Tips and Tricks of the Trade

Johanna and I have been doing this Saturday yard sale hunt for a while now and have developed philosphies and views along the way.

1. Yard sales are the bottom rung in the re-sale market. They are below thrift stores such as Goodwill and Salvation Army. At least in those places you can try on clothing to see if it fits. Not so at yard sales. Trust me, more than a few eyebrows will be raised if you try ;) That being the case, clothing better be priced below thrift store prices and remember people, no matter how much you paid for an article of clothing.....IT"S USED!!!! So get over it and get rid of it! If you want close to full value...then take it to a thrift store and get the tax donation.

2. If you list your sale at a certain time, be ready to start selling at that time! Please set your alarm clocks, cause while you are catching those extra z's, folks are by your curb looking at your dark house and not saying very nice things about you! Not only have you lost sales, you have wasted that time you spent sorting, pricing and setting up. DON'T HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON!!!!

3. Signs! Don't just rely on the paper for advertizing. Put neon posters up around your streets with simple arrows directing the way to your sale. We LOVE ARROWS!! They get the point across and we don't have to try to read tiny writing on the sign! "Yard Sale" and an arrow is a great way to send folks to your treasures/trash. It also helps to put the time, date and the address if there is adequate space for bold lettering.

4. Have enough cash and change and if possible wear a waist apron or nail apron and that way you don't have to guard a change box or make people wait while you go to your designated check out place. And if someone "only has a $100 bill(yes, I have heard that one!) just tell them to come back with change. It is ok saying no.

5. Be willing to dicker but if you don't want to go down in price at the start of the morning that is ok. But definitely be flexible an hour into your sale cause you may have to pack up and schlep your unsold items to Goodwill. That is time and money you have wasted by being too firm.

Remember: IT'S A YARD SALE NOT RETAIL OR 1/2 OFF SALE!

6. Be friendly. I know some customers can be rude or pushy but just smile and have some fun. You will meet all sorts of folks and we are all just trying to save some $. Your attitude can really make a difference. The same can be said for the buyers.

We go to so many different types of sales. There are some that have us reaching for the hand sanitizer as soon as we get back in the car and others that are sad because an older couple are downsizing and moving to assisted living or have died. There you see someone's treasures that have meaning to someone but to you, just alot of old stuff. Sometimes it is better to just send it to Salvation Army or Goodwill when there are so many mismatched pieces, stained and holey linens...really, just put by the side of the road and mark it FREE!

Other good advice from an online sight I love, Thrifty Fun