Yard Sale Tips

Too much stuff? It may be time for a yard sale.

Make clearly marked signs. Neon signs with black marker are best. Draw a large arrow and S-A-L-E on the sign; any other information, such as your house address, is secondary and unnecessary. Make certain you post signs at the nearest high-traffic roads. You can also place an ad in the paper, but signs will be your most important advertising tool.

Place plenty of signs at strategic points. Don’t assume potential customers will be intrigued enough to follow winding roads and confusing pathways to get to your house. Put an arrow sign at each turn and wherever there is any possibility of discouragement, such on a long winding road.

Put prices on everything you can. Some customers don’t feel like asking the price of items they’re interested in. To simplify your setup, place same-price items on the same table. Put up a sign saying, "Everything on this table $--."

Make easy-to-spot price signs. If you have a price system for your clothes or books – hardbacks this, paperbacks that, sweaters this and slacks that – post the price sign in the open where customers can easily see it.

Organize the sale items. Avoid placing boxes of stuff out that customers will have to dig through. Categorize your items, and spread them out – you want as much as possible in sight.

Consider collaborating with a neighbor. Especially if you don’t have a whole lot of stuff to sell, you may want to team up with a neighbor and combine your sale items. A larger selection encourages customers; often people will simply pass by sparse-looking yards.

Put away non-sale items. Don’t have your bikes or lawn mower left in the open if they're not for sale. Store them in the shed or in the closed garage.