Now is a really great time to get rid of things you do not use or need any more, and your children have already said they don’t want them!
Lots of people make a tidy profit holding a garage or yard sale. Go room-by-room, cupboard-by cupboard, and closet-by-closet. Ask yourself, “How long has it been since I’ve used or worn this? If it’s really been a long time, pull it out for the sale and make a list.
Advertise in advance in a free local paper or on signs around town, and signs pointing to your place on the day. You can also tack announcements up on community bulletin boards. Weekend days are the best days to hold these. Starting time is usually about 9 or 8 AM, but if you have advertised antiques or collectibles, you will have dealers ringing the bell at 7AM.
Anything you want to sell should be clean and not chipped or broken. If you have broken items like old doors, window frames, or stuff an artist might use, you can always mark them as “free.”
Determine your selling price for each item in advance. Your shoppers are looking for bargains. If items are more valuable antiques, check on-line for their value and set your price below that. Make a sticker price tag and place it on each item. Note: you can always bargain down later if you want. There is also no reason you can’t say on the tag, “$50 or best offer.”
Have some $1 and $5 bills on hand because everyone will pay you with $20 dollar bills! You might want a couple of rolls of quarters too. Kids will pay with change. Keep your money in a fanny pack or a watched cash box. Do not permit anyone to enter your home.
If you have a lot of books or CD’s or similar items for sale, you can group them in boxes with a single sign on the box saying $.50 per book, etc.
Lastly, if it looks like there is a lot to choose from, you can expand your sale to other friends and neighbors who have their own lists and have tagged their selling prices. It will attract more people.
When all is said and done, gather what’s left and make a donation to a charity of your choice. Sit back and count your cash. Remove any of the signs you previously put up.
