I have had several people ask me about yard sale signs.  From what colors should be used, what information should be written on the sign, and where should you post the signs. This is a very important part of your yard sale success. We want to make certain we do this right.

COLORS:

As an avid yard sale shopper and as a seller, I must say that using the NEON COLORED poster board works best as your advertisement to your yard sale.  They are clearly more visible and distinctive to drivers.  You are able to use the white signs or pre-designed signs, but if you choose this route, try attaching balloons or streamers to it to make it stand out.  When yard sales are popular and more than one is being held in your area, you will want to make your signs different than everyone elses.  This will ensure your buyers are coming to the right yard sale and not leaving yours out by stopping at another.  You can draw an image of something like cherries, or a price tag on each sign. Be consistant, use the same image on ALL signs.

INFORMATION:

You want to make your signs bold and easy to be read from the street.  I know you want to list several big items you will be selling, but to do so can cramp the sign and make it confusing for the passer byer.  You can always post an ad in the newspaper to list some of your items being sold.  For your sign, write YARD SALE in big bold letters with your marker. Under it and a bit smaller, write the days and date, your address, and the time the sale will be open from, and on the bottom you will need to place a large arrow for which way to turn.

POSTING:

Before you begin to post your signs, draw out a map of your surrounding streets and main intersections to get to your house.  This will help you in knowing where you will need to post the signs, and what direction you will need to place your arrows on the each side.  Make your signs at home.  Attach each sign to either a wooden or metal stake/stand. Remember to post 2 signs per stake/stand.  You want drivers from both directions to see where to turn.  You may also want to use sticky notes to leave yourself a reminder of where each sign is to be posted.

The night before the yard sale begins, have someone go with you to post each sign in its correct spot.  Where white, bright, or reflective clothing as this will help make you more visible and  prevent dangers of other drivers.  Park off the road if possible to post your signs.  Make sure the sign is posted a good distance off the road, and in a visible spot.  DO NOT cover any road signs including the ever so popular STOP sign.  This is very distracting and dangerous to other drivers, not to mention against the law.

By following these easy steps, your signs are now your advertisements and your traffic of buyers should be rolling in shortly.

Always,

Marsha

We had a yard sale once, and I had a man ask me the price of 2 framed photographs; As I was giving him a rather low price for each, a nearby lady butted in claiming she was looking at them and offered a higher price.  This caused an argument between the 2 parties.  I was lost at what I should have done, so I just stepped back and let them figure it out. They eventually agreed to each purchase one photo. What do you do in a case like this one?

Thank you,

Customer Chaos.

Dear Customer Chaos,

Perhaps this issue could have been avoided if the photographs were priced in the first place.  No one expects to deal with an argument at a yard sale over an item.  It is not as if it were the day after Thanksgiving or better known as Black Friday where everyone goes out to the shops for the best deals, and it is not uncommon for people to fight over a product they wish to purchase.

Seeing as to how the photographs were not clearly marked, or neither of the interested parties bothered to look if it were marked, I would think you did the right thing by backing out of the way.  If they had not settled it on there own, I can think of two options that may have been implemented in your case.

1. Maybe you could have held both photographs up and said to them, with a smile, that you were going to settle this matter in a fair way.  Offer to auction it off between just the two of them.  This may have brought in even more money then the lady counter offered.

2. If you felt intimidated by their arguing at any point, you could simply say that the item is no longer for sale.  Only do this if you feel secure about the situation.  I would hate to think anyone would truly fight with more than words over something at a yard sale.  If you sensed any dangers, then a phone call to the local authorities should not have been hesitated.

It is important that we are always aware of the situations around us.  We must be able to think quickly when faced with problems such as this one.  At the same time, we do not wish to make a big scene in front of our other customers.

If a customer feels comfortable around you and your items, and you are friendly toward them, then they are likely to buy more from you.  It is very true that one mans junk is another mans treasure.

Always,

Marsha

Why would we need to start collecting items 2 months in advance that we are going to be selling in the yard sale?

Time Saver

Dear Time Saver,

You want to collect items as early as possible for various reasons.  2 months in some cases would not be enough time to be fully prepared.

First, you want to make sure you clean your items.  A clean item shows you care about your belongings and what you sell to others.  No one really wants to buy a dirty item unless it falls under the antique category.

Second, if you are selling clothing, it may take 2 months or longer to go through all of your belongings to find the ones that no longer fit, or you no longer wish to wear.  Having them laundered gives them a nice clean scent versus the smell from sitting in your closet or being boxed away.

Third, you are always going to be going through the house on your daily routines and come across something that could be sold.  With the thought of an upcoming yard sale on your mind, you will be more than likely to think of items that could bring you in that additional cash.

Fourth, you need to be organized.  Once you start to gather your items to sell, draw or write out a plan of how you would like the yard/garage sale to look.  Make sure everything is laid out nice and neat.  You do not want anything laying around for anyone to trip over.  Try to make the best out of the allowed space you have.  Don’t be afraid to utilize the front and side of your yard, or space outside of your garage as well.

Lastly, you never want to feel pressured for time.  This leaves too much room for errors.  Giving yourself time to do something will make an all around smoother transition into a successful yard sale.

Always,

Marsha

I am having troubles pricing my items for the yard sale. I am afraid if I sell them too high, then no one would want to buy it, but if I price my items too low, then I could lose out. Could you give me some insight as to how I should go about setting prices?

Thanks,

Pricing Problems

Dear Pricing Problems,

Shoppers expect to find great bargains at yard sales.  They want to walk away knowing that they saved themselves a great deal of cash on their purchases.

A general rule of thumb I use is to recall the original price I paid for the item, and if the item is in good condition, then I would simply mark the item at half of the original cost. With the exception of most clothes, books, odds and ins, etc.

Example:  So if I paid $20.00 for a lamp, then once I sell it, I would start my asking price at $10.00.

Of course this will only be a starting or asking price.  Most yard sale shoppers will try to bargain or haggle the prices with you.  Start your asking price higher than the lowest price you will take for that item, and let them have fun talking you down to a lower price.

Example:  If someone asked if $10.00 is the lowest price I would take for the lamp, then I would ask them what they are willing to pay for it.  They may state $5.00, then I could tell them that I would take $7.50 and no less.  They will then feel as if they dropped my price down and are walking away with that bargain they were looking for.  I then received the amount I was wanting for the item and at the same time, I know I didn’t lose too much money by  nearly “giving” it away.

Some helpful tips on pricing at yard sales would be:

CLOTHING:

Jeans go around $2.00 – $5.00 a pair.

Shirts sell for $1.00- $4.00 each

Shoes are usually $1.00-$3.00

Coats are $5.00 – $10.00 ea.

Complete outfits run around $5.00 – $10.00

Socks, Bras, Boxers, Sleep pants, are all usually $.25 to $.50 ea.

BOOKS:

Paperbacks – $.50 – $1.00

Hardbacks – $1.00 to $3.00

Magazines – $.25 – $.50

FURNITURE &/OR EXPENSIVE ITEMS:

Usually a good pricing system is 50% off original cost and no lower than 65% off.

Remember to price EVERYTHING.  You are more likely to make a sell if someone doesn’t have to ask how much something is.

Always,

Marsha

This is National Yard Sale Week, So I wanted to address the many questions from friends, family, and fellow patrons concerning how to have a proper yard sale that is successful and profitable.

Listed below are some of the steps we took to ensure it was a success.  I will be following up on most of these topics throughout the week to come.

1. We wanted a large yard sale, so we asked family members if they would be interested in adding items to the sale with us.

2. We started gathering our items to be put in the yard sale 2 months ahead of time.

3. We cleaned all of our items that were to be sold.

4. We priced everything!!!

5. We placed an ad in the newspaper.

6. We made a lot of yard sale signs to post up at all intersections in our vicinity.

7. We organized all of our items by their kind and size. We made out a plan of where everything would be located and easily accessible by our customers.

8. We gathered plenty of cash and change to be used for the weekend.

9. We set up early, and were ready to begin on time.

10. We were very friendly to everyone, even if they did not purchase anything from us, we still thanked them for coming.

If you would like to ask a specific question about yard sales or garage sales, please just send me an email at:

marsha@alwaysmarsha.com

Your questions will be addressed in one of our topics this week.

Always,

Marsha