How to Have Your Most Successful Yard Sale Yet

To me, summer means one thing and one thing only. Yard sales. I cannot get enough of them! From hunting down the best deals to hosting the greatest yard sale of the century.

I have hosted many yard sales and I have learned how they fail or how they succeed. Now I get to share with you what I’ve learned to show you how to have your most successful yard sale yet!

There are many elements that go into a successful yard sale. Things like signage, placement, even customers’ comfort can make or break your sale. Let’s get into it!

How to Have Your Most Successful Yard Sale Yet

Yard Sale Signage

We’ve all seen them. Those neon signs stapled to telephone poles that scream “yard sale!” in your face but give no direction or time. Your first step is to make great signs. Start with that same neon cardstock (which you can easily find at the dollar store) but we’re going to do a something a little different with it.

Write whatever sale you’re having, whether it’s a yard sale, garage sale, or estate sale. Write it in a thick font that people that can read when they drive past it at 30 MPH. I’m always sure to include the times that I will be hosting the sale, and simply arrows pointing in the direction. Once the signs get closer and closer to your home start to use your actual address on the sign.

There are a few creative places to put your signs in the view of the public. The usual way of stapling it to a telephone pole may not be legal in your area. Another great alternative is to use a large box. Just tape your sign to it, put a couple heavy rocks in it and place it on the corner of a busy intersection.

Placement of Items for Sale

This is a very crucial step of having a successful yard sale. You want to pull as many people out of their car as possible. Place your best looking, most interesting items closest to the road. This will pull people in and at least get them interested.

Arrange clothes by size and gender. And finally, price items as clearly as possible. Whether you hang a piece of paper off of a table that says “All items on this table $1” make sure you’re clear on your pricing. And know what you priced items so if someone is trying to scam you by saying they pulled a more expensive item off the $1 table you’ll know they aren’t being truthful.

If you are selling expensive items like jewelry or electronics, consider keeping them as close to where you’ll be sat. Yard sales are stolen from all the time.

A great option is to take a picture of the item you want to sell and print out a picture that you can tape to the table. Have instructions and specs clearly printed on the photo or paper.

Keeping Your Yard Sale Customers Comfortable

I don’t have enough fingers to count how many times I have left someone’s yard sale because of how the host handled hospitality. Do your best not to hover over your customers.

Let them browse at their leisure and if you notice that they are handling a specific object questionably ask them if there might be something you can help them with. On the other side of that spectrum, you want to make sure you are present. Don’t hide out in the house.

There are also a few simple gestures you can do for your customers to make them stay as long as possible. You could offer cold cans of soda pop for 50 cents.

Consider setting up a nice shaded area with ample seating for some of the senior citizens that may make it to your sale. Summer seems to affect us more and more as we age. Be sure to cater to everyone.

In closing, yard sales have the potential to make you quite a bit of extra income. While they aren’t a get rich quick scheme they can definitely add a little jingle to your pocket if you set up and execute the yard sale correctly.

Keep your customers comfortable, place your items thoughtfully, and make clear signs that give great direction. These three tips alone won’t allow you to have your most successful yard sale. You have to implement them!

Are there any more tips that you have for yard sales? I’d love to talk to you about them in the comments!