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Home › Articles › General Home › Successful Yard Sales

Successful Yard Sales

How to Plan, Promote and Execute a Spectacular Sale

By Tenna Perry

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Callum recommends using a newspaper ad to bring a better price for antiques, collectables and like-new furniture. Books are another favorite, and she recommends $.25 to $.50 for a paperback or $1 for a hardback.

Customer Service
At a yard sale, you're bound to get some hagglers, but don't be offended -- they're there to get a bargain. Haggling over prices at a yard sale is expected but don't feel guilty because you aren't willing to give an item away. Decide the lowest price you will accept on items and stick to it. Even though you want to get rid of unnecessary items, you also want to make a little money doing so. Otherwise, why not donate everything to a charity and be done with it?

You're also sure to run into a rude customer or two. How do you handle them? "This is your home," says Callum. "People either have respect for you and your things, or they can hit the road."

Yard sales should be fun, so keep the tone light and enjoy the people you meet. Let the kids pitch in and give them a cut of the items they've sold. It can be a fun lesson in money management and help you pare down some unneeded items in your household. Remember, one person's trash is another person's treasure.

Yard Sale Safety

While yard sales can be fun and a great way to make money, they're also the common target of thieves. Corporal Sandy Tomaselli of Precinct 3, Harris County, Texas, Constables Office offers the following safety tips:

  • Keep only small amounts of money with you. Have it in a fanny pack or if you use a cash box, put it out of sight.
  • Never make change out of your pocket or show large quantities of cash. You never know when the customer could be a possible robber.
  • It is vital that you remember no amount of cash or item you have on display is worth your life. If an assailant approaches you, hand over the cash box or your money pouch.
  • Hold the sale out in the open, not in the garage itself. Shut the garage door; latch the doors to your home.
  • All items should be outside. Never take a stranger into your home to look at an item. He or she may want to buy the item or be simply looking to case your home for future burglary.
  • Have a spouse or friend there to help keep an eye on things. As in all things, there is safety in numbers.
  • When laying out the sale, keep a 12 to 15 feet buffer between the road and the beginning of sales tables. This will lower the risk of theft.
  • Have cold soft drinks for sale and use box fans and set tables up under shade trees to help keep customers cool.

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