Garage Sale Success

Summer is yard sale season. Here's how to make yours pay!

We had ours in May, which is summer in our part of the country. It was perfect weather and we had a good crowd due to the fact we opted to be part of a neighborhood sale. That really brought people out. In the end we sold nearly everything we had.

Believe it or not, as I was cleaning up the shop I found THREE big boxes of things that got shoved under tables that should've been at the sale. Guess we might go in with the neighbors if they decide to do this again next year. I knew there was more stuff, but I couldn't find them. Ugh!

I don't mind tooting my own horn when I say I'm the queen of garage sales, equally savvy with buying and selling. I even wrote an ebook on garage sales. Today, I'm going to share my top tips for having a successful yard sale.

• Plan ahead. I cannot stress this enough. If you don't want to go crazy trying to clean, price, and sort all your stuff, give yourself at least a month to get ready.

• Signs--especially important if you live in the sticks, but don't be stingy with signage even if you live in the city if you want more than neighbors stopping by. Give a specific address and arrows pointing in the right direction.

• Multi-family and neighborhood sales: I was surprised how much more traffic we got from a neighborhood sale. The organizer promoted it widely on Facebook and Craigslist. We were swamped.

• Price everything: Save yourself a headache and price everything before you open. When things get busy you won't have time to think about what you wanted for that vintage toy.  Go out and buy yourself some pre-printed and blank stickers to make life easier.

• Groupings: Separate your items by type. Collectibles and small items nearest your cash table. Clothes in another corner. Tools, kitchen items, and decor on their own tables.

• Offer bulk buys. People don't do this often enough. If there's something I want to get rid of like clothes, Christmas chochkees, or plastic ware, I offer them at a bulk price. They fly out the doors when I do this. Every time.

• Do a 2 day sale--if you can. I find I get different shoppers.

• Promote everywhere: There's a place to advertise garage sales on Craigslist and Facebook. Don't be shy about letting friends and coworkers know too.

Lastly, people will bombard you with $20 bills. Some with $100 bills. If it were me, I wouldn't take the $100 unless it's for an expensive item or someone I know. There's something fishy about someone who shows up at 8am to buy $5 worth of stuff with a hundred dollar bill. For everyone else, be sure to have plenty of change, especially ones.

When all is said and done, be a good neighbor and pick up all your paper signs.

Who's had a garage sale? Was it successful? It's a lot of work, but I love the feeling of being able to walk around my house without clutter.