Holding a Great Yard Sale
Or, how to make your junk someone’s junk
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
If you’d like more elbow room around your home and garage, hosting a yard sale can help you clear out the clutter and make a few bucks on things you no longer need. To move more stuff, try these tips.
• Don’t sell absolute junk. Unlike the subtitle of this story, junk that is completely worn out, unserviceable items should have no place at your sale. But things you may not expect to hold value can attract some people, like vintage clothing or craft supplies.
• Select a sale date (or dates!) with clear weather. Most people won’t stop if it’s raining, even if you hold your sale under a tent or in your garage.
• Check with your town. Some charge a nominal fee for hosting a sale or have ordinances about where and how sales should happen.
• Enlist neighbors to join you. The more stuff you sell, the more people will come. Use color-coded tags so you can tell whose stuff is whose to make dividing the proceeds easier.
• Clean your stuff. Wipe off the cobwebs and dust. Clean clothing that’s been in storage may benefit from washing or at least air fluffing in the dryer.
• Organize your items. People are much more likely to shop your sale if you present your items in an appealing way instead of dumping things on the ground. Display all clothing hung on a rack or folded in neat piles on tables. Group like items together, such as all the books in one area and all of the knickknacks in another. If you are not selling a display table or bookcase, you might want to place a small sign on these items to show they’re not part of the sale.
• Let people test stuff. Provide a power bar so shoppers can switch on that lamp or fire up the popcorn popper. Make sure battery-operated items have functional batteries so people won’t simply assume they’re broken. Providing a full-length mirror for the clothing area helps shoppers better visualize how an outfit would look on them.
• Advertise. Use large, high contrast, large font signs sharing pertinent information: Yard Sale, 123 Main Street, July 19-21, 9 A.M. To 5 P.M. Post signs a few blocks from your sale and if possible, at a busy intersection nearby and on community bulletin boards. It’s helpful to post the signs two weeks or so before the sale and to advertise on social media and print media as well.
• Function like a store. Offer bags for people purchasing several small items. Organize a cash box with coins and bills so you can make change. Set up a tent or canopy over the area where you plan to sit to attract shoppers to the “checkout” area. Plus, these structures help draw more attention of passersby.
• Price items. Mark items’ prices clearly on price stickers or at least post a sign like “ALL BOOKS $1 EACH” so shoppers know what you’re charging. It’s OK to allow haggling, but you don’t have to give away your stuff, either. In general, charging 10% to 30% of the retail price is about right depending upon the item’s condition and rarity.
• Stay safe. Hold your sale with a friend. Do not allow strangers in your house. Thieves may ask to use your bathroom or create some other “emergency” to get inside. Don’t leave the cash box unattended. Keep any truly valuable sale items close by so you can keep an eye on them.
• Donate what doesn’t sell. The goal is to thin out your stuff, so plan to donate the leftovers. A few good places to try include:
• Goodwill Donation Center, 2255 E. Ridge Road, Irondequoit (888) 859-1606
• Goodwill Donation Center 1200 Fairport Road, Fairport (888) 859-1606
• The Salvation Army Family Store and Donation Center 745 West Avenue, Rochester (800) 728-7825
• Henrietta ReStore (appliances, home renovation supplies and furnishing only), 2199 E. Henrietta Road, Rochester (585) 444-9588
• Many churches and human and animal shelters accept donations. However, you should call first to see what items they’re currently accepting.