HELP! I'm Having My First Yard Sale!

Good luck, I have never had one before either! Although I do love going to them!

Good luck!

I tlooks like your well on your way. I am doing the same thing here. Good Luck and make lots of money. I will be happy just to get the stuff out of the basemrnt and shed.

Our annual sale is this weekend.

Here are some things that work for us:

1) Use those easy to remove stickers for pricing
2) I price CD's at $3
3) My clothes range from $2 for shirts, $5 for pants and $5 and up for dresses.
4) Spread everything out so it can be seen well. Don't pile clothes too high, for example.
5) I always make sure the clothes are ironed and neatly arranged and folded.
6) We always have a freebie box as well for things like magazines.

And I have no clue about toys.

I've had them, but I don't really enjoy it! Baby things generally sell well. I usually just mark things cheap and try not to think about it. If I pay $50 for a pair of jeans, I might price them at $3 if they are still in good shape and 50 cents if they have anything wrong with them. I just want to get rid of things, and I donate what is left over. I have to do this too this year...it would be more fun if it was a group of people!

Thanks Shannon!!! Those tips really help! I'm totally confused about pricing... your suggestions make total sense.

Sue - Now you know why I recruited my neighbors... I don't think I could go through with it alone!!!! After the sale we're having a block-party/cook-out! Something to look forward to!

We always have cocktails during the sale, that helps too ;)

we cheat...when we have a yard sale, we get one of my kids to come do all the work...works very well

Pam - I can't wait for this yard sale. You need to tell me when it is! I've got a few things left to buy for the new place. Let me know if you come across any small TV stands or milkshake machines. (Random I know, but I've been on this milkshake kick lately and it's making my arms really tired when doing it by hand!)

Good luck!

hey - i might want to buy some of that stuff for my parents for when my sister visits with her baby. let's discuss before the sale!

if you want to get rid of stuff, go cheap. it never hurts to put up a sign that says something like, "don't like the price? make me an offer!" if you don't want to price everything individually, a sign like that works well also. and often people will offer more than what you would have priced something at, anyway.

Jason and Lesley - anything I have is yours for the taking! I don't have a blender or TV stand though... But Lesley - I might have a pack -n- play in really good shape for your parents house. I just have to see if my brother wants it! I also have an exersaucer in really good shape - but it's BIG!

Thanks for the tip Jen - I will totally make that sign - or better yet, maybe convince a really creative, artsy friend to make one for me... know anyone who fits the bill????

Gather's Ron Hall (erroneous.gather.com) might be able to give you some good pointers. He seems to spend every weekend in-season at yard sales, and has written many articles about them (including his "Would You Buy This or Not?" series).

I have never had one either, but we will have our first this fall I think. Good luck and have fun:)

I am looking for suggestions on pricing furniture.

We are having a yard sale soon to dispose of my late MILs household items.

I have no idea what to price things, but I would add that it is really helpful/important to label the prices on as many things as you can. I have never held one, but I go to a lot of them. If something isn't labeled, I usually won't even ask. Maybe it is just my timidity, but a lot of people have probably lost sales that way. (also, I am sure that it could get annoying for the seller to constantly be asked, "how much"?)

Good luck!

I'm not good at pricing because I want to go cheap so that I can get rid of everything.

Looks like you've got some good answers here though. Good luck.

Hang some of the clothes on a clothes line and people will look more. Lots of signs to get people there. I think prices depend on area.

You're doing better than I am, Pam.

We're having a community yard sale on the 17th, and I have NOTHING planned. I'm just going to likely throw some stuff together at the last minute. I know I'm drowning in books, board games, and video games - as well as some of the clothes the kids have outgrown.

Pam, I only have one piece of advice: donate whatever doesn't sell to goodwill, church charity shop, etc. Whatever you do, don't take it back into your house!

Pricing takes the longest time. I usually mark things a bit higher than what I want to get for them.
Large, simple black on white signs work best. Put one at each end of the street and post flyers near other sales - yard sales, rummage sales, etc., to draw shoppers to your sale.
Check Ebay completed auctions for pricing help.
Be sure to have lots of change - at least 30 ones, 4 fives and two tens to start.
Put balloons and signs at each house that's included in the sale.
Don't be intimidated by the pile. Just wade in and start pricing.
Good luck!

my top 5 tips:
1. Get your signs right. That means have the arrows pointed in the right direction, put your address, time, and date.
2. Set up your items like you're a store. People need to see items to buy them.
3. Realize that you're getting rid of things you don't want and price the items to move.
4. Have a sense of humor! People love to buy things if they're having a good time.
5. Plan to give your leftovers to charity. Some charities will even come pick everything up after your sale.

good luck... hope it goes well...

Good Luck, I hope your sale is a success, You have a lot of good tips here already and can't think of anything else to say.

Have you had your sale yet?

Here are a few tips that I can shares. Sorry if someonek already mention them:

1. Price all your items at a reasonable price. Such as do not put a wash cloth at 75 cents when you can buy a brand new at the store for a buck. People will pass by yours and get theirs brand new at the store. No matter how cute it is.

2. Be prepared to bargin or haggle. You don't want to give your stuff away for free. But you don't want prices so high you can't sell it either. List a price. If someone counters with alower price. If it isn't to much lower. Take it.

3. Place larger nicer looking stuff out front for people to see. Such as dressers, beds or baby toys. Anything that can catch people eyes as they drive by and cause them to turn around and stop. I have seen dressers set out. Than when I went to look at price it said drsser not for sale..just holding up sign..I had to laugh..It worke dto draw other sin.

4. Advertise the heck out of your yard sale. Place it in the paper, hand flyers in grocery stores, at churche sand laundry mats. Join online groups in your are athat allow advertising of yard sales. Send emails to all your friends family and co oworkers. Encourage them to drop by and pass your sale on.

5. If you don't want to price every thing individually. Make sure you have a sign someone with the prices. Or at least a sign on a table that will read everything on table 50 cents each. I have left many yard sales empty handed because of not seeing any prices. I get tired of asking.

6. As for clothes..the cheaper the clothes, the better they sell. Espically kid and baby clothes.

7. If you have a large dog. Make sure they are in the house or in a fenced in area away from the people coming to your yard sale. You don't want someone bit by accident.

8. Have a cooler full of pop or water for sale. Offer pop for 50 cents a can. Even hotdogs kept warm in a crockpot and a bag of chops goes over well.

I know there is more but those are what I can think of first hand.

Good luck with the sale. They can be a lot of fun. I have had 1 or 2 depending on my mood every year for over 10 years. A few things I learned:

1. NEVER and I mean NEVER accept checks from people. Post a sign that states CASH ONLY.

2. Price stuff cheap. It is a garage sale not Bloomingdale's.

3. Don't tell people "I paid over a thousand dollars for that and give them a huge story about the item" Nobody cares.

4. Have 1 person and 1 person only handle the money at your individual sale. Keep it either in a money box right in front of you at all times or in a money belt you wear around your waist.

5. Mark clothing very cheap or go for the fill a bag for a buck if you have a ungodly amount of clothing. People love that and you can clean out the junk quickly.

6. I have a NO public restroom policy. I don't care if Sally needs to go potty. There is a McDonald's or Burger King close to everyone.

Have fun and I hope you get rid of EVERYTHING!!!

Have you had the sale yet? There are a lot of good tips above. I have 2 or 3 yard sales a year and sometimes get compliments on how well organized my stuff is. I try to get as much stuff as I can up on tables and off the gound. As others have said, putting price tags on just abut everything is really helpful.

I always have a box of toys ( like the kids meal toys) for 25 each and make sure it is down at a level the little kids can get to. It works out great because the kids dig around in that box while the grownups look at other stuff.

I have yard sales every year and go to yard sales all the time. One good piece of advice to remember...people who attend yard sales are looking for a BARGAIN. They do not want to pay extremely high prices for something. They will go buy it new instead.
Advertise with signs so your sale can be found easily! One of the most annoying things at a sale is when the people come up to me and try to force me to buy their items. I just want to browse and if I see something I need, then I am happy.

Good Luck with the sale! Oh, and get lots of tables, or a hanging rack for clothing always helps too!

Get as many of those plastic bags from a store as you can. I always have lots of them stashed away. I use them for recycling and for garage sales. People might buy more stuff if they can carry it easily!

Have someone watching the sale at all times...especially the money.

Make sure that signs posted on streets and corners are easy to read for drivers.

Try to make sure that residents put their vehicles very far away so there is plenty of parking.

Remember that this is a yard sale not a store.

I used to sell all sorts of used items at flea markets (of the collectable variety, salt and pepper shakers, piggy banks, toys) and those went for a higher price than stuff on the side that was peoples excess.

My policy when shopping a yard sale is to never pay above certain prices.

- $1.00 for cd's (they're used)
- .50 for paperbacks
- 1.00 for newer hardbacks.
- clothing with tags go for more than clothing without.
- never more than $3.00 a pair for jeans in good shape.

Never price too high, many times people won't even make an offer if the starting price is too high.

Make sure that it is clear that you take offers and if they come up with something ridiculous, just smile and say "No, that's too low, why don't you try again?".

Smile, joke, make new friends. These things can be a blast.

Start doing you pricing now. Buy a good sharpie with a thin point for writing your prices..

Good luck. Have fun.

Hell - I used to make a bunch of signs and keep sending my kids up to the corner to put them up everytime the city took them down - they have these people here I call the yard sale police, who drive around every Thursday and do this. They aren't empowered to ticket and the cops don't care unless there is a traffic problem.

Oh and I also call the police station and tell them. Makes them feel like you care.

That's incomplete. I call the police station and tell them I'm having a sale and the dates.

Oh and you can also put it on Craiglist free.

I am currently looking thru stuff here for out neighborhood yard sale coming up.
I suggest pricing cheaper than what you think it's worth if you really want to get rid of it.

I know that nothing that we are putting out is coming back in to the house. It will go between donated for our church yard sale, the Goodwill store, and the clothes we will take to a local clothing room.

Wow.. after reading the comments now I feel confident to have a yard sale of my own-- question is where to have one since I don't have a yard anymore? (we moved into an apt)

i love a good garage sale and what i look for is a price on the item and a reasoanble price. If you want the stuff gone, price it for low. Be sure to barter and at the end of the day have a bag sale or give it away! You don't want to keep the stuff in your basement forever! Signs are very important cause if they can't find your sale your stuck. Be sure you don't need a permit (here in FL you do)

I don't price anything under $1.00, if I have something little or big that not worth $1.00 I will put a bunch of item in a clear large freezer bag, so the customer can see it and put $1.00 on it. Hard back children books you can get $1.00 for. Soft children books, I put them in a clear plastic bags, and sell them as a lot. Grownup clothes, tops $1.00, pants $1.00, good jackets and coats from $5.00 to $10.00. Some jewerly $5.00 and the no more than $1.00 to $3.00. I do not go over $10.00 in my prices.
If you see someone pick up a item, and keeps staring at it, you can tell them you let them have it at -------. such and such price (Sample: You have a item for $3.00. Tell them that you let them have it for $2.00. Most of the time they will buy it from you.) Most of my items are $3.00 and under. If it doesn't sell, price it up a $1.00 or two. This method works, I used it several times and it works.
Be sure you make posters signs to hang up in front of your yard sale or at the end of the street, and around the neighborhood. If you have a community paper, put a ad in it telling about all the yard sales. Be sure to put your address, day and date, and the time you start.
I used to sell at the flea market years ago, I tried a lot of methods, I still have yard sales one in while. I do make money, when I do.
Good luck.