Spring cleaning is the perfect time to gather up all of the things you don’t really need or use and sell them in a yard sale. Rather than simply throwing things away, holding a yard sale is a more environmentally friendly option (because you’re not sending all of those items to the landfill) and it can also give your wallet a little extra padding.
But if you want to have a truly successful sale, you need to take some extra steps to stand out from the multitude of sales that happen on spring and summer weekends. Here are some tips that can help you create a sale that gets unused items out of your home and more cash in your pocket.
* Get the word out. There are plenty of ways to let people know about your sale, but try to be creative. In addition to newspaper ads or an online listing, get printed announcements. You can send them to friends and family to help spread the word, or you can either leave a small stack or pin some up at local coffee shops and other stores with bulletin boards. Make sure that you edit your announcement carefully, checking the dates and the address in particular. A low-cost, high-impact option is to go to websites like Vistaprint, where you can order printed announcements in attention-getting designs.
* Draw customers in. In addition to the customers you draw in from announcements, you want to be able to catch the eye of people driving or walking by. Skip the brown cardboard sign – they’re too hard to see and don’t stand up to rain. If you’re posting signs around your neighborhood, make them brightly colored, with bold block lettering that directs people to your house. In your own yard, hang vinyl banners announcing the sale and string up multicolored pennants. Since they’re impervious to bad weather, you can use them time and time again.
* Give customers a good experience. Greet each person who comes into your yard to browse. Let them know that you’re happy to answer any questions they might have, or provide a demo to show that electronics or other items are functional. To really make an impression, serve beverages on hot days and have treats like candy or cookies set out.
* Be prepared. Organize the items you’re selling into categories so that it’s easier for shoppers to find what they’re looking for. Set items out on tables so that people don’t have to lean over to look at things spread out on the ground. Go to the bank a few days ahead of time and get small bills and plenty of change. Keep a collection of grocery bags, both paper and plastic, that you can give to people who buy multiple items. And above all, put price tags on everything – if you don’t want to label individual clothing items, group them into price ranges.
When everything is planned and ready, be sure you’re up at the crack of dawn to get set up. Many dedicated yard sale shoppers are early birds, and you don’t want them to skip over you because you’re still asleep.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
