Most of what I have learned is just by shopping myself at garage and estate sales. I know what I am looking for and why and I listen to what others are looking for. I see what estate sale companies charge for items and how people will pay the prices even though they might be marked too high for my purpose. I also see garage sales where no one is buying because the prices are too high. My motto is better to sell many things at lower prices than to sell a couple things at higher prices.
When planning to clean out a garage, house or storage area, the first thing to do in order not to get so overwhelmed is to take one area at a time. This could be a room at a time or a box at a time. Sometimes people look at the whole picture and this becomes overwhelming especially if there is an accumulation of stuff.
If you are helping someone who needs to downsize or just clean up their belongings, the first thing to remember is that people form emotional attachments to their stuff and getting rid of things is extremely hard for them. I tell people to take it slow and be patient.
Make 3 groups: Things to keep, things to get rid of, and things to throw away. Starting with these 3 groups is easy as there are only those choices when starting out. Don't worry if the keep pile seems too large. We'll work on that later.
Remember, only a section at a time. For example let's say you want to clean out the garage and there are years and years of accumulation. Start by taking one side of the garage and start pulling a box, bag or container at a time. Make the groups mentioned above. Continue to make your way through the garage staying in a pattern until you are finished going through everything. Many times people go back and forth from one area to another and back again never making any progress. Once you are done going through everything, start working on your piles. The trash pile can easily be thrown away and now you are down to 2 piles. The pile to get rid of needs to be looked at carefully. Any fine china, glass, vintage appliances, cookware and clothing should be put aside to check on EBAY. Anything else like souvineer kitchenware, glassware, knick nacks etc., can be put aside for a yard sale pricing.
Once you've gone though the "get rid of" pile, you may now have 3 piles. 1. Keep 2. Yard Sale and 3. EBAY. Now you want to start pricing your Yard Sale items. Get some prices stickers. (these can be picked up at the Dollar Store). Keep in mind when pricing that whatever price you put on an item, buyers will always want a cheaper price. In order to be able to negotiate, think of the lowest price you are willing to take for an item and price up from there. That leaves you room for hagglers. Usually when pricing glassware I start at .75 to $1.00. Pots and pans in decent condition with lids anywhere from $3-$5. Appliances can go for $3-$5. Remember to make sure any electrical items work. Keep an extension cord handy so buyers can test items. Try to keep like items together. Clothes can be priced .50 to 1.00 and usually people like digging through clothes dumped on a tarp on the ground. Nothing fancy. Larger furniture and appliances should be placed in front and off to the side as this is what attracts customers. Bikes is another hot item.
The night before the sale, get all the items to sell and put in one area so in the morning, everything is in one place. If possible and ensuring you'll have help the next morning, put things on the tables so all that needs to be done in the morning is to pull the table out to the driveway or yard. This takes some of the morning rush away. If you are putting signs up prior to your sale, this would be the time to do it. Make sure there won't be any dampness overnight. We've put up signs at night and in the morning, found they were all damp and curled up overnight which made them useless.
Hopefully, once the money starts coming in, the desire to sell more will be so great that the pile of items to keep will get smaller as items will start to get pulled from there to put out for sale. If not, don't worry. Let some time pass and then re-visit this pile to see if with time, some of the items can be let go. If there is a need for another yard sale, these items can be put out next time. If no more yard sales are needed, take the unsold items and donate to your local thrift shop.
Make sure to get plenty of change prior to the sale. People will want to buy $1 item and pay with a $20. I usually get about $60 in change. Have plenty of $1's and $5's and enough coins to make change throughout the day. You don't want to miss sales because you can't give change.
The most important thing to any successful yard sale is advertising. These are the best ways to advertise.
Craigslist is an excellent way to advertise. Post your ad with some examples of items for sale. Include address, directions, cross streets and time of sale. Try to avoid words that are meant to attract but sometimes end up being putoffs like, Gigantic sale and Huge sale. From experience, the sales that state these end up being duds with a few items. With Craigslist, you need to post it a few days before the sale, repost the evening before the sale and again the morning of. Alot of people map their routes a few days before the week-end to ensure they are making the most of their time. You want to make sure your ad is seen over and over.
Signs: Get large poster board and create signs. Flourescent colored signs are fine as long and the writing is visible from a passing car. Sometimes these signs are hard to read. Make the signs clear with address and arrows. Post at major intersections around your home and at entrance streets leading to your home. Make sure you are posting in both directions to capture more people. VERY IMPORTANT: Take your signs down at the end of the sale.
Email your family and friends to let them know you are having a sale. Sometimes these are your best customers. Maybe others have things to sell and would want to join in on your sale that day.
Most of all have fun!
Here are some of the pics from a recent yard sale. My husband and cousins were having silly fun with some of the items for sale. My aunt had some wigs to sell and they thought it would be fun to try them on. Don't underestimate what folks will buy.
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