A great way to make money is to have a yard sale. Yard sales are amazing and fun. They are also an excellent way to declutter your home and earn money.
As popular and fun as yard sales are, many people make mistakes that we guarantee have cost them sales, which equals a loss of money.
Before we continue, if you are worried about hosting a yard sale in our current situation, read the next paragraph.
Ok, back to avoiding these yard sale mistakes.
Hosting a good yard sale requires planning and hard work, but it is possible, and I encourage people to do it.
To have a successful yard sale, you must avoid certain mistakes. When I hosted my first yard sale a few years ago, I learned the hard way; for these reasons alone, I wanted to share with you these yard sale mistakes to avoid this season.
Depending on where you live, some locations require you to have a permit in order to host your yard sale.
Before considering having a yard sale, please check with your local municipality/city to see if a permit is required or what other restrictions (if any) they have for your area.
Some cities or counties may restrict how many yard sales you can host throughout the year.
One of the top yard sale mistakes people make is not having items priced. Let me put it this way: finding an item you want and can't locate its price is very frustrating when you are shopping.
Imagine how your yard sale customers will feel when they want to purchase an item from your yard sale only to find out that it isn't priced.
Many people will ask, but others will skip it if they see that you are busy and just leave. Don't miss these opportunities with no pricing.
Always price every item; this will prevent confusion and help your yard sale run smoothly.
You can always find printed price stickers at any local store, so this is possible. If you are using a marker to price your items, please ensure that it's clear and understandable to your customers.
Priced too high
You want to sell your items. I know you don't want to give it away, and if you are looking to sell items for book value, then a yard sale is not the place for it. Yard sale customers are looking for deals and bargains; they are not seeking to pay book value or retail price for yard sale items.
Dirty items because it's a yard sale
To have a successful yard sale, make sure that your items are priced to sell fast. If you have an item that is brand new or in excellent condition, then your choice may be to try selling it online rather than your yard sale.
Ugh! That is all I can say if you think this way. If you want to make a sale and have a successful yard sale, please take the time to clean your items at least. I'm not saying they have to look brand spanking new, but take some time to make it look presentable.
If you are looking to have a successful yard sale, a dirty item would most likely sit there; or you will lose money when someone offers you a lower price. If your items look presentable, the chances are that they will sell faster and at the price, you were asking.
Messy Yard Sale
Nothing annoys a customer or me more than arriving at a yard sale and having everything for sale inside boxes and not organized. Please take the time to organize your yard sale.
Place toys with toys, books with books, and so on. This will help your customers get what they are looking for and, therefore, buy your stuff.
Another important thing to remember is safety. You are inviting people to your home. Make sure your yard sale is organized with items safely accessible to your customers.
You don't want a huge pile of toys to fall on a toddler if they bump into it. Also, please make sure you keep your money in a safe place as well.
Having an emotional attachment to the items
This might sound harsh, but if you are not willing to part with the items you are selling in your yard sale, then maybe it's best if you don't sell them at all.
To have a successful yard sale, you have to make sure that you have a goal, and that goal is to make sure you sell all your stuff for money.
We have yard sales to make money; yard sale customers are there to get a deal; they do not want your life story about the item (usually).
For this reason, I'm telling you that it is best to understand that maybe this might not be a good thing.
Not advertise your yard sale
More than ever, it is so easy to promote your yard sale. You can advertise your yard sale for free online on some sites.
You can also advertise your yard sale on social media. If done correctly, Facebook is your best friend when it comes to selling items.
If you want people to come and buy your stuff, you must advertise your yard sales. If you are making signs, please ensure your address is visible. I hate going on a hunt to look for a yard sale with a vague arrow when an address would have made it so much easier.
Ensure your signs are clear and contain your address, the time of your yard sale, and the dates. Write big and use pastel signs to draw attention to your sign.
Another good idea is to continue to use the same color for all your signs. This will help guide your traffic.
Hang your signs in high-traffic areas so people can see them. Don't put signs in people's yards without their permission, though.
Use these tips to advertise your yard sale or garage sale:
I know sometimes it can be boring, or you might want to check your social media, but if you are hosting a yard sale, please pay attention to your customers.
Treat your customers with respect. Greet them and thank them for spending their hard-earned dollars on your stuff. Be professional.
Not being prepared
Don't you love going to a yard sale and having the host still setting up?
This can be so frustrating and can lead to loss of sales. People only come to your yard sale one time. They don't come back, and they have other yard sales to visit.
Remember to have everything set up and ready before the start time you have listed for your yard sale.
When you configure the start time, people want to get in there, get what they want, and be on their way. They don't want to wait. Some even show up a little early to try and grab the best deals before everyone else.
Not having change
This is something you have to remember because it is essential. You need to have money and change available to your customers. Not having change will cause a loss of sales and upset customers.
You can even use some of your loose change jars. Just make sure to sort the changes to make it easier. Make sure you do this the day before and be ready early in the morning.
Not having bags
I know you are trying to keep your costs down, but if you plan your yard sale, why not save those unwanted plastic bags from the grocery store or boxes from around the house to help your yard sale customers with their items?
If you want to sell things in your yard sale, having bags or boxes available for customers to carry their stuff is an excellent idea.
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Conclusion
To have a successful yard sale, you must treat it like a business. Ensure you take care of your yard sale customers' needs, and always remember that great customer service will bring you back customers. They may even call their friends and invite them to your yard sale!
If you plan on hosting another yard sale because you did a fabulous job taking care of your customers, they will return. Avoiding these mistakes will surely help you have a successful yard sale.
Your turn: What other yard sale mistakes do you avoid? Please share it with us!
Latina mom of 4 married to wonderful Greek gentleman. Living in southeast PA and trying to juggle family and a household while trying to earn an income from home.
Follow my stay at home journey as I discover how to earn money and save money so we can continue to live debt-free.
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Great ideas. I’ve been implementing the same things since I started them shortly after my son was born. I also use the clothes racks from Walmart for $15. I got the ones that adjust so on one I have the baby clothes or miscellaneous(bibs or baby hats in a bag for 25(/, blankets,etc.) on top & anything 12months & up on the bottom but in order. I also do one with women’s on top & men’s on the bottom. I use a medium basket that’s easy to view of clothes & have a notecard starting those ones are 50(/,might have a tear in the jeans,faded, or I just really don’t want them anymore. I try to organize books & toys on carts I borrow a couple from my parents,but I also have a blue one I got on clearance at Kmart & love it! Try to put a men’s table (tools,drinking stuff,electronics) near the sidewalk if you’re having it in your driveway to attract the guys(they won’t stop otherwise.) also put the big kids toys,tents,etc, near the front if you can.
Thank you Mommy got these very helpful tips! I will use these tips myself and maybe sell more stuff! The tip about the tools for sure! I didn’t think about that. Thank you again!
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So many great ideas! I couldn’t stand people trying to negotiate prices and haven’t done one in years. I think the point of getting over emotional attachments is spot on. Crazy how attached we can get to stuff.
I label a box “FREE” and put it on the sidewalk. I put anything that is too old or used to sell in the box. Also anything that might otherwise have been thrown in the trash, but is too good to be filling up our landfills. It is amazing how things disappear! One man’s junk is another man’s treasure! ALSO, easy advertising tool…
Good read. Thanks for the tips. I am actually thinking of having a yard sale. I’ll put these in mind.
awesome tips! I spend days before pricing each item. When it comes to clothing I usually do a bag for 5.00$
I never thought of that one $5 a bag for clothing. How big a bag? Like grocery store size? That’s a great idea.
Great tips. Organization is the key to a successful garage sale.
Great ideas. I’ve been implementing the same things since I started them shortly after my son was born. I also use the clothes racks from Walmart for $15. I got the ones that adjust so on one I have the baby clothes or miscellaneous(bibs or baby hats in a bag for 25(/, blankets,etc.) on top & anything 12months & up on the bottom but in order. I also do one with women’s on top & men’s on the bottom. I use a medium basket that’s easy to view of clothes & have a notecard starting those ones are 50(/,might have a tear in the jeans,faded, or I just really don’t want them anymore. I try to organize books & toys on carts I borrow a couple from my parents,but I also have a blue one I got on clearance at Kmart & love it! Try to put a men’s table (tools,drinking stuff,electronics) near the sidewalk if you’re having it in your driveway to attract the guys(they won’t stop otherwise.) also put the big kids toys,tents,etc, near the front if you can.
I actually also use I think it may be a wooden utensil tray for holding & displaying jewelry.
Thank you Mommy got these very helpful tips! I will use these tips myself and maybe sell more stuff! The tip about the tools for sure! I didn’t think about that. Thank you again!
So many great ideas! I couldn’t stand people trying to negotiate prices and haven’t done one in years. I think the point of getting over emotional attachments is spot on. Crazy how attached we can get to stuff.
I label a box “FREE” and put it on the sidewalk. I put anything that is too old or used to sell in the box. Also anything that might otherwise have been thrown in the trash, but is too good to be filling up our landfills. It is amazing how things disappear! One man’s junk is another man’s treasure! ALSO, easy advertising tool…