How to Host a Yard Sale
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Spring is in the air, we’ve spent time decluttering, and now we must decide what to do with all of our unwanted items. Maybe during your decluttering process, you’ve sold a few items and donated others. But if your collection of unwanted items is large, trying to offload pieces one by one can be very time consuming. Enter the yard sale!
This is the perfect time of the year to start thinking about hosting your own yard sale. Maybe mention it to your neighbors and everyone on your street can participate. Bargain shoppers will be out most weekends for the next several months. Take advantage of the season and in just a day or two, you’ll be amazed by how many items you can sell.
Of course, don’t expect the effort to bring in hundreds of dollars. Enjoy the fact that you’ve been able to get rid of so many items in just a few short hours. Your home and your family will thank you for it.
So, gather those unwanted items and follow these tips on how to host a yard sale.
Organize the items. Put all of your clothes in one place (hanging on a garment rack would be great!) and even group them by age and season; put all kitchen items on one table; put all sports equipment on another. Other categories may include toys, books, furniture, jewelry, home décor, school supplies and electronics.
Know how to display your items. Put as many items as possible on tables displayed in groups. Be sure that big ticket items are easily seen from the street. Many yard sale shoppers will first do a drive-by. If they see something they like, they’ll be much more likely to stop and shop.
Pricing your items. Having a “free” table encourages shoppers to stop by your yard sale. Have a small box or table with items that are available for free. Likewise, gather items together on a table and label the entire table $1 (or $2). It saves you from having to label every item with a price and shoppers will be more likely to grab a few at once. If possible, use color-coded stickers, along with a sign, so shoppers can easily recognize a price (pink stickers equal $5, blue stickers equal $6 and so on).
Have plenty of change on hand. Be sure to stop by your bank earlier in the week and pick up coins and bills to have on hand. Even better, set up a free account to accept digital payments.
Advertise. Use social media to announce the yard sale several days in advance. And just a day or two prior, put signs up around your neighborhood directing people where to go.
Have kids at home? Have them set up a stand to sell lemonade, water, juice, and coffee. Let them keep the proceeds from their stand.
What to do with leftovers? When you are nearing the end of your sale and still have several items available, you have a few choices. You can discount all items (have a sign ready to go that says “Last call! 50% off all remaining items” or you can load up your car and bring them to a donation center or thrift store. Either way, don’t bring any unwanted items back into your home.
Be prepared to negotiate with bargain shoppers, enjoy the experience and delight in the fact that you are getting rid of so many unwanted items from your home.
More Organizing Ideas
Need even more ideas on how to organize your home? Living. Simplified. is ready to help. Take a look at these blog posts or send us an email at lauren@livingsimplified.net and we can work together to reach your organizing and decluttering goals:
Kitchen Organization Product Guide