Do you have lots of things you don’t need or no longer use lying around your house? Why don’t you convert your unused belongings into an opportunity to make more money? A community yard sale can help you clean your house and sell your unneeded belongings to earn some extra cash.
The thought of making money out of decluttering your home is very appealing, but planning a yard sale can be intimidating to some. Sifting through all the clutter and organizing a public event can indeed be an overwhelming and stressful experience. Follow the tips below to
prepare a profitable and hassle-free yard sale.
Plan Your Yard Sale Weeks in Advance
To run a successful community yard sale, you must plan for the event weeks in advance. Here’s what you should do in advance to organize a money-making yard sale:
Sort and Mark Your Sale Items
Go through your attic, basement, closets, cabinets, and garage to look for belongings that you no longer use, but are still in a good condition. Pack the items in boxes, and set them aside. For larger items such as furniture, equipment, and artwork, mark them and create a reminder for sale, but don’t move these until the day of the yard sale.
Pick the Ideal Timing
After packing and marking the items you want to sell, you should plan the day and time of your community yard sale. The best time to host a yard sale is from 8 AM to 2 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. Most people don’t work on the weekends, so you are more likely to receive increased foot traffic. Avoid hosting a yard sale on days with competing events to maximize foot traffic to your event.
Other than date and time, you should pick the ideal season and time of the month to host your yard sale. Try to organize your yard sale at the first week of the month, as most people have received their paychecks and therefore, have more money to spend. Do not prepare a yard sale during inclement weather or tough seasons, or very few people may show up to your outdoor event.
Acquire the Necessary Permits
Contact your town or city’s officials to ask if a permit is required to publicly advertise or host a community yard sale on private property. If a permit is required to organize a yard sale legally, you can apply online at your local government’s website to acquire official authorization. Do not run an unauthorized yard sale or you could face hefty fines.
Promote Your Yard Sale
You should advertise for your yard sale at least a week before the official event. Use bright-colored signs and posters in your neighborhood to inform the local community of your yard sale. In your signs and posters, specify the date, time, and exact address of your yard sale. You can also advertise for your yard sale in your local newspaper.
Online Promotion
You can also promote your community yard sale online. Use diverse social media channels to reach out to your neighbors, family, and friends to inform them of your upcoming yard sale. You can also use yard sale sites to post your yard sale for free. These sites will maximize your event’s exposure, as it will allow you to reach people you could not reach through your social media and traditional advertising strategies.
Prepare for Sale Day
After planning and promoting your yard sale, you should now prepare for the actual event. Follow these tips to help you prepare a successful yard sale.
Get the Necessary Supplies
Get all the supplies you need to run your community yard sale a couple of days before the big event begins. Make sure you have enough chairs, tables, and plastic bags for displaying your items. If you are going to sell clothing, check if you have enough rack space and hangars for all your clothes. You will also need a cash register or other money containers for working with cash payments.
Price Your Items
In order to sell your unneeded items, they should be priced reasonably. How can you determine an appropriate price for your yard sale items? The pricing of yard sale items depends on the item’s demand and condition. In general, a yard sale item should be sold at 10% to 20% of its current retail price. You can also check other community yard sales and online marketplaces to see how much others are selling items similar to yours.
Offer Multiple Payment Options
Try to offer diverse payment options at your community yard sale to maximize your sales. Accepting credit card and cash payments can help make purchasing more accessible for your potential customers, leading to an increase in sales. Make sure you have a credit card reader and enough small bills to process credit card and cash payments.
Yard Sales Clear Clutter and Generate Extra Cash
A community yard sale is a great way to get rid of all your household clutter and make some decent money along the way. To organize a profitable yard sale, you should plan for and promote the event weeks in advance to maximize your sales. If you need assistance with promoting your yard sale, we can help.
Save time and money in promoting and advertising for your yard sale by placing your yard sale listing on our site for free. We can enhance exposure to your yard sale by allowing your listing to be seen nationwide. Contact us now to learn how we can help you prepare for a successful community yard sale!
