6 Best Tips on Having a Successful Yard Sale

If you’re looking to make some extra money or want to declutter your unwanted stuff, there’s no better time to have a yard sale! In this article, we'll share our best yard sale tips.

If you have looked at your home and are noticing more junk that you think should be there, it may be time for a yard sale. There are more reasons than just that though. Many people are about to move and need to go through all their belongings and realize they have a lot of stuff others may want and figure they can make a bit of extra cash quickly.

A yard sale is more than just putting your items out on your lawn and hoping people swing by and spend money on them. There are so many steps involved. From purchasing yard signs to determining what each item should be sold for, it can be a longer day than you think. With that said, there are many positives to the yard sale. You can make extra money that you didn’t realize you were going to make and you can supply another family with items at a discounted price.

So, with this said, how can you have a successful yard sale? Keep reading to find out how.

6 Tips for a Successful Yard Sale

1. Set a date for your yard sale.

The first responsibility you have is to choose a date. Most yard sales take place on a Friday or a Saturday. With that said, the date can be flexible.

If you are not available those mornings you can always choose a different weekday. Try and think about any reason on the date that would prevent people from coming.

For example, you won’t get much of a showing if you have your yard sale on Christmas day. It’s a good idea to keep the weather in mind too. If you live in an area of the country where a cold front is coming in, you may want to try switching the date to a different time.

When it’s cold outside or raining, people are less likely to go yard sale hopping. Or it is less likely that someone is out for a walk and comes across your yard sale. Although you want to pick a date quickly, you also want to include other factors into that decision.

2. Clean out what you don’t need.

The next tip and step we have for you are to get all the items you want for the yard sale and put them all together. This means you should go through each room in your house and decide which should stay and which should go.

If you have used an item in the past year and it is not broken, you are much more likely to use it in the future. If you always say to yourself that you will use a specific item but never have, you probably will never use it and it’s time to put it in your yard sale.

Grab a box and go through each room of your home. If you have not used it recently, put it in the box. Even after you have gone through your items it’s often a good idea to go through them again.

I thought I would use this again when I saw it the first time, but will I really?

Many times people end up getting rid of just as much stuff the second go-around because they have had time to think about it and realize they won’t be using it again.

3. Get whatever supplies you might need.

One step that many people don’t realize is that they may need a permit in order to have a yard sale. Double check by jumping online or going to your town hall and asking if you need one.

If you have one and you need a permit, you can end up getting shut down right away and all your efforts were for no reason.

4. Announce your yard sale on Facebook and Craigslist.

The next tip we have is to advertise your garage sale so that people know about it. This means you should put it on sites like Facebook and sites like Craigslist.

Many times Facebook has a group that you can post on saying when and where your garage sale is taking place. You can even take a couple of pictures beforehand to show some of the items being sold to catch people’s attention.

This will really help the number of people coming to your yard sale. You can also put up a sign on a busy road in the morning on the yard sale and the address. Anything to draw more attention to the yard sale will help.

5. Put up yard sale signs.

You will also want yard sale signs. You can purchase these online to ensure you are following the rules and also to catch more people’s attention as they are walking or driving past.

Many regular yard “salers” know what a yard sale sign typically looks like. If you get a traditional one they will know what to look for already.

Make sure the signs include the date, time, and address of the yard sale and have them pointing towards your home.

6. Name your price.

Although many items in the yard will be the customer making an offer, it’s a good idea for larger items to put a price tag on them. Although they can always negotiate, this allows the customer to see if they are in the same ballpark as you and what you are wanting.

Try and arrange your yard sale so people quickly see that there is a yard sale going on outside. Arrange some of the larger items or nicer items at the front. The organization is a good idea so people know where certain things are and don’t miss anything.

6. Be ready for your garage sale.

Our final tip is to make sure to be ready about 20 minutes before you said you were going to start. If someone saw something they liked in a picture, they want to be the first one there to buy it from you. Be ready and be on time.

Enjoy Your Yard Sale Earnings!

As you can see, there are a couple of steps and tips you need to remember in order for your yard sale to run as successfully as possible. This will mean you get rid of the stuff in your home and declutter and also make some quick money in the meantime. For more tips on having a successful yard sale or if you need to purchase items to get ready, let us know!