Host a Successful Yard Sale – Or Not!

UPDATED Saturday April 2, 2022

Check out this resource for online garage sales.  Whooda thunk you could do such a thing? This helpful article even comes with a printable card to add when you ship the items to the buyer!

‘Tis the season of yard sales! In fact, the second Saturday in August is National Garage Sale Day. Who knew? I used to be a bit of a yard sale junkie: one of those folks who needed a “I stop for yard sales!” bumper sticker. 🙂 I still stop from time to time (I find organizing supplies that way!) and I am always amazed at the variety of ways that people host a yard sale. For some folks, it’s all about the kid’s lemonade stand. I always stop for these and purchase lemonade and baked goods, even if I have to discard them when out of sight!

Creating An Awesome and Joyful Yard Sale

Below are our suggestions, along with one of my pet peeves, for making your yard sale one that meets your individual goals most effectively.

What Are Your Goals and Objectives?

Goal #1: Make money

How much money do you believe you will make? Be clear on the minimum amount of money that would make your yard sale a financial success and the maximum that you can realistically expect to earn. Talk with others in your household about these questions.

Goal #2: Get rid of things

Obviously, you want to get rid of things in order to free up your energy!

Be aware that there are many, many responsible ways to get rid of things quickly and with minimal effort. To determine the tax deduction value of your items if you were to donate them, check out this handy guide from the Salvation Army.

Goal #3: Have fun

Have you had a yard sale before? Was it fun? Did you make a lot of money? If your answer is a resounding “Yes,” do you currently have items of similar value to the items you sold at earlier sales or did you already sell all of the good stuff?  If you have kids, a garage sale can be a great way for them to learn many valuable skills.  And a lemonade stand always makes me stop.  Young entrepreneurs tug at my heart!

If the answer is, “it was an awful lot of work and I was exhausted afterward,” consider whether you might feel just as happy (or happier) if you gave the items to a good cause.

Do a Cost-Benefit Analysis

Time: Do not discount the value of your time! Will hosting a yard sale mean you no longer have the time needed to accomplish other priorities?  How much time do you think it will actually take to have a successful yard sale?  Write down your answer now and after you have finished reviewing the action steps this post!

Money: What is the most you could possibly expect to make? What is the lowest amount that you could earn and still feel it was all worthwhile? Do you NEED the money? Do you have other ways to make money that might be a better use of your time?

Assess support available

Many hands make light work!

Do you have a friend or neighbor who might like to sell at your yard sale? Multi-family yard sales attract more buyers, are more fun, and allow for breaks. Get support from family and friends ahead of time, so that you are not exhausted at the end of your sale.

Logistics

Once you are clear on your objectives and confident that a yard sale makes sense for you, start your planning, collecting and pricing.

Date: What will be the date of your yard sale? For more guidance than you may ever need on the best time to have a yard sale, click here.

Location: What will be the location of your yard sale?

News flash: your yard sale does not have to be in YOUR yard!

• Does your neighborhood, religious community or other organization have a yard sale coming up?
• Do you have a friend or relative whose home is in a location that is more heavily traveled than yours? Are there other events, such as farmers markets or festivals that might draw people to your location?

Inclement weather: What will your rain plan be? Do you have a garage or large room that you are willing to utilize if the weather doesn’t cooperate or will you cancel or have a rain date?

Your pricing plan

First of all, have a pricing plan!  I have been to many yard sales with items with no prices. If I have to ask the price, I’ll usually just convince myself I don’t need it. Will you price each item individually or have standardized pricing? My favorite yard sale strategy is to decide on a limited number of prices and use colored stickers and a key chart to indicate prices. Another way to simplify is to have a box of $0.50 items and a box of $1 items, as long as you can keep an eye on things. Otherwise, there is the potential for things to “travel” from one box to another.

When pricing, always remember, “it’s a yard sale!” The price that something would sell for on eBay has little to no bearing on what most people are willing to pay at a yard sale. A great resource for realistic yard sale pricing can be found at GarageSaleSource.

Collect items in a central location: You might decide to price items as you place them in the holding area to save time later. If you plan to use color coding or another form of pricing, create boxes for different pricing levels. For example, you might have a box labeled $0.25, one labeled $0.50, one labeled $1, etc. If you have higher priced items, you might create groupings such as “$5 – $15” or “$20-$30”. Do whatever makes sense for the items you are selling; just come up with a clear and consistent plan to save time later.

Proposed timeline for a successful, low-stress yard sale

Two months ahead of time:

• Speak with others in your household to determine if they would be excited about a yard sale.
• Decide on a date and location.
• Subscribe to your local list-serves (your neighborhood and others nearby.)
• Line up friends and family to help and be specific about what type of support you need.

One month ahead of time:

• Identify a place to temporarily store items to sell. A guest room, corner of a basement, etc.
• Establish criteria for what type of items you are willing to part with.
• Decide whether to devote time researching the value of items in a yard sale pricing guide.

1 -2 weeks ahead of time:

• Gather supplies for signage and pricing (painter’s tape, poster board, large markers.) Recycle what you already have and make green choices whenever possible.
• Schedule a pickup from a charity of your choice for as soon as possible after the sale or identify someone to help you cart the stuff away immediately after the sale. You will not reclaim your energy until the items are gone!
• Begin to put your pricing plan in place.

Spread the word!

Advertise: you can advertise for free on-line with services such as Craig’s List, on your neighborhood or other list-serves, and by alerting your friends via email or on social media.

Signage signage signage: Signage can make or break a yard sale. It doesn’t have to be expensive: you just want to be smart. Signage works best if it is in a consistent bright color (poster board can be purchased at many dollar stores.) Your signs should be readable from a car at a distance, and should have the following information:

• The date
• The address
• Your sales pitch! Multi-family, children’s toys, moving sale, “everything must go”
• An arrow pointing the traveler to your location

Grumble, Grumble: Now we get to the source of my pet peeves: yard sale signs that do not have the elements above! Two even greater pet peeves are people who don’t put a date on their yard sale sign AND don’t take it down after the yard sale! You want to make attending your yard sale as easy as possible for potential visitors. Part of your responsibility is to clean up your signage so as not to confuse anyone after the yard sale is over.

Here are a few yard sale signs that do not meet my exacting criteria:

Win: The sign above gets good “green points” for the use of recycled cardboard

To improve:

1. Where on Indian Spring Drive?

2. What time on which Saturday and Sunday?

Win: Great choice of poster board colors and it is BIG!

To improve:

1. Where on Indian Spring Drive?

2. What time on which Saturday and Sunday?

Win: I love the creative use of colors and the way that made a plain white poster board pop!

To improve: Which Sunday? At least we know what time!

Don’t worry, be happy

We know that this is a lot to take in! Our hope is that by having all of your yard sale considerations in one place, you will feel better equipped to host your own sale. As we head toward a seasonal change, many of us are ready to shed some of our things to make space for new energy. Let this time of year serve as a reminder that our lives are always evolving and changing, and that the possessions we need evolve and change, too.

Discover more ways to mindfully declutter your home or office here! >>