Double your yard sale take
Cash in on your clutter and earn $1,000 or more in one weekend! We polled garage sale gurus for their secrets on how to make the most money. Here, their top tips
Try the piggyback trick to draw crowds
“Plan your sale for a weekend when other things are going on in the neighborhood that could generate more foot traffic for you. For example, maybe your neighborhood church is having a jumble sale or a fun fair. Just be sure to open before the event or stay open after it ends. Also, make sure you advertise your sale!” —Cindy Sabulis, author of The Garage Sale How-To Guide
Make them stay with a $1 table
“Offer lots of bargains—or make it look like you do! Have a table with a big sign that says ‘All items $1’ or ‘50% off’ or ‘Buy one, get one free’ to draw visitors in. If people don’t see something they like within two minutes, they’ll leave. That’s why it’s smart to have a $1 table. Most shoppers have a hard time passing something up if it’s only $1, and those dollars add up quickly.” —Bonnie Joy Dewkett, TheJoyfulOrganizer.com
Go big with signage
“The first thing every sale needs is good signs. Shoppers have to be able to read from a car traveling 45 to 50 miles per hour, so have them placed at eye level. Ideally, you want the letters to be about 5" high, written with black marker—those little signs from the hardware store aren’t going to cut it. Write your address, the date and the start and end time of the yard sale. Be sure to place the signs at high-traffic intersections near your neighborhood or by a nearby grocery store to really get people’s attention.” —Jacqueline Gilchrist, MomMoneyMap.com
Find buyers for broken items
“Many sellers make the mistake of thinking buyers won’t want an item because it’s broken or too weird. Yet many sellers say they are so surprised by what ends up being purchased. So the best advice is to put out everything for sale. Someone might buy a broken cordless phone for the battery or a broken VCR for the remote control. Of course, if you’re selling working electronics, it’s always a good idea to have an outlet available for customers to test the item before buying.” —Steve Sultanoff, garage sale expert, clinical psychologist and professor at Pepperdine University
Sell refreshments
“It’s a great idea to sell drinks and baked goods at your sale to make extra money. Everybody loves a beverage and a little something to snack on, especially in the morning since many shoppers don’t bother eating breakfast before heading out to garage sales. Plus, people are more likely to stick around longer to shop if they feel welcomed and comfortable. And if it’s going to be a really hot day, you can also plan to sell iced tea or lemonade, or pick up a case of bottled water at the warehouse club and toss it in a cooler with ice. Then sell the bottles for $1 each. You can get a case of 45 bottles for less than $5 at Sam’s Club, so even if you only sell 20 bottles, you’ll still make a nice profit.”
—Eric Michael