks later with ds- surprise we thought we were done-LOL)
There were of course people who were extremely rude- I even threw one woman out because she was telling me she wouldn't pay more than 10 cents for items priced $1- and she was insisting I let her buy them at that price.

Have plenty of singles, and old plastic shopping bags, and newspaper for glasswares if you are selling any. Your customers will appreciate it.

Polly - appreciate it the info on how you priced. I have sooooooo many baby - toddler clothing and some of the coats I have at $5. I have tons of girls dresses (only girl in the family so all the relatives went nuts!) that have multiple pieces some worn once - some still w/ tags on that have never been worn and I have those priced at $5 too. Only 1 item for kids clothing is tagged higher at $7 and that's an amazing snowsuit. Most everything else kids clothes wise is tagged at $1 & $2 for pants and shirts and .50 or so for other kids clothing.

I'm clearing out all of my decorating 'mis-buys' for my style and have some things priced at $5. I have so many pairs of curtains tagged at $10/ pair. I figured that would give me haggle room. All are 96" in length. Does $10 sound fair?

I saw a show about this not too long ago, some of the suggestions I recall went like this:

1. Just like they do in a normal store, you need to categorize your items and try to put all like things together in one spot. Make the display as pleasant to the eye as possible instead of tossing things into piles on a table or the floor, lay them out so people can see them.

2. Make sure everything is tagged and all your prices are visible.

3. Know in advance how low you'll be willing to go if and/or when someone wants to negotiate a price. Don't be afraid to counter a price or say no if the offer is just too low.

4. Make sure all items are dusted, washed and clean

5. If you have items that are electrical, try to have a designated outlet available somewhere (with extension cord if needed) so an item can be tested.

6. If there are lots of parts or pieces to an item, put them in zip lock bags so people can see all that all the parts that are included.

7. If possible, hang clothing on a portable clothing pole.

8. As said (and great idea) make sure your helpers are easily identifiable.

I had a very successful yard sale two years ago.Tips I found that helped me the most...

1. Signage is most important! Simple, easy to read, and eye-catching. I put my whole advertising budget into my signs (from Sassy Signs, link below), and also put a couple of listings on Craig's List. We also tied pink balloons to the signs.

2. Price things to sell. I had over 300 pieces of quality girl's clothing and sold 95% of it. Most single items were $1, outfits were $3. I had unopened King sheets for $10. I priced stuff to move, and it did. However, I refused to haggle, except for people buying a lot of stuff. Things were cheap enough and I knew they would sell. They did.

3. I had all clothing on hangers, arranged according to size. I hate pawing through piles of semi-folded clothes on a table. Make it easy for your buyers to find what they need.

4. Have a boom box outside with you and play music (we played classical, Johnny Cash, and acousitc guitar). It sounds goofy but people really do like it. They hung around longer and bought more.

5. I got this tip from a yard-sale website and it grossed me out, but it worked. Are you ready.....? Sell used make-up. Put everything in an open box, mark it .25 or .50, and let shoppers pick things out. My mom has loads of barely used - but still used - makeup and nail polish. I took it all from her and sold the vast majority of it.

6. People will also buy half-full bottles of anything. Perfume, bug spray, bathroom cleaner. Who would have thought?

You need to decide if your primary goal is to get rid of stuff or to make money. If you want to get rid of stuff, then price it to move. If you want to make money then seriously consider another way of selling your stuff. People who go to garage sales expect garage sale pricing.

There was a great site that had a ton of advice. Google "Yard Sale Queen" or "Garage Sale Queen". I remember it being pretty funny, as well.

Good luck! Nicole

Here is a link that might be useful: Sassy signs

Not sure if anyone put this yet, but, my Southern Living, Architechural Digest, etc. magazines sell quickly! I put 50 cents on them, and ON A TABLE, not in a box, where people have to bend down to look through. I always have TONS, so it adds up quick.

I didn't think about putting magazines out until I went to a garage sale one time and they had some I bought.

I was wondering if my old mags would sell! I have almost every issue of MS Living dating back to 1997!

Yes, definitely put those magazines out there! The last time I bought something at a yard sale, it was a magazine. For a whopping dime! ;-D

Lots of good advice here and it sounds like you have some of this stuff already covered but here's my advice. I go to a lot of garage sales.

Signage:

I would definitely put your address including number on the signs. Garage Sale - 1234 Elm Street - and an arrow is all you need.

Definitely go with a color theme on the sign. A bright color poster helps people follow the signs from far away. Make your signs two sided so that people coming from either direction can read it.

Starting time:

Whatever starting time you advertise, be out there at least 30 minutes earlier to put your stuff out. By the time the starting time rolls around, everything should be set out. You'll have early birds no matter what but when I arrive at a sale at or after the starting time and they are still putting stuff out, it's annoying. I'm not going to stand around waiting to see what's coming. There are lots of other garage sales waiting for me and the good stuff is going so I don't want to waste time.

Oh! and start somewhere between 7 & 8. Any later is too late and you will lose the early customers.

Pricing:
Price everything. I won't ask for a price. If nothing is priced, I leave.

Be willing to haggle but the haggle should be simple. Will you take $1 for this? Yes, no or a counter offer. I don't care what you paid for it, what price it would be if I bought it in a store, how meaningful it is/was to you or any other information EXCEPT if you are willing to take the amount I offered or if you have a counter offer.

The money you paid for the stuff you have is GONE. You will never have that money back. Now it's about what you can make today. And that is based on what someone is willing to pay. Price your stuff according to that, not according to what you paid.

When people make an offer, depending on the time of day, consider whether you want to have it left over. First thing in the morning you can afford to be more steadfast, depending on the item. As the day wears on, keep in mind that the person making the offer may be the last person to be interested. Do you want to be stuck with the item or have the money?

Haggle but don't argue. Once you've gone your lowest, if the customer doesn't want it at that price, that's the end of the conversation. Don't get into an argument even if they try to. It's a turn off to other customers. Smile and walk away.

Lemonade: I wouldn't do lemonade, can drinks and bottled water sell much better. Put a bunch of cans in an ice chest and sell them for 75c. They go.

Books: don't make me paw through stacked books in a box. Put them spine up so I can easily glance at the titles. Don't bother individually pricing books either. Hardbacks $1 and paperbacks 50 cents. Done. Put up multiple signs with those prices, depending on how many you have. Magazines, 25 cents. That's what they charge at the used book sales at the library so that's what I'd do too.

Oh, one more thing, Please take your signs down after the sale is over. Won't make a bit of difference to your bottom line but it's the right thing to do. It's frustrating to follow signs to a sale that doesn't exist.

Good luck!!!

Yard Sale Success!

Just wanted to let you all know how it turned out and to thank you for your advive and tips.

I used many of your suggestions and they worked great! I was able to make enough money to buy a months worth of groceries w/o having to use paychecks or dip into savings, treat myself to 1 nice thing (haven't decided what yet) and make an extra payment on DD's Dr.s bill from when she was born.

DS made a fair amount of money selling cupcakes and lemonade to help pay for the car he damaged. He sold out of the cupcakes w/in 1 1/2hrs. One lady bought the last dozen at one shot from him and quite a few people 'made donations' to him in his money box.

The best part was getting to meet a fellow GW'er: lkplatow. It was so great to finally meet someone who shares many of the same passions for 'the hunt'!

Cool. Isn't it great when all the work pays off like that? I thought I had held my last ever garage sale in the fall. Right now, I'm wondering if I ought to work on one for Spring.

Red

I'm planning a GS this spring too. I've had them before and have had differing levels of success. My problem is that my MIL is the GS queen...she goes to them every weekend and that results in her having a lot of stuff to sell at GS. Since she lives in an apartment, DH lets her do them here at our house (we live in a good exposure street). Problem is...she's AWFUL to customers. We've seen her get into fights with people over prices! It's so embarrassing! I refuse to do a GS with her because of that, but I can't do one without her joining in. I've complained about it to DH, but it's his mother, so I can't win.

Last year I did one in our backyard since I could set up the night before and not stress on it. She had a conniption, but it turned out to be a good one anyway, I actually did better with that sale than any I've done in our driveway.

I LOVE those sassy signs, I'm going to make up some liek them(too cheap to buy them) for my GS. And I'll use a lot of the tips here. I hadn't thought of hanging clothes, or setting up books. And while I've been to GS that sell goodies and drinks, I never thought of that. I'll do it. I prefer things priced, and I'm trying to do that as I pack things up...I swore this GS was going to be different than the past! haha.

Glad your GS was a success Ttodd...I just REALLY need to unload a bunch of stuff and get my shed cleaned out. Making a few extra bucks would be nice, too...if I make enough, I might be able to move forward with another home improvement project that is not necessary, but one that I'd like to do if the extra $$ happens to come along.