The Perks Of A Yard Sale

There is something about the change of seasons that makes people want to get organized

. With the holidays in the not so distant future, it may be time to get rid of all the junk that has been accumulating in the guest room or make space in the garage. A yard sale can be a good way to get unwanted stuff out of the house and make a little money.

A yard sale or garage sale does require some work before, during and after, but having more space and some spending money makes it worth it. Several websites giving yard sale advice point out an interesting thought to consider: Is the sale to get rid of junk or to make money? The consensus seems to be that if the focus is to get rid of unwanted belongings, the sellers actually make more money. By pricing items to go rather than to profit, sellers generally end up selling more items.

In addition to the benefits of clean space and spending money, yard sales are also good for the environment by giving unwanted items a new home rather than sending them to the landfill. In fact, many environmental and government websites offer yard sale tips. The Santa Clara County Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission in California had several helpful ideas for having a yard sale, like start preparing three weeks before the sale day.

Preparation - Pick a staging area where things to sell can be collected and kept. It may be the guest room or the garage, but it needs to be a space large enough to hold the stuff and allow some work space for grouping and pricing, etc. A good plan is to have several empty boxes and mark them with prices, like the $1 box and the .10 cents box. As things to sell accumulate put them directly in the box corresponding to the potential price of the item. Remember, pricing things to go rather than focusing on what they actually cost can be far more lucrative.

Clean things up as they accumulate because things in good shape will sell faster than dusty or dirty items. Also, consider grouping small items in bags to sell for one price, like a bag of small toys for a dollar rather than trying to sell them separately. Collect plastic bags and even asks friends to donate their plastic shopping bags so there will be plenty on hand for the day of the sale. Have plenty of newspaper on hand for wrapping breakables.

At least a day before the sale, make sure there is enough coins and bills available to make change for customers. Elizabeth Mayhew of the Today Show suggests having $100 in small change on hand the day of the sale. Other supplies that will be needed are stickers or tags for pricing and an extension cord so customers can test electronics.

Make signs and price items the night before the sale. The importance of good signage is heavily stressed by veteran yard sellers. Take advantage of sale days designated by homeowners associations or have a group sale with neighbors. Bigger sales and good signs attract more buyers.

Yard Sale Day - Get the whole family involved in placing items for sale. It is recommended to put big ticket items up front, like table sets or couches. Group like items together and display things in an attractive manner on tables, rather than piling a bunch of stuff on the ground.

Have a calculator handy for adding up the sales and feel free to enjoy the day, mingling with customers and rearranging tables as items sell. Afterwards be sure to donate any leftover items to a local charity, that way they won't end up cluttering the guest room again. A yard sale is work, but at the end of the day there will be less junk and some money for going out to dinner.

by: Ki Gray

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