If you are anything like us, you've got clutter that you'd love to unload. Turn your purge into a money-making venture right on your own front yard with these tips.
Set a Date
Yard sale season usually begins in June and runs until October. Take out a classified ad in your local paper, post a notice on a local Internet message board, and canvass the area with flyers. Identify the date of the sale plus the start and end times.
Share the Wealth
Enlist friends to join in a block party-style tag sale or rent a space at a local church or other organization’s rummage sale. Bottom line: more people -- more traffic.
Price to Sell
Just because it pains you to part with your beloved Pearl Jam T-shirt collection, doesn't make it a collector’s item worth $200. Sorry!
Keep the Change
Have a variety of bills and coins available to make change -- stash enough to change out $200 in various denominations. Keep a calculator and a change belt on you at all times (you won't win any style awards, but it'll keep your money close to you at all times).
Get Up Early
Yard sale devotees and antique hunters are notorious for showing up at the crack of dawn to be first in line. If you said your sale starts at 8:00 a.m., be ready at 7:45. This way, both early birds get the worm.
Set the Stage
Place furniture -- particularly antiques -- front-and-center so that they can be seen from the road. If you’re selling clothes, hang them from a clothesline.
Sweat the Small Stuff
Buyers tend to overlook small things like small kitchen items, and jewelry if they aren’t organized properly. Group items in Ziploc bags -- you’ll sell more of the little stuff faster.
Slash Prices at the Halfway Point
Everyone loves a bargain -- boost sales with afternoon price cuts.
Designate a Free Pile
Not everyone will love everything you’ve set out. Create a free pile and start adding items to it every half hour or so. You’ll get rid of stuff faster.
Keep the Salvation Army on Standby
Inevitably, you won’t sell everything at your yard sale. But don’t commit an organizational sin by dragging all of that stuff back into the house. Arrange a pickup by your favorite local charity and have the remaining stuff hauled away.
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-- Margaret O'Malley
Sep 04, 2008
See More: Cleaning & Organizing , Decor Tricks , Saving