Is there any thing better than finding a great deal at a lawn sale on something you needed? I love going to lawn sales. Over the years I have accumulated most of my Christmas decorations, my collection of cast iron pans and books. The hard part is not buying things that we don’t need. I did not go to one sale last year. Not one. It was hard.
I had to purge all my stuff that was just taking up space. Things that were no longer useful. I have been quite successful at donating a few TVs, loads of books, clothes, and household items. I’ve also had a few lawn sales.
Being a lawn sale enthusiast, I thought I’d share some tips when you decide to have a sale of your own.
#1 REMEMBER WHY YOU GO TO LAWN SALES!
Too many people forget why people go to them. Let me remind you: to find a deal. How many times have you left a lawn sale thinking the prices were way too high? Those are the people who end up bringing everything back into their house at the end of the day. Another mistake is having a lawn sale because you need money. That is when it happens…the over-pricing. If you want to make money try selling you belongings on-line, or through a store. You won’t sell much of anything if you over price. You will make more sales with lower prices. At the end of the day, you will have a bit of money in your pocket!
I really wanted to get rid of my ‘stuff’ and priced it accordingly. I provided the bags and posted large signs. All books and clothing was “Fill a bag for a dollar.” That went over very well. (Every bag sold was a dollar in my pocket)
#2 PRICE YOUR ITEMS!
If you want it to sell: Put a price on it! There is nothing that bothers me more than going to a sale that you have to ask how much they want. Another problem happens when they get too many people at the same time and they expect you to wait around until they deal with five other people wanting to find out the price. I want to get to the rest of the sales before they end. I am not going to spend twenty minutes to find out you want 40 dollars for that pan. I turn straight around when I hit one of those.
To simplify pricing, you could always have areas or tables with same priced goods on them, with one sign stating the price. You can buy little dot shaped stickers at most dollar stores or print them yourself.
HP has a Free Garage Sale Download Kit that you can edit and print here.
#3 GIVE THEM A REASON TO STOP
This works! Have a few large things right up at the front. I keep a few things hidden away in case the others sell. These are things I don’t care if I sell but will if someone wants it.
I don’t have children but I find a lot of people stop at sales with childrens items. Do one of two things, ask a friend if they have any items they would like you to sell for them or invite them to join you. Having a group sale is always more fun anyway!
I didn’t mean to do this but most of my furniture is antique. So when I used my tables, I had more people stopping to ask if they were for sale than anything else! I ended up having to post a sign that the tables were not for sale!
Just a few more tips:
*Advertise you sale at least a week ahead of time. If you can put posters up in your town, do so.
*Always start with plenty of small bills and change.
*Say hello but don’t push sales or start conversations. They really aren’t there to chat. Are you when you go to them?
*Always have a power cord for any electronics.
*If you do have small higher priced items, keep them at the table you are near. I can’t tell you how many people stole my husbands PS3 games!
There are more free Yard Sale printables out there:
Garage Sale Hunter – You can even post your lawn sale on line here.
More great sale tips:
How to operate a successful Garage Sale
At the end of the day, I pack up and leave the boxes of left overs for free. If they don’t go by the next day, we drop them off at the thrift shop.
After all that work, there is no way any of it is coming back inside! I will be clutter free one day!
Enjoy!
