The 3 P's for Yard Sale Success

With the right tricks, you can turn your yard sale from a last-minute idea into an all-out success! Before the date arrives, try these three tips to plan for a profitable sale.

Preparation Planning ahead for your yard sale is one of the best ways to boost your profits. If you don’t have proper change or ways to protect fragile items, customers might decide against their purchase at the last minute. Here are some items you’ll want to collect in advance: Grocery bags for sold items Pricing stickers Signs and markers Folding tables for display Change for $20 bills Newspapers for wrapping fragile pieces Once you’ve got your supplies, it’s time to organize and categorize your items for easy display—and be sure to clean out any pieces that are dirty or dusty. If it looks grimy, customers won’t want to touch it, let alone purchase it.

Pricing To save yourself from headaches and hand cramps, use a color-coding system for your pricing. By displaying a “color key” to tell shoppers what each shade represents, you won’t have to write out prices on every item for sale. When it’s time to decide on prices, be realistic but don’t sell yourself short. If you think something may be valuable, do research online before sticking a price tag on it. Hint: If all items must go, consider reducing prices after a certain time of day—this might encourage unsure buyers to return and make the purchase.

Posting It’s easy to see why signage is so important: If people don’t know you’re having a sale, they probably won’t show up! So don’t forget to place ads in your local paper and be sure to post signs at popular intersections where passers-by are likely to see them. Make sure you include the date, time and your address, plus any deals or specials you might have. Hosting a sale doesn’t have to be complicated, and with the right preparation it can be fun! So before your sale day arrives, use these three tips to make your yard sale a success.