Yard Sale Tips...

Having a yard sale can be both an enjoyable and profitable experience. Most everyone can find a variety of items around their home they no longer need or haven't used in years. Turning those items into cash benefits both the seller and the buyer. As the seller, you free up space in your home and have the cash to buy something you might really need. Buyers walk away with something they wanted and usually get it at a price they couldn't buy it for at the mall. Having a successful yard sale means taking some time to research, plan and organize your sale. Below are a few tips to consider when planning and organizing your event.        1. Check to see if your city or neighborhood has any regulations regarding yard sales. Some cities have restrictions on how many you can have or where and how you can post signs. Others may require a permit.   2. Advertise your yard sale. It doesn't have to be expensive, and the benefits will be greater than the cost. Yard sale ads on MerchandiseSelect.com are free and include up to three pictures. In addition, the classified section of your local newspaper is another tool you can use to drive traffic to your sale. To place your free yard sale ad, login or register and click on the place An Ad link.   3. Post easy to read yard sale signs in and around the area of your sale. Most cities have restrictions regarding signage, so be sure to inquire about what the laws are in your area. After your signs are posted, drive by each one and make sure they can be clearly seen and read. Be sure to remember how many signs you posted and where you placed them so after your yard sale is over you will be sure to remove all of them.   4. Organize a neighborhood sale! Multi-family sales generally attract more customers because they have more items to choose from. In addition, the costs of advertising, signs, etc. can be divided among all the participants.   5. Start collecting items you are going to sell well ahead of the date of your yard sale. This will give you time to organize and prepare them for the sale. This is important.......nobody wants to buy something that doesn't look good. Take the time to clean your items properly and make them as appealing as possible. 6. Organize your items in groups, placing books with books, toys with toys, etc. During the course of the day, be sure to reorganize your items and keep your displays looking good. If you have clothes to sell, don't throw them into a pile on the ground or on top of a table and expect people to pick through them. If possible, hang garments from a clothes rack separated by size and place a tag on each one that has the size written on it. For books, CD's, software, VHS Tapes, DVD's, or anything else that has a title, be sure they are arranged so the title can be easily read.   7. Add some curbside appeal to your yard sale. Get your yard looking good and place some of the more interesting items toward the front of your driveway. This will persuade more people to stop and take a look around instead of just driving by.   8. Price your items reasonably. If you were buying it at a yard sale, what would you be willing to pay? Make sure everything has a price tag on it, and on your high ticket items, leave yourself some room for negotiating. If you don't want to tag every book or every CD, try using a sign that says "All Books" or "All CD's" and the price you want for each.   9. Have plenty of change ready. Be sure to make a trip to the bank the week of your sale and have enough change available in the event  someone hands you a $20 or $50 bill. When someone pays you with a large bill, leave it in view until you have given them back their change. This will eliminate any questions as to the amount they gave you. Most importantly, guard your money and don't leave it laying around.   10. Keep pets in the house or backyard during the sale. Some people may be allergic to cats or afraid of dogs. You just never know, so it's best to keep them clear of the area during your yard sale.   11. Avoid having your yard sale during a holiday. People go out of town, have family gatherings, etc. This cuts down on the amount of traffic you would see during normal periods.   12. Have refreshments available, especially on those hot afternoons. This can be a good way of keeping people at your yard sale, and the longer they stay the more likely they are to buy something. Ice water and disposable cups is a great idea!   13. Towards the end of the day, consider discounting all of the items that haven't sold. If you're going to do this, it's a good idea to have a sign ready to place at the beginning of your driveway where it is clearly visible to people driving by. The sign can read something like "50% Off" or "Everything Must Go! 50% Off!". A lot of people will come back to a yard sale at the end of the day to see if they can get something at a reduced cost. Discounting everything is a great way to sell those remaining items.   14. Give to charity! Remember, the items you have for sale are things you really don't need. That was why you were selling them to begin with. If you have anything left after your sale is over, consider loading them into your vehicle and donating them to a charitable organization such as Goodwill, The Salvation Army, or the organization of your choice. There are a lot of people less fortunate who would greatly benefit from your act of kindness, and it's something you'll feel good about having done.