Garage and Yard Sale Tips

• Prices should be on top of an item, not on the bottom. I know it's a lot of work, but worth it because you won't have people asking every two minutes, "how much do you want for this?" As a general rule of thumb, price items about a third of what they would cost new. There are exceptions (see next item). Clothes are generally very poor sellers, unless it's baby/kids clothes. But if you price adult-sized clothing cheap enough, it will sell regardless. People are reluctant to pay a lot of money for clothes they can't try on, but will gamble if it's only $1 or so. Take some of your "nicer" clothes to consignment stores, rather than trying to sell them at a yard sale. A rule on price: you can always go down on a price, but you can never go back up. If you don't have time to price everything individually, signs are helpful, such as "all books .25 each" or "any piece of clothing $1.00", or "anything on this table .50". You also can offer the customers a deal, example: paperbacks .25 each or 5 for $1.

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• When pricing items, keep in mind that "a third of what it costs new" is only a guideline. No one cares that you paid $60 for your advanced quantum physics book 10 years ago. You'll be lucky to sell it at all. The same with your 20-year old exercise bike,  sets of crutches, and bowling balls. The list can go on. Try to look at your stuff objectively. If you have a bunch of items that are missing pieces or broken, put it in your FREE box with a note "broken - good for parts" or something similar.

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• Before your sale, look through the boxes of everything you sell. Often you will find old credit card receipts complete with full numbers in old shoes boxes or in books as bookmarks.

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• Don't prop up a nice framed picture against a rocking chair on a very windy day.

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• When selling clothes (and coats) take a minute and go thru the pockets. You'd hate to give away a $20 bill in the pocket of a $2 item.

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• If you are selling an old basketball, make sure it is full of air. If you are selling a TV, have it turned on. If something needs batteries to run, put batteries in it so it works - it will help it sell.  Don't put in new batteries, use some half-used batteries. If all people see from the road is a tarp with a mountain of clothes heaped on it, they'll likely drive by. Ask friends/neighbors to loan you portable tables if necessary.

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• Display some of your more interesting items at the end of your driveway to act as a magnet to lure people in (see next tip). Some people will just drive by slowly and take a quick look to determine if it looks worthwhile to stop.

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• Ever notice how hard a woman has to work to convince a man to stop at a yard sale? To solve this, set out an old lawn mower or power tools out front in plain view of the road, and you'll get more business! It's also smart to set up a small table with nothing but "man-things" (jars full of screws and nails, electronic parts, tools and parts of tools, etc.). This gives the men something to immerse themselves in while the women find all the real treasures.

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• If you are planning your yard sale on the hot day, consider selling sodas or having the kids run a lemonade stand. (Generally though, it's just easier to ice-down a bunch of sodas - bought on sale of course - in a big cooler. And just sell the kind of soda you like, so you don't mind if you have leftovers. ) The longer people stay at your yard sale the more likely they will buy something.

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• You may get a customer who wants to "help" you by totaling up their purchases ahead of time and giving you the total. It may be a ploy to sneak some high-dollar items into the pile or not paying the true full amount. If this happens just say that you need to go through it because some of the things are your sister's and you need to check what they are buying so you can divide the money fairly with them.

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• Here's a tip if you are trying to sell something that is fairly high dollar and it's a popular item that appears in catalogs or sale ads. Cut out the ad with the item in it (with the price showing of course) and tape it to your item. This is especially useful with gently used children's toys and such. It shows the buyer that spending $10 for an item that normally sells for $40 new is a good deal.

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• If you are trying to sell a bunch of old kitchen utensils, rubber-band the knives so people don't get cut.

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• Make sure any items you don't want to sell are put away. If you don't, that will be the one item the buyer wants.

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• GUARD YOUR MONEY! Have lots of coins and small bills available to make change. Do not leave your money lying around in a box. Wearing a fanny pack or carpenter's apron because you'll always have your money with you.

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• Don't accept checks unless you are willing to take the risk of getting a bad check. A check that looks perfectly fine may be from a closed bank account.

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• Here's a tip about making change: if someone hands you a large bill, and you need to give them change, leave the bill out in view until after you have given them their change.

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• Have plastic grocery bags available to put sold items in. If selling breakables, have newspaper available to wrap fragile items. Having a calculator handy is helpful in totaling up purchases. Make it easy for yourself to total items - price things in round amounts: .25, .50 and $1, NOT .40, .75, $1.20.

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• If you have kids, involve them by having them set up their own table selling their old toys. Explain to them if they get rid of their old outgrown toys, they'll make space to put the new toys that they buy themselves with the money they earn. If they agree to parting with their old toys, help them with the prices. Plan with them afterwards to donate their good, unsold toys to charity so that needy children will benefit.

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• If you are selling electrical appliances, have an electrical outlet handy or a long extension cord. I wouldn't allow strangers in my house, either to try out appliances or try on clothes, etc. If they need to use a restroom, give them directions to the nearest fast-food restaurant.

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• If you have a ton of kids clothes or small toys you are dying to get rid of, consider having a "fill a bag for a set price" kind of deal. Yard sale visitors love getting a good deal. Many times yard sales have a "fill a bag of clothes for $2" or "fill a lunch bag of small toys" for a nickel (very cheap!) If you do something like this, just make sure you have enough bags handy.

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• Another option is to sort the small toys and put them in sealed clear plastic bags according to type of toy and whether it's for a boy or girl.  STAPLE the bags closed so customers can't open them. Then have a set price for the entire bag. That way, you won't get stuck with leftover "less desirable" toys when the sale is over.

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• Expect some buyers will want you to bargain with them. If it's early in the morning and you don't want to bargain, just say, "I think it's worth that price. I may lower the price later in the day if it doesn't sell." Maybe take their cell phone number and call them later if it hasn�t sold.

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• For safety reasons, its best to have another person or persons helping you conduct your yard sale. But if you can't and have some scary looking customers, you can pretend to have someone else with you-just yell into the house "Hey Mark, bring me a soda when you get a chance". It's wise to have a cordless phone or cell phone on you (in your carpenter's apron) at all times. But don't sit it down, because someone will want to buy it!

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• When someone buys a large item (such as a laundry hamper), its always good to check inside before you check out your customer. You can just say that you want to make sure you didn't leave anything in it. A dishonest person may have stuffed a bunch of unpaid items inside.

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