How To Have a Successful Yard Sale

A yard sale is a great way to get rid of accumulated stuff that you do not use or items that have been stored and just occupying every available space in your house and garage. It is quite easy to hold a garage sale but making a successful one will require more from you. You have to invest time and effort to have a good assortment of things to sell as well as smart planning to ensure that you will have a good influx of eager buyers. Here are some tips.

1. Make an inventory of all the things that you want to include in the yard sale. Check it you have enough items to make the yard sale worthwhile for buyers. Inform you neighbors of your intention to hold a garage sale and ask them if they are willing to join you. You will have greater chances of success if you have more items to sell. Plan the sale two weeks in advance.
2. Check out the local regulations regarding yard sales in your community. Check out if you need to lodge an application for a permit to hold a garage sale as well as if there are corresponding fees. If there are more people joining you in the sale, you may also have to think about renting a space from your community center or an open court.
3. Make a master list of all the items to be sold and the price you are going to charge for each item on your list. You need to work out the scheme for paying the fees for the permit, the rental fees for the venue and hauling truck, if any. It can either be a fixed amount divided equally among all participants or a percentage of the sale, whichever scheme will work best for you.
4. Set a time and date for the sale. Make sure that everyone participating is in agreement with the date and time. Time it on a Saturday, which is the best day to hold a garage sale, or the Saturday after pay day. Make fliers way in advance and distribute it around your neighborhood and your community. Give copies to stores and establishments who are willing to let you leave some for their customers. Have some big streamers made to announce the sale. Take out an ad in your local paper. You may also be able to get some radio plugs from your local radio station, which normally announces activities that happen in the community. Give emphasis to those items that attract most buyers such as toys, electronic gadgets, household appliances, tools, jewelry or things for babies. Have spare batteries in different sizes for those items that run on batteries. Buyers love to see that the item they are considering is in good working condition. You also have to have several extension cords to plug in various household items for demonstration. 
5. Start the sale early.  Set up the items two hours in advance. Make sure that you display major items prominently to attract the attention of buyers. Add a festive atmosphere to the venue with colorful buntings and balloons. A sound system will come in handy as it can attract other passersby. Ensure that you have announcement banners or streamers outside the venue. Increase your revenue by asking someone to sell snack items and cold drinks. Heavy influx of customers will be from seven to ten in the morning.

Review the sales after the day is over and make sure you have set aside the funds for things that need to be paid. Make a proper accounting of the day’s profits and divide tem based on your agreement. Make sure that you remove all the poster, streamers and fliers that you have distributed. If you have some leftover items that you do not want to keep consider donating them to a charitable institution.