Articles from the ‘For Sellers’ Category

You say tom-ay-to, I say tom-ah-to…

Ah, the song said it so well. Whether you call it a yard sale or a garage sale is largely dependent on your region. Around here it bounces back and forth between garage sale and yard sale. But if you’ve ever watched Martha Stewart, up in Connecticut they call them tag sales.

Then of course in the mid-west they are sometimes called rummage sales, and churches frequently call them white elephant sales.

There are some definite advantages to actually holding your sale in a garage: you are sheltered from the effects of mother nature and if you’re having the sale inside you don’t have to worry about rain, which can be a problem in hurricane country! Plus you can set up ahead of time, and not have to worry about getting up at the crack of dawn to set out your merchandise. So a “garage” sale will keep you from singing the title line in that song, “Let’s call the whole thing off.”

Of course, one of the benefits to the shorter words like “Yard Sale” or “Tag Sale” is that they fit better on signs. And readable signs are important! So important that we have two articles about how to make good garage sale signs.

So whether you’re searching for maps to yard sales, garage sales, or tag sales, or if you want to advertise your yard sale for free, you’ve come to the right place!

Those of us who garage sale regularly are really quite picky about signs. Even if we’ve got a map or GPS device directing us, we still want them to be visible and easy to read.

One of the keys to a good sign is a good, clear arrow. It needs to be visible from a moving car… BEFORE you need to turn. I’m forever seeing signs that are on the far side of the street at ground level. You never see them until just after you miss the turn. Argh!

Enough ranting. Let’s let pictures tell the story…

Being on the far side of the intersection would have been forgivable (not driving too fast in a residential neighborhood), but CRAYONS?! I realize folks have to use what they have on hand, but crayons on construction paper just aren't visible. Period. Get a sharpie or acrylic paint (either about a buck) or run the paper through your printer.

This one is much better. Cardboard doesn't make the best background as far as contrast goes, but the size and readability make up for it.

This was nice and bright, but was on the small side considering it needed to be read from across the street. Plus it's just paper and has flopped down so it's totally unreadable.

This was wonderfully bright, but was on the far side of a busy intersection. Ideally it would have been big enough to see from across the street. Hint: Walgreen's fluorescent poster board is about a buck for a great big piece.

Cheap and perfect. The sellers used a large piece of foam insulation from the big box hardware store and cut it into large pieces. Then they painted them with plain old acrylic paint and popped them on recycled election sign stands. Waterproof, too!

In addition to listing your sale in a great site like this, you’ll need to put out signs to direct traffic to your sale. Here are some tips on how to make effective signs.

• Print your signs on bright yellow or lime green paper. These nearly-neon colors stands out better than white and are still high contrast for easy readability. Download and use the signs I’ve included or type up the information in your word processor, then you can print on the bright paper using your inkjet or laser printer. Contrast is the name of the game, here. No dark colored paper!

Tip: laser printer/copier toner doesn’t run in the rain, so if you live in a rainy area and don’t have a laser printer, consider printing one copy of your sign in black ink on white paper and have it photocopied onto bright paper.

• Staple your bright, easy-to-read sign to cardboard for stability. Or, lacking cardboard, fold the top and bottom edges 1/4″ down, then 1/4″ down again–you’ll be amazed at the stability this
  adds to the paper.
• If you need to put a sign on a corner where you can’t plant a stake in the ground or tape it to a pole (in some areas you can be fined for attaching a sign to a pole), staple your bright sign to a large cardboard box. Put the box on the corner where you want it to be seen and load it with rocks or bricks to hold it in place.
• Look for unclaimed election signs and re-use these for mounting your garage sale signs. (In my area candidates have 9 days after an election to retrieve their signs, after that, they’re fair game.) These are wonderful because the ones they use here are made of wire and stick into the ground in a snap, no need for stakes & a sledgehammer.
• Arrows! Make sure you have a large obvious point on your arrows, otherwise it just looks like a line from a distance.
• If you live well off the beaten path, consider just using arrows for the intermittent signs (to tell drivers to keep going in the same direction–if they need to turn, use a whole sign so it doesn’t get missed). Print the arrows on the SAME COLORED PAPER as your signs so people can identify them easily. You can print about 6-8 arrows per sheet. (see above tip about arrows)
• Don’t try to put too much on your sign. “Yard Sale” (or whatever is typical for your area) on one or two lines, the date(s) & the times, the address is optional–it’s usually too small to read when printed on an 8-1/2×11″ sheet of paper anyway. Make the type as large as will fit on your paper. To avoid having to print signs with arrows pointing opposite directions, use a black permanent marker to draw arrows on the signs. (see above tip about arrows)
• Be polite and take your signs down after your sale is over.

These downloads are in PDF format:
If you need a reader, please visit Adobe.

Basic sign with the arrow pointing LEFT

Basic sign with the arrow pointing RIGHT

Sheet of Arrows

Pricing is one of many factors that can affect the outcome of your garage sale, so make sure to give it some thought ahead of time.

There are many factors that affect prices: season, region, condition, age, current retail price, and competition.

Season:

Selling items in the off-season makes them a little harder to move; most folks just aren’t looking for Christmas decorations in May, so keep the seasonality of items in mind when pricing. Ditto for gardening tools. Not much of a market for them in September (unless you’re selling a leaf blower!), but they are in high demand in spring. Sweaters and jackets will bring more in an early autumn sale.

Region:

The part of the country you’re selling in plays a big part of what you can hope to get paid for your goods. Garage sales tend to be more prevalent in the suburbs and rural areas, whereas flea markets are more common in urban areas. The general cost of living in your area will also have an effect on prices. If you are in an area hard-hit by the recession, folks just don’t have as much money to spend, so your prices will have to be low enough to move your inventory.

Condition:

Is the item like new? Slightly used? Does it come with its original packaging and/or instructions? Are all the parts included? Or has it obviously been collecting dust in your attic for several years? Dirty stuff is harder to sell, so take the time to clean stuff up.

Age:

Some things are timeless, and some things are even more valuable because they’re older, but just because something is old, doesn’t make it a collectible or antique. Anything you plan on marketing this way will need to be researched. Ebay is probably your best source for current prices (be sure to check the COMPLETED auctions for actual price data). Clothing usually continues to go down in price the older it gets. Other items that get “dated” particularly fast are home dec items. Remember those acrylic bunches of grapes everyone had in the 60s? Not a big market for them now. Ditto for avocado green Tupperware, etc.

Current Retail Price:

It doesn’t really matter what you paid for an item several years ago; today’s prices are all that matter. So, that computer that you paid $1200 for 5 years ago, is likely not even going to get you 10% of it’s original price. This is particular true with technology items: the costs have dropped so dramatically in the past several years that there’s really no good secondary market. That goes for kitchen appliances, DVD players, etc. (In 1986 a new full-size microwave would set you back over $300, now you can get one for less than half that price.)

Competition:

Where else can shoppers find the items you are selling used? Is everyone else in the neighborhood having a sale? Are there many second-hand shops in your area? How unique is your item? Is it something people buy and use forever, or is everyone else also selling the same “as seen on TV” widget.

Oh, and finally, how bad do you want to be rid of the item? (I actually had a guy offer to pay me to take his exercise bike away last year!).

I recommend heading to a few second-hand stores in your area to get an idea of prices, then charge about 70% of what they do. If you have things that you feel may be valuable, check eBay for prices. If you don’t sell these items at your sale, you can always sell them online.

Some of these prices seem shockingly low, so you may want to consider whether donating the items to charity will net you more money as a tax deductible donation. Many popular income tax software packages, such as Turbo Tax, include features to automatically calculate the value of charitable donations using IRS-approved values. At the very least, make sure you take inventory (a digital photo for support is a good idea) of items before donating them to charity.

7 Garage Sale Tips You Must Have For Success
By Marilyn Bohn

My daughter and her family are moving to a different state and they have several items they don’t want to take with them so they are having a garage sale. I just organized a two car garage and my client found so many duplicate, good, and unwanted items that she is having a garage sale. The reasons for a sale are many and varied. No matter why you are having a garage sale here are some tips for a successful sale:

1·Gather Your Inventory
Once you have decided on what you will sale be tough with yourself. Store your yard sale inventory in black plastic garbage bags or boxes with lids. No peeking! There is no appeal, no mercy and no second chance. The things in the bags or boxes are no longer junk or stuff, its inventory!

2·Set The Date
Choose your day, and plan a one-day sale. Have a strategy for sale’s end. Many charities will pick up all unsold items. Or set a time and after that time give everything away free, or charge a dime for everything. My daughter got a beautiful, in excellent condition queen size bed free at a garage sale. She didn’t even know after 3:00 everything was free, but they stuck to their decision and she benefited. Whatever you do, don’t let the survivors back in the house! If you can’t sell this stuff at a garage sale, why would you want it to clutter your home?

3·Advertise
You’ve sorted your stuff and scoped out the field. Now it’s time to play retailer. First rule: advertise, advertise, and advertise. Put an ad on Craig’s List or other local advertizing places.

The secret to a successful yard sale is foot traffic. The more folks who walk through your sale, the more you’ll sell. Lots of cars parked on your street tell yard-sale cruisers where to find you. If business is brisk, buyers won’t leave your premises without that lighted beer sign, for fear that someone else will snatch it right up. The more, the merrier; your muffin-tin change sorter will overflow.

Depending where in the country you live put an ad in the newspaper. Many local papers offer special garage sale rates or free signs to yard sale advertisers. Watch your wording. Mention furniture, baby items, garden tools or other desirable items you have to offer, but don’t waste your money on “miscellaneous”.

If you want to keep pre-dawn bargain hunters from banging on your door at 5 a.m., include the phrase “No early birds!” in your ad. A creative use of “Early birds pay double” will discourage all but the most fanatic; make them pay for the privilege.

Use your computer (or your kids) to make signs, lots of signs. Use neon poster board and deep-black markers. Make the directions BIG. If you can’t see your signs from a block away, neither can your customers. If you live tucked deep in a twisted spiral of subdivision streets, place sign at each and every corner between your house and the nearest main road. Make it easy for buyers to find you.

4·Preparation and Price
Assess your inventory. Does it look garage-sale drab? A little elbow grease can yield big bucks. Run dusty dishes and filmy glassware through the dishwasher. A quick spritz with automotive vinyl protectant makes small appliances and plastic items shine like new. Clean, fresh-smelling clothing hung on hangers commands a higher price than stained and rumpled items tossed into boxes.

Pay attention to packaging. Plastic food storage bags group children’s game pieces, display jewelry, and hold hardware bits and pieces.

Price every item. Yes, haggling is part of the yard sale scene, but for those with shyer natures, a price sticker saves a lot of energy. Buyers are more apt to buy when they know the price is in their ballpark. Use masking tape or small adhesive stickers to label your wares.

Bundling is an old retailer’s trick, and one well suited to the yard-sale seller. Abide by your area’s yard sale price guidelines. Yard sales have their own economy. The goal is to get rid of stuff. Your shoppers know the going prices as well as you do.

5·Set Up Shop
Make sure your site can be seen from the road, and plan to haul a few big items out front, for good measure. It’s best to work from a stripped site, so remove everything that’s not for sale from the driveway, garage or carport. If you can’t, drape the not-for-sale items with sheets or tarps.

Set out your wares. Tables, even a slab of plywood board resting on sawhorse, make it easy to browse. Hang clothing from ropes or chains attached to the ceiling. Display books, spines up, in shallow boxes for easy shopping. When possible, use signs to identify merchandise: full-size sheets, infants’ clothing. Lay a heavy-duty extension cord to operate radios and television, and test electrical appliances.

Remove anything that can be tripped over, including the dog, who should live elsewhere for the duration of the sale. Check the garage floor and driveway for slippery spots or hidden hazards. Tape down extension cords or cables.

Are you ready to make change? A muffin tin makes a good change holder. Be prepared with at least $20 in small bills and change. Or a big pocket apron works too or an old tackle box.

6·Ready, Set, Sell
Don’t sit there like a lump in a lawn chair! Get up and talk to people. Be excited and enthusiastic. Be bubbly and vivacious and share lots of information about that wonderful set of bed linens that you love and adore but no longer match your color scheme. Put your best foot forward.

Plan for at least two staffers for every yard sale, and more is better. One person acts as “background”, shuffling cash, keeping an active eye on everything. A cashier sits at the front with muffin tin or cash box. Leave the selling to the most enthusiastic salesperson.

Offer free lemonade or some drink, and give your children a taste of private enterprise, entrusting them with a donut concession. If people are eating, they’re staying–and if they’re staying, they’re buying. That’s the point!

7·When The Sale Is Over
Wrap up your sale when you said you would. A yard sale is a lot of work, and you’re still not finished. Dispose of the leftovers, either to the charity pick-up or by boxing and delivering the items yourself. Be considerate of your neighbors and next week’s yard sale enthusiasts. Remove all signs, and return your sale site to normal.

Then go count your proceeds–and take the family out to dinner. You’ve earned it!