10 Reasons Not to Have That Yard Sale
Are the potential rewards of selling your stuff large enough to justify your time and labor?
Laura Gaskill
May 11, 2017
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance... More
From trampled flower beds to piddly profits, hosting a yard sale can be a disheartening experience. Sure, there are ways to make it more fun and profitable, but if selling stuff in your yard is simply not your cup of tea, consider this your official permission slip to let yourself off the hook this year (and maybe forever).
1. You have to store all that stuff somewhere until sale day. When you store up things “for the yard sale,” you’re far more likely to end up keeping the items than if you got rid of them right away. And if you don’t have a spare room or garage to store the items waiting to be sold, you could be tripping over piles for weeks.
1. You have to store all that stuff somewhere until sale day. When you store up things “for the yard sale,” you’re far more likely to end up keeping the items than if you got rid of them right away. And if you don’t have a spare room or garage to store the items waiting to be sold, you could be tripping over piles for weeks.
2. Big-ticket items fetch higher prices in shops and online. Yard sale shoppers are notorious bargain hunters, so if you were hoping to get a decent amount of cash for a few bigger-ticket items (for example, antiques and musical instruments), you might want to consider some other options — such as Craigslist or a local consignment antiques shop — instead.
3. Ditto for quality new and vintage clothes. Selling clothing at a yard sale is a tough business. If you have a mountain of clothing and accessories that you’re ready to part with, you would probably do better bringing your haul to a local consignment shop. You can offload all your clothes (and bags and shoes) at once and likely make more money than you would on the same items at a yard sale.
4. You feel comfortable selling items online. If you’re already pretty savvy when it comes to navigating online sales sites such as eBay and Craigslist, it can be worth focusing your efforts on selling a few of your best items online. You could potentially profit more from a few online sales (antiques and collectible items do especially well) than from an entire yard sale. If you decide to sell online, take high-quality, close-up photos of your items in good light and include relevant keywords to help shoppers find your item.
5. You don’t have time to set up and run a sale. After deciding what to get rid of (no easy feat in itself!), you will need to price the items, advertise your sale, remember to pick up small bills for making change, haul everything outdoors and set it up in an appealing way, and … sit there all day selling your stuff. Not to mention the fact that there will inevitably be items left over at the end of the day, and you will still have to take those to a donation center. If you simply don’t have the time for all that, a yard sale is probably not the best choice for you. Instead, try getting a free charitable pickup (see No. 6), or sell your top items online instead.
6. You have enough stuff to warrant a (free) pickup from a local charity. Taking the tax deduction associated with charitable giving may actually be a better deal than the small amount of cash you would make at a yard sale. Plus, if you have larger items (such as furniture) to donate, many charities will schedule a free pickup at your home. Just remember to check ahead of time with the organization to be sure it’s tax deductible, and ask for a receipt.
7. You live in an off-the-beaten-path location. Yard sale success often relies heavily on foot traffic, so if your home is hard to find or not on a main road, it may not be worth your while to hold a yard sale. If you choose to hold one anyway, be sure to advertise well in advance and place clear signage on the nearest main road as well as at the entrance to your home.
8. Your homeowners association has restrictive rules about yard sales. If you belong to a homeowners association, it’s a good idea to check the guidelines before committing to a yard sale. Some HOAs limit the number of yard sales per year or have other restrictions about how and where you can display your items.
8. Your homeowners association has restrictive rules about yard sales. If you belong to a homeowners association, it’s a good idea to check the guidelines before committing to a yard sale. Some HOAs limit the number of yard sales per year or have other restrictions about how and where you can display your items.
9. The weather in your area is unpredictable. After all the hard work and planning it takes to get ready for a yard sale, waking up to a summer thunderstorm on sale day can be incredibly frustrating. And if the weather is too hot, your yard sale may not get much foot traffic, resulting in lots of items left over at the end of the day.
10. You just hate having yard sales. Do you despise sitting in the sun all day haggling over 25-cent price tags, making change and watching crowds of shoppers trample your flower beds? Give yourself a break and forget the yard sale.
Tell us: Share your yard sale tales in the Comments.
More: 8 Times in Your Life to Take Advantage of a Major Declutter
10. You just hate having yard sales. Do you despise sitting in the sun all day haggling over 25-cent price tags, making change and watching crowds of shoppers trample your flower beds? Give yourself a break and forget the yard sale.
Tell us: Share your yard sale tales in the Comments.
More: 8 Times in Your Life to Take Advantage of a Major Declutter
A.I.S Renovation is a leading contractor in the central Ohio area. Since 1989, we have been committed to client's... Read More
What are you working on?
Related Products
Related Stories
Housekeeping
Choose Your Own Spring Cleaning Plan
Instead of trying to do it all, pick one of these six cleaning approaches that’s right for you now
Full Story
Entryways
How to Create a Joyful, Clutter-Free Entry
Make your entryway a calm, well-organized space with these steps
Full Story
Organizing
How to Create a Joyful, Clutter-Free Home Office
Follow these steps to get rid of the paper piles and make room for beauty and better organization
Full Story
Feel-Good Home
How to Create a Joyful, Clutter-Free Living Room
Make this a space you enjoy by paring back and filling it with things you love
Full Story
Feel-Good Home
How to Get a Joyful, Clutter-Free Dining Room
Some tidying tips — and a focus on what makes you happy — will help you get a handle on the dining-room drop zone
Full Story
Feel-Good Home
How to Create a Joyful, Clutter-Free Bathroom
Streamline your bath and your bathing routine to create a place of renewal
Full Story
Kitchen Design
How to Create a Joyful, Clutter-Free Kitchen
Give yourself room to cook and relax by assessing how you use your counters, cabinets and corners
Full Story
Organizing
10 Decluttering Projects You Can Do in 15 Minutes or Less
Try these ideas to get organized at home one small step at a time
Full Story
Life
10 Tips for Clearing Out the Family Home
A professional organizer offers advice on emptying a family home in preparation for a sale
Full Story
Organizing
How to Form New Habits That Keep Your Home Clutter-Free
Tired of an untidy house? Try a new approach by adopting habits that automatically keep your home orderly
Full Story
Haven't had a chance to do this where I live now, but when we lived in Julian CA (a former mining town in San Diego County), there was an institution much better than a yard sale: The Women's Auction. We gals would converge on one lady's place (as the Auctions got bigger it ended up being held in the Catholic Church parish hall) with $1 in hand for the snacks she'd bought, and no more than 2 grocery sacks of items to sell. Large things meant you brought a good photo to share before bidding. Minimum bid on large stuff was set by the seller but usually it was 25 cents for small things, and increments of a dime or more for each bid. What didn't sell the hostess agreed to donate for the rest of us.
Nobody got rich but we all felt good when some of our stuff was rehomed. We watched kids' clothes go from one family to the auction, to the next family and back. We occasionally got something we really treasured. The rules were really simple - nothing sold that you wouldn't buy again in the condition it is currently in... and, after a baby rattlesnake fell out of a cowboy boot being lifted for a try-on, nothing that had been stored outdoors.
I have a bunch of things in my garage waiting for the chance to invite the women on my block to a Women's Auction at my new digs. Will probably have to wait until the pandemic is over at this point. But I look forward to the fun and to getting to know each other in a very special way, over junk food and "stuff" that otherwise might have been tossed.
Selling things online is great for specialty items but it is also time consuming. If it using an online auction site you have the cost of shipping to contend with. Using Facebook groups you have to worry about no shows and finding a neutral location to meet people. In the end whether it is an in person yard sale or selling things online you have to decide whether the extra cash is worth the time. Yard sales can be one and done and then donate. Selling things online can mean storing items until they sell. If the goal is to declutter then donating is the quickest. I sell things online if I know they are things that are collectible more specialized and are worth something but only select audience.
I live on a bus line I can just put stuff out on the curb free or for the amount I want and it’s gone the same day. I love that part of being on a busy road. Not so good for yard sales because no street parking