Making Your Yard Sale a Money-Maker!

Guest Blogger Stephanie Buttrill is an account supervisor at Ketchum, the public relations agency for FedEx Office. Like many New Yorkers, Stephanie is long-term apartment dweller, but she said she just had to share some tips for a springtime passion developed growing up in the suburbs of Chicago – garage sales!
It’s springtime, and to me that means just one thing – garage sale season! Walking through yard sales in my parents’ neighborhood and nearby suburban subdivisions was as common a weekend activity growing up as trips to the town pool or library. For me, every stop along a garage-sale route was like an adventure trying to find something extraordinary amidst piles of the merely ordinary (or worse!) items being discarded by their once-proud owners.
And as I now live in New York City, where yards and garages are exceedingly rare, this springtime activity is slowing becoming a thing of the past for me. But before the memories fade forever, I wanted to impart some key pieces of wisdom gained from my many, many yard sale outings. And that key piece of wisdom, that golden nugget of insight is this:
When you treat your yard sale like a business, you will end the day with some $$$ in your pockets!
Here’s what I mean and how you can put it to work for you this:
- Businesses advertise to bring in customers, and so should you:
It’s easier and less expensive than you think to get the word out. Design, print and hang up flyers on the community boards at local grocery stores, place ads in the community paper and online services like Craigslist, and put up flashy signs leading into the neighborhood. And don’t forget – if you and your neighbors band together to have garage sales on the same dates, you’ll attract many more customers and everyone can share the cost of promoting the big event!
- Gimmicks work, so why not use one:
I’m convinced that car dealerships have a sale theme for every holiday under the sun. President’s Day, Flag Day, Talk Like a Pirate Day… I’m sure they’ve got a gimmick to get you in a new sedan! So why don’t you have one for the…”YARD SALE OF THE CENTURY” (cue booming, echoing announcer voice)!? I know it’s cheesy, but clearly it’s working for the car dealers. So think about what you’ve got to sell and come up with a theme that makes it work. Maybe you’ve got hundreds of well-loved toys to offload, or dishes and pots and pans galore after you upgraded your kitchen tools. It’s easy to build a whole theme around that one idea.
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Stores that are pleasant to shop in will keep customers (and their $$$) around longer:
When I shop, I always give my business to the stores that are clean, organized and easy-to-peruse – and I know a lot of other shoppers out there like me. So don’t let the fact that you’re selling your household cast-offs be an excuse for a disorderly affair.Keep like-items grouped together. For clothes, borrow a rolling wardrobe rack to hang up items. For shoes, tie the laces together to keep pairs matched up. And to help shoppers find exactly what they need in record time, create “departments” – housewares, baby, women’s, men’s, entertainment, and more – that are clearly ID’d with stand-up signs. If it works for you, you can even carry through the gimmick you developed into the department sign designs.
To keep it easy, just design an 8.5” x 11” sign (landscape orientation, not portrait) in Microsoft PowerPoint or Word, then get it printed on cardstock. Stores like FedEx Office sell something called an “easel back” for less than a buck – you just peel and stick it to the back of your paper sign and it’ll stand nicely on any table at the yard sale.
- Figure out what your customers want before they know they want it – and then give it to them!
I remember that on hot summer days, the most crowded garage sales on any block were the houses that were selling ice cold bottles of water or soda for $1. It’s not something you expect to see at a garage sale, but it’s a big money-maker and a great way to draw in thirsty shoppers to take a look at all the other great things you have for sale.
And there it is. My years of yard-sale observations boiled down to a few hundred words. I really hope it helps the Out of Office readers planning to host their own post-spring-cleaning clear-outs. And if you have ideas for other easy and inexpensive ways to draw in shoppers, leave them in the comments box below!
Related FedEx Office Solutions: FedEx Office Print Online, Signs, Banners & Oversize Prints
Comments
Creative yard sale ideas
I find that it is a good oppurtunity for my children to raise money by selling lemonade , popcicles and snowcones when we do our annual subdivision yard sale they have fun and also learn about the value of a dollar and that working for something doesnt always have to be boring.
Great idea!
That's a great idea, and something I've definitely seen at the garage sales we had back home in Illinois. Thanks for mentioning it!
-Stephanie
Inexpensive Ways To Draw In Shoppers
1. Reasonable & cheap prices on various products.
2. Put the attractive & big items in the front where shoppers can see them.
3. Have a fan & a extra chair in the area where you're sitting, just in case a elderly person needs to sit down and cool off. (I had this happen to me during one of my yard sale. Even though the elderly woman didn't buy anything, she left feeling better and with a big smile on her face).
#2
Your second point - putting the best stuff up front - defintely works. I've been sucked into many a garage sale (or retail store) for that matter thanks to this tactic!
- Stephanie
The photos in this blog
The photos in this blog illustrating your ideas made we want to come to the yard sale! The signage really makes the items seem of better quality—most yard sales I've been to or held are a real ljumbo. These are tips I will use—Thanks
Thank you for the good tips
Thank you for the good tips for having a successful yard sale. I really need to have one.
Good signs & bottled water
I could have the "I brake for garage sales" bumper sticker on my car. (I don't, but I could). I appreciate a well grouped sale and the signs would be a big help. I think places that have the bottled water or a couple of cute kids with a lemonade stand will do better than those without.
A Neighborhood Giveaway
Scince you're already advertising, why not just throw in a giveaway too. Especially if it's a neighborhood yard sale. Everybody chip in for one nice giveaway item, that won't break the bank and at each participating house have a drop in bowl where people can drop their names, address and phone #. The more houses they go to, the more times they can throw their names in.
At the end of the day pool all of the entries and have someone at the yard sale draw the lucky winner. If they're still around they can take the prize home with them, if not you can call them and arrange a pick up time and place for them.
It's a great way to attract even more people and some that might have just come for the giveaway might actually see things they want to buy.
Easel backs, who knew?
These are wonderful tips for setting up a yard sale. And I agree that an attractive yard sale makes it easier for people to shop. I think you can actually get a little more for your used items that way too.
And thanks so much for mentioning the easel backs. This is exactly what I've been looking for and never had heard of them. I just knew I needed something that does what they do. LOL
Happy to help! Now you know
Happy to help! Now you know they're out there - and where you can find them in a pinch!
-Stephanie
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