Make This Yard Sale the Best Ever

I am a confessed "yard sale junkee."  I love to go to and have yard sales. I am so dedicated to this past time that I even do yard sales for other people.  If you follow these simple, concise steps, you can make quite a little bundle at your next yard sale.

1. Gather the items that you feel you do not need any longer. You can do this weeks in advance of your sale. I jot down on a notebook the things that I come across that I do not need. When I am ready to start "cultivating" my yard sale items, I just go down my list and check off the items.
2. Make sure that clothing is in good condition, washed, pressed, and hung nicely on hangers. Customers will pay more for clothing that is in this condition; even if some of it is worn.  If necessary, string a clothes line from each side of the garage door to hold up the hung clothing.  Shoes should be placed neatly on the side of the area, giving room to folks who want to try them on for size.
3. Knickknacks -- should be washed. Glassware and dishes should be clean, also.
4. Furniture is a big seller. If you just have pieces of furniture, put them where those driving by can view them. Even one piece of furniture draws a crowd.
5. Pictures and accesssories are a crowd drawer, also. Position them so that when driving by, customers can see them.
6. Pricing is a tricky thing. I once attended a yard sale where nothing was priced. Everything was negotiable. It made for a lot of work for the seller. I personally think that she priced things too low when pressured to sell. An easy way to price is to buy a package of stickers from a variety store. They have prices already printed on them and you can just affix them to the merchandise. They, also, have several colors in the package, so that if it is a group yard sale, each person has their own color.
7. Back to pricing, attend other yard sales and investigate what their prices are. Low prices bring buyers. Remember you have the those who like to haggle with you over price, so price it so that you can afford to take a lower offer. Keep in mind that you do not want to put these things back into your closet again, you want them gone, and be a little lenient with the prices.
8. On the day before the yard sale, set up the merchandise in your garage. If you are having an actual "yard" sale, know that whatever time you say it will start, some will be there at daybreak or sooner.  If others are participating in the sale, have them bring their items over the day before, NOT THE DAY OF THE SALE.  Some-times each participant becomes the others best customer. Also, if it is set up before time, special friends can have a first chance look at the items.  I have been known to sell quite a few items the night before the sale, by special invitation. It does not matter when you sell them as long as they are sold.
9. Advertisements --  via word of mouth is one way. Newspaper or internet sites offer a great opportunity to attract customers. Attending yard sales a week before your event, and passing out one of your flyers, is a great way to get word out to other yard sale junkies.  If there is a flea market in your area, let the owners and vendors know about your yard sale. Remember you cannot have a good sale, unless you get the people to come.
10. On the day of the sale, make road/street signs that show where your sale is. You can use a box turned upside down as a yard sale sign holder. Park your car and others in the street so people can see the location of the sale. Cars attract other cars.
11. You should have a tablet and a calculator. On the tablet, list all of the participants. You can either place their appropriate colored sticker on the page, or jot down their earnings underneath their name. You should use a page for each participant.
12. Get a permit if your town requires one. Display it. Also, you need to write on a piece of paper, that you will not be responsible for any accidents that occur on the premises.
13. Get enough change. If you price items at 25 cents and above, you will not need pennies, nickles, or dimes. If your items  are less than 25 cents, group them together for 2/25 or 3/25.  When you get change, you should get at least 2 rolls of quarters,  25 one dollar bills,  8 fives, and 8 tens. You should decide and put in your announcement whether you will accept checks in payment for the merchandise. You can adjust your change according to the number of items that you have for sale. Others can bring their share of change, also.
14. When the sale is over, decide if the participants are taking their things home again, or donating to a charity. If you decide on a charity, find one who will take the items immediately after the sale, so that you do not have them piled up at someone's house. Also, maybe a flea market dealer will bid on your leftover items. This enables the participants to split the proceeds.
15. Add up all of the pages and total your yard sale receipts. They should come out to the shares of all who particpated.  If checks were received, split these up.  Remember, some banks charge if a check is non sufficient funds to the depositor's account. This might influence the decision of taking checks for payment.
16. When finished, put your feet up and count your money.